[1] Forget the pasta: This “mac and cheese”
substitutes better-for-you cauliflower (photos #1 and #3 © Castello Cheese).

[2] Turn cauliflower into “mac and cheese” (photo © GoodEggs.com).

[3] Havarti is also delicious on a cheese board for a snack, or with fresh and dried fruits and nuts for dessert.

Chef Michael Symon has a solution for mac and cheese lovers who want to cut back on the pasta: Substitute cauliflower for the pasta. For some time now, cauliflower “mashed potatoes” have been a favorite substitute for mashed potatoes: lower in calories, higher in nutrition.

In this recipe, Chef Symon does a vegetable-for-starch switch with macaroni.

His recipe has the creamy cheesiness of mac and cheese (Chef Symon uses used Castello Creamy Havarti), the crunchiness of the bread crumbs, extra cruciferous* vegetables in your diet and and delicious comfort food with reduced calories.

Havarti is a traditional Danish cheese type that has an official EU Protected Geographical Indication status. This means that only cheeses produced in Denmark, that conform to all specific production techniques, can be called Havarti.

Make this yummy mac and cheese tonight!

If you can’t find Havarti, substitute your favorite semi-hard cheese, such as Gruyère.
 
 
RECIPE: CAULIFLOWER MAC & CHEESE

Ingredients For 4-6 Servings

 
Preparation

1. BRING a large pot of water to a boil and add a tablespoon of salt. Add the florets to the water and cook until tender but still crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain well and pat between several layers of paper towels to dry. Set aside.

2. PREHEAT the broiler to high. While the cauliflower is cooking, heat a 2-quart Dutch oven† over medium heat. Add the cream, salt, pepper, and hot sauce to the pot and bring it to simmer. (Chef Symon used 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of hot sauce, but adjust the seasonings to your liking.) Reduce the cream by 1/3, about 3 minutes.

3. WHISK in the mascarpone and Havarti and stir to incorporate. When the cheese is melted and incorporated, keep the sauce at a simmer. The sauce will be slightly thickened at this point.

4. ADD the cauliflower and chives, stirring well to coat the cauliflower. Pour into an ovenproof dish; then top with the bread crumbs, sprinkling them in an even layer. Place the dish under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly. Remove from the broiler and let set for 5 minutes before serving.

*The highly nutritious, anti-carcinogen Brassicaceae family of vegetables is also called the cruciferous family from cruciferae, New Latin for “cross-bearing.” Their flowers consist of four petals in the shape of a cross. The family include arugula, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, horseradish, kale, kohlrabi, mizuna, mustard, radish, rapeseed/canola, rapini (broccoli rabe), rutabaga, tatsoi and turnips. Eat up!

†Also called a French oven, a Dutch oven is a thick-walled cooking pot with a tight-fitting lid. It is usually made of cast iron. In France it is called a cocotte, the French word for casserole.

The semisoft, rindless cheese with small eyes is popular as a table cheese and a sandwich cheese. Now, get to know it as a recipe cheese.

We actually know who created havarti: Hanne Nielsen, who operated an experimental farm called Havarthigaard, north of Copenhagen, in the latter half of the 19th century. She kept it close, though; havarti was not introduced commercially until around 1920.

With its buttery aroma and flavor, the cheese was a hit. As it ages, it becomes saltier and nutty, with a slightly crumbly texture.

Havarti pairs well with beer, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and light-bodied Pinot Noir.

If you like havarti, also try Danish tilsit, also known as tilsit havarti. It’s a more intensely flavorful version of havarti, but milder than German tilsit.

We recommend that you avoid a product called cream havarti, which may sound tempting but isn’t. It’s made from ultrapasteurized milk to raise yields. The process produces more cheese, but alters the taste and texture.
 
FLAVORED HAVARTI

Havarti blends beautifully with other flavors. As a result, there’s a wealth of flavored havartis: basil, caraway, chive, coconut, cranberry, dill, garlic jalapeño and red pepper, among others.

Beyond the cheese plate, how should you serve havarti? For starters, use it instead of other cheeses in your favorite recipes.

WAYS TO USE HAVARTI

Yours free on Tuesday, May 12th. Photo
courtesy Häagen-Dazs.

Tuesday, May 12th is Free Cone Day at participating Häagen-Dazs shops, from 4-8 pm local time.

