Cauliflower with a Twist

I first tasted this creamy baked cauliflower at a dinner party in Vero Beach, Florida.  We were invited to dinner by my husband's uncle and aunt.  One of their friends made this delectable cauliflower and prosciutto casserole.  I couldn't ask for the recipe fast enough.  This is a rich dish, filled with butter, cream, and cheese, so we don't have it often, but it is a real treat when we do.

Fresh parsley is best, but if you don't want to purchase parsley in the winter, dried will work fine.  When we are not serving this to guests, I leave in the chunks of garlic since the husband loves garlic.

Baked Cauliflower with Prosciutto

6 tablespoons butter

4 large garlic cloves, peeled and halved

4-6 ounces thinly sliced Prosciutto ham, visible fat trimmed and julienned

1 head cauliflower, sliced in 1/4-inch slices

2 tablespoons flour

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 cups grated Swiss cheese

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped or 2 tablespoons dried parsley

Cayenne pepper and black or white pepper to taste (I use 1/8 teaspoon cayenne and about four grinds of the pepper mill)

Melt butter in large non-stick skillet; add garlic cloves and sauté for 2 minutes.  Remove garlic (or leave in if you like).  Stir in ham; sauté 2 additional minutes, stirring frequently to separate slices of ham.  Add cauliflower; sauté 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.  Stir in cream, flour, and pepper.  Heat until mixture just comes to a boil.  Remove from heat immediately.  Pour into 9x13 baking dish.  Cover with Swiss cheese and parsley.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes.

Printable recipe

Linking to Mercantile Muse