Cauliflower - Leek Purée

Here’s another side I made for Thanksgiving. It’s a great alternative to mashed potatoes if you have guests who are carb-conscious. Click here to see a video on how to clean a leek.

Cauliflower – Leek Purée

Ingredients:

2  heads cauliflower (about 3 ½ pounds), coarsely chopped

4  T butter

1  leek, cleaned and thinly sliced (about 1 ½ cups)

3  cloves garlic, chopped

1  C heavy cream

1/3 C panko bread crumbs

1/3 C chopped flat-leaf parsley or scallions

Directions:

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the cauliflower until very soft, 12 to 15 minutes; drain.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, melt 3 ½ tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the leek and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leek is translucent and very soft, about 8 minutes.

Using a food processor and working in batches, puree the cauliflower and leek mixture with the cream.

In a small skillet, melt the remaining ½ tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add the panko and toast, tossing, until golden. Top the puree with the toasted panko and chopped parsley or scallions.

Source: November 2010, Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine