Cauliflower & Mushroom Cream Sauce (Cooking Class)

I posted about a gnocchi cooking class that I just attended with my husband and friends. It was hosted by Chef Alex Staab who is a local KC chef specializing in Italian cuisine. If you are interested in taking any classes from him go to Eventbrite and search for cooking classes under his name.

This is one of the sauces that was paired with the gnocchi that we hand-made that evening. This was my favorite of the two sauces first off because I love CREAM. Its not the prettiest addiction, but its real. Plus who doesn't love mushrooms?!? If you aren't a cauliflower fan, this will change your mind. Just trying roasted cauliflower on its own deleted all those horrible memories of steamed versions from my youth...and sad raw versions of cauliflower seen in the standard veggie tray brought to house parties (where we all know the cauliflower is the last sad remaining veggie on the plate). Roasted is the way to go.

The sauce is rich, creamy of course, and very earthy due to the mushrooms, and the cauliflower is a bit sweet and milky which makes every bite just heavenly.

And here's how its done...

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 6 oz mushrooms (we used Cremini)
• 4 oz cauliflower trimmed into small 1 inch pieces
• 3 sprigs of fresh tyme
• Parmesan cheese
• 3 tbsp of butter
• 1 cup of white wine
• Sea salt
• Olive oil
• Truffle oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Toss the cauliflower with 1 tbsp of olive oil and roast in 350 degree oven until charred in spots, not burnt. Pull from oven and set aside. 
2. In a large saute pan over medium heat melt the butter and add the thyme sprigs
3. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.
4. Once butter starts to turn slightly brown, add the cauliflower and mushrooms and season w/ salt & pepper again. 
5. Remove thyme sprigs with tongs and throw away.
6. Cook over medium heat with mushrooms and cauliflower for about 3 minutes. Then deglaze the pan with white wine.
• Deglazing is a big fancy word that means "pouring cold liquid into a hot pan to get the bits of burnt food off the bottom of the pan".
7. Once the wine has reduced, and you can't smell the alcohol anymore (about 3-5 minutes) add the cream and cook until it boils. 
8. Drizzle with truffle oil and stir
9. Reduce heat to low and grate in the Parmesean cheese
10. Toss in the pasta and serve hot
11. Drizzle with a bit more truffle oil

Before we get started, taking a wine pic!

Step 1: Roasting cauliflower

Mushrooms & Truffle Oil

Step 2 - melting butter, before thyme was added

Step 7: adding cream to mushroom/cauliflower mix

Step 7: adding cream to mushroom/cauliflower mix

FINAL PRODUCT!