Chicken Cauliflower Au Gratin

              It was a long day at work, so I was in the mood for something satisfying. I was also in the mood to challenge myself. I decided to make, from scratch, my very 1st cheese sauce.  I have long been intimidated by this finicky sauce so I have reserved my indulgence for this when out to eat at a restaurant, to be made by professionals. My first insight to share about my style of cooking is that I do not use recipes. In fact, the only recipes I own are for baking. I prefer to follow my sense of taste, my knowledge of food preparation and what I have seen others prepare. 

            Cream sauce (cheese sauce, white sauce), though I have seen it prepared, I have tasted it and I have a basic knowledge of how to prepare it, I have avoided making. Well tonight, I can chalk one up for myself. With heavy cream, 2% milk, roux, grated parmesan, shredded white sharp cheddar, salt and freshly grated black pepper, I created a cream sauce. Not an oily, broken, fatty sauce. Not a thin, milky flavorless sauce.  No my worst fears didn't come true. After a brief but tense period of watching, stirring and waiting, a creamy, well emulsified, rich, cheesy white sauce emerged in my pot. So what could I do with it? I sauteed some chicken, fresh garlic, button mushrooms and sweet onions in a pan. I steamed 1/2 a head of cauliflower and picked it into florets. I combined this mixture into a baking dish, poured the sauce over it, grated more cheese on top and finished it with panco bread crumbs. I baked it for 20 minutes at 375 to get a nice golden crust.  I proudly served this concoction to my husband with a cold glass of Australian Sauvignon Blanc and neither of us made a peep until our forks hit our empty plates. 

 

             So I've accomplished 2 things  tonight, I've overcome my fear of one of the "mother sauces" and I created a delicious satisfying meal after a hard days work. This may sound like a lot of trouble to go through for some, but another insight about my cooking is that I love it, it's a release and a creative outlet for me and I am proud of what I create and serve.