People in France eat about the same amount of fresh cauliflower as Americans do — about one kilogram (2.2 lbs.) per person per year — according to some figures I've found. Per capita consumption of cauliflower is on the rise in the U.S. About 90% of the U.S. cauliflower crop is grown in California, and about 85% of the French cauliflower crop is grown in Brittany. It's because of those two regions' mild winter climates. Actually, the biggest producers and consumers of cauliflower in the world are China and India. Europe grows more than twice as much cauliflower as the U.S. does.
The are many ways to prepare cauliflower — choufleur in French — but one of my favorites is called Gratin de choufleur aux lardons — steamed cauliflower florets and chunks of cooked, smoked pork bacon (or ham) baked together in a cheese sauce. One of the essential ingredients in that cheese sauce is a good pinch of nutmeg, which brings out the flavor of the cheese. For this one, I used French Comté cheese, which resembles what we call Swiss cheese in the U.S.
Notice in the photos in this short slideshow that I also cook the green leaves that surround the cauliflower head. They are good to eat too. This time, I cut them and steamed the greens for the freezer and future meals. The cauliflower I was cooking weighed about 1½ lbs. (700 grams), and that was enough for the two of us. I'm not sure American cauliflower heads are sold with the green leaves still on the stalk, but if they are don't throw the greens away (if you like greens). They could go into the gratin with the cauliflower florets too, if you want. Trim them up and steam them before putting them into the cheese sauce.
This is one of my favorite side dishes though I make it in a vegetarian way. I learned from the Jacques Pepin video on YouTube. Cauliflower is always a little expensive in our area, like napa cabbage which I also love. But so healthy and delicious! I did not recognize it in your photo yesterday!
ReplyDeleteWe eat it as a full meal. I think the photo I posted yesterday didn't show the cauliflower florets as clearly as the last one in this slideshow does. Cauliflower in the U.S. is shipped long distances from California, and that may explain the high prices. I paid 1.50 euros for this choufleur at SuperU in Saint-Aignan. Brittany is only about 250 miles from where we live.
DeleteI paid slightly more than $4.00 for a cauliflower last time I bought one. But sometimes I find one for $2.50. Napa cabbage is about $3.99 a pound. much more than "regular" cabbage, or red or savoy. In yesterday's photo I thought I might have been seeing potatoes.
DeleteEnjoyed your video! Lardons are great in anything, pretty much. They are showing up in high-end bakeries here, in cakes, etc.(!) Meanwhile Cauliflower is being used in decorative landscaping, I kid you not. Especially the purple and green ones. I'm surprised every time I see it used this way, but it's very trendy.
ReplyDeleteAhhhh, I see! Looks so creamy and tasty :)
ReplyDeleteI think they've got their figures wrong... 1 kilo? We get through a caulie a fortnight in season, more if you include Romanesco in that.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in Intermarché early this week, their veg counter was piled high... when I went to get one on Thursday... nada, not a caulie to be seen!
Must be the city-dwelling, ready-mealers bringing the average down.
Fortunately... I've enough frozen florettes for what I want to do.
The only Caulie I won't buy is the orange one... looks weird!!
DeleteDoes cauliflower freeze well for you? I've tried freezing it but the result when it is thawed doesn't have a good texture. Maybe I'm not doing it right.
DeleteWhilst it hasn't quite the texture of fresh, it is still edible raw when thawed.
DeleteWe tray freeze in one layer per tray of small florets....
really no bigger than tip of thumb... certainly half the size of bought frozen florets...
anything bigger takes too long to freeze and becomes soggy!
The ice crystals become much larger and slice the flesh to ribbons.
Add to that, we can't freeze in nitrogen like the pros!
As the biggest, bottom mini-heads have almost invariably been used fresh, you are down to the small ones anyway. which makes choosing size easier.
The remains of the stalk I chop into cubes of about a centimetre and again tray freeze.... they go into soups, stews and stir fries.
Hope that's of use....
Thanks for that, Tim.
DeleteI sometimes eat it raw, as crudité, very good. When I can get locally grown, it seems to be better than the industrial stuff shipped in from the west coast.
ReplyDeleteCauliflower is good raw — I like it that way too, especially dipped into home-made mayonnaise.
DeleteWe are huge fans of cauliflower and eat them one way or another every week....except in France where they can be really expensive. We swoop when they're on offer! Cauliflower gratin is one of our favourite dishes, at any time of year.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what you mean by really expensive. What do you pay in the UK? Is there a season for cauliflower there? There is definitely a season here.
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