To me, pouring a cheese sauce over fresh vegetables makes as much sense as putting Cheese Wiz on Fillet Mignon. But, sometimes cauliflower wants a little company, and the addition of a cheddar cream sauce and crispy proscuitto is just the perfect compliment to an already beautiful vegetable. 

Cauliflower Gratin

1 head of cauliflower cut into oversize florets (I couldn't believe my luck at finding organic orange cauliflower for the same price as white.)

2 slices of prosciutto, diced

2 cups of hot milk

3 cups of very sharp shredded cheddar cheese 

1 cup of grated parmesean

2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons of flour

2 teaspoons of olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 Blanch the cauliflower in boiling water for 4 minutes, drain and place into an ice bath to keep it from continuing to cook. Let the cauliflower drain in a colander while making the sauce.

 Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the flour and stir for one minute. Add the hot milk and stir with a whisk to break up any pieces of flour. Add the cheddar by handful while constantly stirring the sauce until all of the cheese is incorporated. Remove from heat.

 Saute the prosciutto and olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat.  Stir constantly until it becomes crispy, but don't take your eyes off of it, it will burn in a nanosecond if it's left unattended.

 Add the prosciutto to the cheese sauce and pour over the cauliflower in an oven proof dish.

Cover the cheese sauce with the grated parmesan, and bake covered for 20 minutes and uncovered for 20 minutes.

 Enjoy!