Baked Cauliflower Au Gratin

Traditional French-style au gratin is made with flour as a thickener and potatoes as the base. In our case, we want to stay away from heavy starches and make this as keto-friendly as possible. In comes the humble cauliflower (make sure you get organic to avoid the pesticides and herbicides!) to save the day. This makes for a decadent side dish for steak, chicken, or seafood, or it can be scaled up into trays for a potluck or barbecue. Stirring in the cream cheese at the end will help thicken it up rather than relying on a roux.

Gratin dishes refer to the type of shallow casserole dishes that help create a large surface area for making a nice crust on top. Any shallow baking pan will technically do.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons organic grass-fed Butter
• 2 tablespoons organic grass-fed cream cheese
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons organic grass-fed gruyere cheese, plus more for garnish
• ¼ teaspoon organic nutmeg
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups organic cauliflower florets
• Organic parsley, for garnish.

Directions

1. In a pot of water, boil cauliflower florets until tender. Drain and set to the side.
2. In a pot, combine butter, cream, gruyere cheese, and nutmeg over medium heat and mix thoroughly until it begins to thicken. You want to avoid overheating which will cause the sauce to break. Turn off the heat and add cream cheese and stir quickly to thicken even more. 
3. Toss in cauliflower and coat with sauce, salt, and pepper to taste. Place into a shallow baking dish. Top with more gruyere cheese and broil in an oven until cheese has melted and is golden. Remove from oven, serve hot and garnish with parsley.