Mashed Cauliflower

Sometime last month, I tried making mashed cauliflower.  It was a bit of a disaster.  The blender wasn't actually properly sealed, which I didn't realize, so I just kept putting in more and more milk and sour cream because it wouldn't liquefy except it wasn't liquefying because the liquid was dripping out of the unsealed bottom all over the counter...

Not my finest culinary moment.

And in the end, the consistency was way to soupy; the taste was way to milky.  And I was mad because I had had some really good mashed cauliflower at a restaurant, and I really wanted a decent at-home recipe.

The plethora of cauliflower in my refrigerator due to my grocery store vegetable binge seemed to make the other night the perfect time to try try again.  Same recipe as last time - different equipment - much better result - some refining still needed - practice will hopefully make perfect!

Recipe: (from Sweet Peas and Pumpkins)
1 medium sized head of cauliflower (cut into pieces)
1-2 garlic cloves (I used 2 the first time, 3 the second, 3 is better!)
1/4+ cup light sour cream
1/4+ cup skim milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

Steam the cauliflower for 10 minutes or until the cauliflower is very tender. (I steamed it for 10 minutes the first time, but it didn't seem long enough, so the second time I set the timer for 15 minutes.  It seemed easier to puree the second time.)

(Rather than place in a food processor or blender to puree, this time I used my food mill with the medium grate.)

Puree the cauliflower.  Add the sour cream, milk, salt, pepper, and cream cheese.  Continue to puree until smooth.  Depending on the size of your cauliflower, you may need to add more sour cream or milk.  (In order for use of my food mill to work, I pureed all the cauliflower then added the other ingredients and mixed the old fashioned way with a fork.)

Verdict:
Definitely more successful than the first time!  Slightly garlicky, slightly creamy flavor.  It made a great side dish for some roasted turkey bought at Kroger.  (Plus some brussels sprouts that you'll hear about soon!)  As far as texture, Alex and I both agreed that they could have been a little smoother.  I think I was a little afraid to add any extra milk or sour cream after my first attempt.  Next time I'll be a little braver.  I could also try the fine grate in the food mill.  And a food processor or blender would definitely lead to a smoother consistency, I was just a little gun-shy after my first soupy attempt.  Worth eating and worth working on finessing the recipe.  I've never been a cauliflower fan either raw or cooked.   No flavor.  This solves the flavor problem and maintains the nutrition value, so I'm going to keep at it till it's 'perfect.'