{"id":104310,"date":"2021-01-08T11:41:51","date_gmt":"2021-01-08T11:41:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fin2me.com\/?p=104310"},"modified":"2021-01-08T11:41:51","modified_gmt":"2021-01-08T11:41:51","slug":"the-secret-to-the-best-vegetable-gratin-is-a-double-dose-of-pork","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fin2me.com\/business\/the-secret-to-the-best-vegetable-gratin-is-a-double-dose-of-pork\/","title":{"rendered":"The Secret to the Best Vegetable Gratin Is a Double Dose of Pork"},"content":{"rendered":"
Editor\u2019s Note: As more people are working from home, Bloomberg Pursuits is running a weekly Lunch Break column that highlights a notable recipe from a top cookbook and the hack that makes it genius.<\/em><\/p>\n Here\u2019s a word that usually dominates January conversation but has been notably absent in 2021: \u201cdiet.\u201d<\/p>\n While the concept of Dry January continues to take hold\u2014in the U.K., the number of adults taking part this year is 6.5 million, up from 3.9 million in 2020\u2014traditional diets have not. After months of pandemic-related lockdowns, most people are not in the mood for more restrictions.<\/p>\n But even if a compulsion for comfort food isn\u2019t going anywhere, a new year will always signify new intentions and an impulse toward wellness.<\/p>\n A recent cookbook is well suited to the moment. In The Whole Smiths Real Food Every Day: Healthy Recipes to Keep Your Family Happy Throughout the Week <\/em>(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; $30), Michelle Smith offers a long list of dishes that are easy to make and eat. The word \u201chealthy\u201d is subject to interpretation.<\/p>\n Smith began her professional career working in Bay Area startups, including a media company funded by the Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins. But after starting a family there, the businesswoman began writing about food and created the Whole Smiths blog. \u201cDiets like raw food felt pretentious and finicky; paleo required too many trips to different stores for specialty ingredients\u201d says Smith. \u201cI said: \u2018I can make this more accessible.\u2019\u201d She gravitated toward the Whole30, the popular program based on eating minimally processed food for 30 days to identify what ingredients have negative effects on your body, such as sugar, grains, and alcohol.<\/p>\n Her first cookbook, The Whole Smiths Good Food Cookbook<\/em>, was approved by Whole30. Her new one is not, because it includes products such as dairy that aren\u2019t part of the program, but it is still geared for busy people who want to serve tasty food that\u2019s not overly processed.<\/p>\n \u201cThese are recipes designed for home cooks. I\u2019m not going to get a James Beard award here,\u201d she says about the ambitious volumes that usually get awards. She designed the dishes to jump off what she learned about cooking and substitutions from the restricted program. \u201cThis is how you eat after you\u2019ve done the Whole30,\u201d she says. Compelling recipes include carnitas ramen noodles and sweet potato nachos with cilantro jalape\u00f1o aioli.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also an \u201cindulgent whole food\u201d gratin, which features cauliflower instead of potatoes or pasta. It\u2019s not healthy by any stretch, a point she concedes in the recipe headnote. (She says it\u2019s for weekends and holidays.) Not only is the cauliflower gratin studded with bacon, the two-cheese sauce is infused with bacon fat.<\/p>\n Yet the flavor of the dish goes beyond the appeal of eating anything with multiple pork products in it. The cauliflower is roasted instead of boiled, so it has a rich, caramelized taste that stands up to the melted gruyere and asiago. She adds a sprinkle of thyme that refreshes the creamy bites.<\/p>\n The genius touch is the topping: Because Smith eschews gluten, her baked vegetables use crumbled pork rinds instead of bread crumbs to deliver a crispy bite. Along with the requisite crunch, they have a gamy taste that deepens the flavor of the dish.<\/p>\n Smith agrees that the start of this new year\u2014one that feels so much like the old one with all the pandemic restrictions\u2014isn\u2019t the time to get tough on what you eat.<\/p>\n \u201cDiets and resolutions feel so dated right now,\u201d she observes. \u201cThey\u2019re always so big, you\u2019re supposed to overhaul everything.\u201d Her focus is to do small things. \u201cTake a couple steps back from all or nothing. Make slight modifications.\u201d She adds: \u201cThe best thing for everyone is to feel like they\u2019re taking care of themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n The following recipe is adapted from The Whole Smiths Real Food Every Day<\/em>, by Michelle Smith. <\/span><\/p>\n Serves 4 to 6<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n 1 head cauliflower (2 lbs), trimmed and broken into small florets Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower, olive oil, and 1 teaspoon of the salt to coat. Spread the cauliflower on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the cauliflower is tender and golden brown on the edges. <\/span><\/p>\n Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, cook the bacon over medium heat until lightly crisped, about 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel\u2013lined plate to drain. Discard the bacon grease from the saucepan, but don\u2019t wash out the pan. Return the saucepan to medium heat and add the butter, then let it melt. Whisking constantly, sprinkle the flour over the butter until incorporated. Slowly add the milk and cook, whisking constantly until the sauce is smooth and slightly thickened. <\/span><\/p>\n Add the remaining \u00bd teaspoon salt, the pepper, and the asiago and Gruy\u00e8re, and whisk until the cheeses have melted. Remove from the heat. Add the roasted cauliflower, bacon, and thyme and stir so the cauliflower is completely coated. <\/span><\/p>\n Pour everything into an 8-inch-square glass or nonstick baking dish and top with the crushed pork rinds. Reduce the oven temperature to 375F and bake for about 20 minutes until the gratin starts to bubble. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.<\/span><\/p>\nCauliflower Gratin With Pork Rind Crust<\/span><\/h2>\n
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 \u00bd 2 tsp. salt
4 slices bacon, chopped
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 tbsp. gluten-free all-purpose flour
1\u00bc cups whole milk
\u00bc tsp. freshly ground black pepper
\u00bd cup grated asiago cheese
\u2153 cup grated Gruy\u00e8re cheese
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
\u00bd cup crushed pork rinds (chicharr\u00f3nes)<\/span><\/p>\n