Mashed Cauliflower with Roasted Garlic & Goat Cheese

I have come to the conclusion that many times when people claim they don't like to eat certain vegetables, it really means they probably have never had it prepared in a way that would appeal to them. With so many different options and recipes available on how to turn an otherwise boring vegetable into a showstopper, it makes it hard to believe that an aversion against a certain food couldn't be overturned.

I think Cauliflower is a great example. By simply steaming the vegetable you end up with a "blah" version that can be kind of tasteless, but because of its mild flavor it can also be extremely versatile and lend itself to a lot of different and tasty applications. Recently there has been a surge in popularity for cauliflower. The florets are low in fat and carbs, high in fiber, folic acid and vitamin C, which makes this vegetable a winner in my book. If you perform a quick search, you can find an amazing variety of recipes. They range from roasted cauliflower, gratins, soups, dips, faux alfredo sauces and even pizza crust. While I've tried quite a few of these different versions, cauliflower pizza crust is still one that eludes me, but I will never say never.

A few weeks ago I made Canadian Bacon Cauliflower Cheddar Cups for my family with great results, so  I decided to experiment a little more and came up with this delicious mashed version. I started with a basic recipe, but by adding sweet, roasted garlic along with tangy and tart goat cheese, the dish was elevated to a whole new level. I achieved the desired consistency with my food processor, but an immersion blender or even a good old fashioned potato masher should do the trick as well. I served this with grilled steak and a big side salad, but ate leftovers with a couple of over-easy eggs the next day and had to restrain myself from licking the plate. So tasty, so simple, and most definitely one of my new favorites.  

Mashed Cauliflower with Roasted Garlic & Goat Cheese
~makes 5-6 servings~
(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:
5-6 cups cauliflower florets (about 1 medium head)
1 vegetable bouillon cube
8-10 roasted garlic cloves (see notes)
4 Tbsp. soft goat cheese
1/8 tsp. grated nutmeg
Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste
4 Tbsp. green onions, chopped

Directions:
Roast garlic (see note), remove cloves from skin and set aside.

On the stove-top, add cauliflower to a pot, fill with about 4 cups of water. Add the vegetable bouillon cube and steam/cook cauliflower until soft. Drain the cauliflower and add to a food processor.

Process cauliflower along with the roasted garlic cloves, goat cheese, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper and 1/8 tsp. nutmeg until smooth.

Transfer mixture to a bowl, check for additional salt and pepper and fold in 3 Tbsp. of the green onions. Sprinkle with additional reserved onions and serve immediately.

Notes: To roast the garlic, preheat oven to 400° F. Take one whole garlic bulb and cut 1/4 to 1/2 inch off the top. Lay on a piece of aluminum foil big enough to wrap the head of garlic, drizzle with about 1 tsp. of olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Wrap it in the foil and roast in preheated oven for 35-45 minutes or until garlic is soft and golden brown. Let cool for about 15 minutes before handling. Use your fingers or a fork to squeeze and pull roasted garlic out of the skin. 

If you don't like the taste of goat cheese, cream cheese would also be an acceptable substitution.

A Susi's Kochen und Backen Original Recipe

Spring Onion Jam Bruschetta

 The time has come for another Progressive Party. Progressive Parties, in case you are wondering, are a wonderful way for bloggers to get involved with companies or sponsors to showcase their creative side in coming up with unique recipes. Six bloggers taking a stab at one ingredient in six different courses, sounds like fun, right? The parties are the brainchild of Casey and are hosted over at Kitchen Play where you can find all the info and can check out today's and previous parties.

Many of you might remember my previous involvement last November when I created the "Bloody Olivia". Imagine my excitement when I was chosen again. This month the "mystery" ingredient happens to be spring onions or sweet onions and is sponsored by the National Onion Association. When I first received the assignment and it said spring onions, I was actually a little puzzled and wasn't quite sure what they were. Thankfully with some research on the association's great website, I was ready to get in the kitchen and start creating.  Spring onions are also called sweet onions and are typically available from March through August. They tend to have a much lighter, thinner papery skin and are sweeter than storage or fall onions. Their moisture content is also higher and with that, they are actually more susceptible to bruising. Some common trade-names that you all might be familiar with are Walla Walla Sweets, Maui Sweets and the ever popular Vidalia Onions just to name a few.

For this progressive party I was assigned the appetizer course and decided to go with Walla Walla Sweets for my dish. I was still able to find them at my grocery store in the fall, which is when I was assigned with this party. Unfortunately this particular kind won't be available again until the June time frame, but there are many other options that will work just as well, like Vidalias. Just head on over to the National Onion Associations' website to see what's available. Coming up with a recipe wasn't quite as easy as one might think. I use onions on a daily basis in my cooking at home and we are typically a family of onion lovers. However, I wanted to make sure to create a dish that showcased the onions' sweet taste, but was also light and "spring like" tasting.  My first instinct was to go with bruschetta which I love serving as an appetizer as you can really transform them to fit any season or occasion.

