In special celebration of my mom’s birthday, Bill and I cooked a delicious dinner with my family. We had juicy ribeye steaks on the grill, along with a big grill basket full of colorful veggies, and we of course had to make a few mouth watering side dishes with our new favorite toy, our Blendtec!

We wanted to give my mom and my aunt a taste of our asparagus soup, so that was on the menu for the evening, and I decided to give mashed cauliflower one more chance in hopes that I would succeed with the Blendtec. I have tried to make cauliflower puree many times and failed miserably. I tried using a food processor, and a hand mixer, neither came out successfully for me. However, I had high hopes for success with the Blendtec.

The simple mashed cauliflower turned out beautifully for my mom’s birthday dinner! Since I was feeling confident with my cauliflower mash capabilities, I thought up a tasty twist for this dish to try out for the second time. With a few other simple additions, we created a delicious garlic and herb mashed cauliflower recipe, that would be fantastic along side any prime cut of meat. This recipe is a simple one that can be recreated without a high speed blender (although for others that are vegetable puree impaired like myself, the blender really helps).

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower, washed, and cut into florets
• 1 vidalia onion, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
• 2 tablespoons kerrygold unsalted butter
• Salt and pepper to taste

Process:

1. Place cauliflower in a steamer basket in a large soup pot, season with salt and pepper, and steam until soft (about 10-12 minutes, test with a fork).
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of kerrygold butter in a non-stick frying pan on medium heat.
3. Saute onion, garlic, and herbs until onion is translucent. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
4. Place steamed cauliflower into a high speed blender or food processor. Add the sauteed onion, garlic, and herbs, along with the second tablespoon of butter. Process until smooth.
5. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary, or a sprinkling of fresh ground pepper.

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This dish was wonderful. It would pair beautifully with steak, chicken, or pork. The flavor of the garlic and herbs really brought the creamy cauliflower puree to life.