Cauliflower Gratin With Manchego And Almond Sauce

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 3/4 cup half-and-half
• 1/2 cup almonds, whole roasted with skin
• 2 tablespoons almonds, coarsely chopped
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup manchego cheese, finely shredded (or other mildly nutty semi-aged sheep's or cow's-milk cheese) or 3/4 cup gouda cheese, plus
• 2 tablespoons manchego cheese, finely shredded or 2 tablespoons gouda cheese
• nutmeg, freshly grated
• fresh ground pepper
• 2 lbs cauliflower, cut into 1 1/2-inch florets
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika (pimenta de la vera- smoked spanish paprika)

Recipe

• 1 preheat the oven to 400°; in a small saucepan, heat the half-and-half until steaming, then transfer it to a food processor or blender; add the 1/2 cup of whole almonds and process until finely ground; let stand for 10 minutes; strain the half-and-half through a fine sieve set over a bowl, pressing on the almonds to extract as much liquid as possible; discard the ground almonds.
• 2 in a medium saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter; add the flour and whisk over moderately high heat for 1 minute; add the milk and the half-and-half and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, 5 minutes; remove from the heat; add 3/4 cup of the manchego and whisk until melted; whisk in the nutmeg; season with salt and pepper. keep warm.
• 3 in a large skillet, bring 1/2 inch of salted water to a boil; add the cauliflower, cover and cook over high heat until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes; drain the cauliflower in a colander; wipe out the skillet.
• 4 melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the skillet; add the onion and cook over moderately high heat, stirring until lightly browned, about 5 minutes; add the cauliflower and cook, stirring until lightly golden, about 2 minutes; season lightly with salt and pepper; transfer the cauliflower to a 7-by-10-inch glass or ceramic baking dish and spread the manchego sauce on top.
• 5 sprinkle the gratin with the remaining cheese, the 2 tablespoons of chopped almonds and the paprika and bake in the center of the oven for 20 minutes, or until bubbling and browned on top; let stand for 10 minutes before serving.