I played around with a few different applications for the onions, but finally decided that making an onion jam would highlight this great ingredient best. Typically, onion jam is made with dark balsamic vinegar, but in order to keep my jam light tasting, I decided to use white balsamic instead. That, along with light brown sugar and white wine, made for a great start. Some seasonings, fresh thyme and just a bit of apricot jam added the finishing touch. The onion jam turned out beautiful, with just the right amount of sweet to tart ratio. 

After taste testing several bruschetta combinations (I know, being a food blogger is rough), I decided to create a bruschetta that would satisfy all of my senses. I had in my mind that the bruschetta should be sweet, but also creamy, crunchy and salty. I found the latter three components by simply putting the onion jam together with crunchy, toasted baguette slices, creamy and slightly tart goat cheese and last but not least, salty slices of prosciutto. Topped with the spring onion jam, this appetizer turned out even better than I had dreamed.

This is really an amazing appetizer and I'm incredibly proud of this creation. I've served this already several times to friends and the reaction is always overwhelmingly positive. On a side note, while the jam is spectacular in the showcased combination, it is also fantastic in many other applications. Think of it as a tasty condiment which can perk up a vast array of dishes.

If at this point my recipe has made your mouth water, go ahead, make the spring onion jam bruschetta, blog about them and submit your link to Kitchen Play. By doing so, you will have a chance to win $100.You have until April 30th, 2011 to enter, so don't wait, I know all of you could use a little extra money with vacation time approaching!

Spring Onion Jam Bruschetta

A Susi's Kochen und Backen Original

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

18 1/2 -inch thick diagonally cut baguette slices

Olive Oil

18 tablespoons soft goat cheese

9 thin prosciutto slices, cut in half crosswise

 Spring Onion Jam (recipe to follow)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Arrange bread slices on a rimmed baking sheet. Brush top of each with olive oil and roast bread until top is golden 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and cool toasts on sheet.

Spread 1 tablespoon goat cheese on each cooled toast. Arrange prosciutto halves on top of the goat cheese and top each toast with spring onion jam. Arrange on platter and serve.

Spring Onion Jam 

A Susi's Kochen und Backen Original

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 large spring onions (I used Walla Walla Onions), sliced thinly

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/3 cup white wine (Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio works well)

1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons apricot jam

1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped

Kosher Salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation:

Melt butter and oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Add sliced onions and cook, stirring, until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.

Add the sugar, wine, balsamic vinegar, apricot jam, thyme and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring, until the liquid thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 35 minutes.

Transfer the onion jam to a bowl and let cool. Serve at room temperature.

Goat Cheese Polenta

I'm sure I've mentioned before that I love to "collect" side dishes. To me a great side dish goes a long way in complimenting an otherwise boring cut of meat. It can breath new life into chicken, pork, beef, or seafood. A good side dish is key to completing a meal, no matter if it is a salad, a veggie, or a starchy recipe.

Polenta for me has been mostly reserved for ordering at restaurants. I've made it a few times at home as well, but didn't care for it as much as I did when ordering out. It was almost tasteless and the consistency wasn't as appealing. Well, all that has all changed with this recipe. This Polenta was so good, that if I could have eaten it for a week straight I would have. I'm on a renewed quest to find more recipes for Polenta since it was so well received all the way around.

I found this recipe in a Cuisine at Home weeknight grilling magazine. On first glance the recipe is a very small blip on a page that featured a grilled pork tenderloin. In fact, it would have been easy to overlook if it wouldn't have been for my son who pointed it out to me. At first I wasn't excited, considering my previous experience with cooking Polenta at home, but after looking at the recipe I figured why not.

To make this dish, cornmeal is cooked in chicken broth and milk until it has reached the desired consistency. A generous helping of goat cheese, which added a little bit of tartness, and a little heavy cream for the final touch make this recipe irresistible. It was smooth, creamy and decadent all at the same time. The texture was spot-on as well. Definitely a restaurant worthy dish that I would have no problem serving to company. I served this along side grilled pork tenderloin which was a wonderful accompaniment.

The whole family could not get enough of this Goat Cheese Polenta, and all I had to account for was empty bowls after the meal. I can't wait to make this again, it was that good!

Goat Cheese Polenta
(adapted from "Cuisine at Home")
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups whole milk (I used 1%)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup cornmeal
4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup heavy cream

Preparation:

Bring broth, milk, and salt to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, then gradually whisk in cornmeal. Cook until thick and bubbly, about 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Stir in goat cheese and cream.