It’s a standard* size sugar cone or cake cone or small cup with your choice of ice cream, frozen yogurt or sorbet in a cup, sugar cone or cake cone.

Here’s your chance to try two of H-D’s new artisan flavors (also available at the grocer’s):

 
HÄAGEN-DAZS NEW ARTISAN COLLECTION

With flavors developed by American food artisans, the new collection includes:

And a smart idea from H-D: Guests who want to purchase items may bypass the line of people who are waiting for free scoops.
 
*H-D calls it “kiddie size.”
  

If you’d like to make a treat for a graduate, how about brownie mortarboards*?

These, from Sugar Bowl Bakery in Hayward, California, show you how to do it.

1. MAKE mini round brownies in a baba pan or cut circles with a cookie cutter from a regular pan of brownies.

2. FIND a rectangular cookie covered in chocolate. We used these, but you can bake your own shortbread or sugar cookies and dip them.

3. DECORATE with a jelly bean and a piece of licorice whip. Use a dab of chocolate frosting to afix the garnish to the cookie.

*A mortarboard is the square academic hat, or graduation cap, so named long ago because of its similarity in appearance to the plasterer’s tool used to hold mortar.

We order lasagna every time we see it on a menu, trying to find one that’s better than Mom’s (which has only been bested once). We find them with the mainstay tomato-meat sauce, southern Italian-style; and with béchamel, a white sauce preferred in Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna (and preferred by us).

But in Liguria, the home* of basil, they use pesto for the sauce, creating a green lasagna.

While basil is available year-round, take advantage of the spring harvest and make a green lasagna with other spring treats: asparagus, fava beans, fiddleheads, morels, ramps, and of course, green lasagna noodles instead of the conventional white.

Here’s a recipe from chef Mario Batali, an owner of the Italian food experience that is Eataly.

In Italian the recipe is called Lasagne al Pesto con Asparagi: Lasagna with Asparagus and Pesto (and anything else you want to add).

*Basil may actually be native to India, where it has been cultivated for more than 5,000 years.
________________
 
RECIPE: ASPARAGUS & PESTO LASAGNA

Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
For The Pesto Sauce

 
________________

†Pecorino sardo, also known as fiore sardo, is a firm cheese sheep’s milk cheese from the Italian island of Sardinia. It’s sold at Eataly; but if you can’t get it, use Pecorino Romano instead. Here are the main Italian grating cheeses.
________________

 
For The Besciamella

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the pesto. In a large stone mortar, combine the pine nuts, basil, garlic and salt and grind with a pestle until it forms a paste. Add the cheeses and drizzle in the olive oil, beating with a wooden spoon. This can be made in advance and stored in a tightly-capped jar in the fridge, topped off with a layer of extra virgin olive oil.

2. BRING 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt. Set up an ice bath next to the boiling water. Boil the asparagus for one minute. Remove the asparagus, retaining the water in the pot, and refresh in an ice bath. Remove the asparagus from the ice bath, drain well, cut into ½-inch to 1-inch pieces on a bias and set aside.

[2] Pesto lasagna is sold by the piece at Eataly. Photo courtesy Eataly | Chicago.

3. DROP the lasagna sheets into the same boiling water as the asparagus. Cook one minute until tender. (If using dried lasagna, cook according to package directions.) Remove and refresh in the ice bath. Drain on towels and set aside.

4. MAKE the besciamella. In a medium saucepan, heat the butter until melted. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Cook over medium heat until light golden brown, about 6 to 7 minutes. Meanwhile…

5. HEAT the milk in a separate pan until just about to boil. Add the milk to the butter mixture 1 cup at a time, whisking continuously until very smooth and bring to a boil. Cook 30 seconds and remove from heat. Season with salt and nutmeg and set aside.

6. PREHEAT the oven to 425°F.

7. ASSEMBLE the lasagne. In a mixing bowl, stir the besciamella and pesto together until well combined. Butter 4 gratin dishes and place one piece of 5-inch pasta on the bottom of each one.

8. TOP the pasta with some pieces of asparagus, followed by 2 tablespoons of pesto, followed by another piece of pasta. Continue with this layering until you have 4 pieces of pasta and 4 layers of asparagus and pesto mixture. Lay one more piece of pasta on top, followed by a spoonful of pesto mixture and sprinkle each of the 4 gratin dishes with bread crumbs and the Pecorino Sardo.

9. PLACE all 4 dishes in the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until bubbling and golden brown on top. Remove and serve immediately.