Cauliflower Goat Cheese Gratin

One of my co-workers directed me to a blog she had recently found where she got the recipe for an amazing pork tenderloin. As I was checking it out, the most recent entry was for a Cauliflower Goat Cheese Gratin and I was immediately interested. I love Cauliflower and goat cheese and this sounded simple enough...and we had all the ingredients in house, except for the veggies and goat cheese. We decided to make it for our "stay at home" New Years Eve dinner last night and it was YUMMY! It went really well with the filets Steve made for us. It was a great way to ring in the new year!

1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 clove of garlic, peeled and cut in half

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1 cup Monterey Jack cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

2 green onions, chopped

3 ounces goat cheese, cut in small pieces (we could only find the Provencal flavor goat cheese crumbles and it really added some great flavor)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Add cream to a small pot with the garlic and bring to a simmer
3. Turn off the heat and let the cream infuse and cool for about 15 minutes
4. Toss the cauliflower, Monterey Jack, Parmesan, green onion and lemon zest in a shallow casserole dish (I used a 9x13 because that is all we had)
5. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Strain the cream over the cauliflower and top with the pieces of goat cheese. Add another grind or two of pepper to the top.
7. Roast for 20-30 minutes or until the cauliflower is soft and the sauce has thickened slightly and become golden around the edges.
8. Remove from the oven and let rest 5-10 minutes before serving.