Chris Cooks

Flank Steak and Blue Cheese Cauliflower Puree

June 19, 2013

We believe we should all love where we live.

We’re a couple of homebodies, working to uncover the home our home wants to be. And we’re so happy to have you here. 

Portfolio

Projects

Design

We're Chris + Julia

read more

What we're                   right now

Loving

browse the shop

Befores, afters, mood boards, plans, failures, wins. We’ve done a lot of projects, and they’re all here. 

We have a long-standing relationship with DIY, and love rolling our sleeves up and making it happen. 

Even when you don’t want to rip down a wall, you can make that space in your home better. Right now.

browse all

browse all

browse all

02

01

03

Popular Posts

1.

2.

3.

Top Categories

You know what my favorite thing is? When Jules says to me, “I would love to have _____ for dinner this week.” That’s usually when the cogs in my brain start grinding away, figuring out how to make the best possible version of whatever she asked for. This week, she wanted a cauliflower puree (she’s not eating potatoes). After flipping a few pages in the Flavor Bible, I came up with a plan for grilled flank steak topped with chive butter, served on a blue cheese cauliflower puree. Here it is.

Cauliflower Puree

1 Head of Cauliflower
3 Medium Cloves of Garlic, peeled and stems trimmed
1/2 Cup Greek Yogurt
1/4 Cup Crumbled Blue Cheese
1 Tsp Onion Powder
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Most cauliflower puree recipes I’ve seen call for boiling the cauliflower in a liquid like water, stock or even milk. Every time I do this, the consistency of the puree is difficult to control (it gets runny). For this reason, I prefer steaming the cauliflower. If you decide to boil, then use less yogurt.

Steam the cauliflower and garlic for 10 minutes. Put everything in a blender and mix until smooth, adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Chive butter, super easy. Here’s what you need:

About 1 Tablespoon of chopped chives
2 Tablespoons of butter
1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
Pinch of Salt
Pinch of Pepper

Whenever making an herb butter, I prefer mashing the herbs. You get more flavor into the butter that way. For this I use a mortar and pestle. Mash the chives with all of the seasonings, then add the butter and mix together well with a spoon. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, try using the back of a spoon on your cutting board to mash the herbs.

Flank Steak

Flank Steak
Light Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Rinse the steak, pat dry, coat with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, cook on the grill or in a grill pan (or broil, if you don’t want to grill). Important tip, after you remove your steak from the heat, let it sit for about 10 minutes. You should do this with every meat you cook. If you take a piece of meat off the heat and immediately cut it, the juices run out (like steam out of a kettle). Resting the meat allows the juices to cool a bit, which keeps the meat juicy. Once the meat has rested, cut at a bias and plate like so:

That’s all there is to it. Blue cheese and steak make a wonderful pair, and this cauliflower puree is a healthy way to bring those flavors together. The puree is a velvety hybrid between a sauce and a side, and the chive butter takes it one step further. And even though cauliflower is more of a fall time ingredient, this preparation is definitely light enough to make it summertime appropriate.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

What do you think?

  1. Mary says:

    Made the cauliflower mash tonight to serve under balsamic chicken thighs. Seriously sooo good – maybe even better than potatoes. Thanks!

  2. jane elise says:

    I just made this and my family loved it! Couldn’t even tell it wasn’t potato.

    thanks for the great (and soooo simple) recipe

  3. Anonymous says:

    Keep the low-carb recipes coming! I have made cauliflower mash with cream cheese. Blue cheese sounds good.

  4. Anonymous says:

    I am absolutely loving these recipes you are sharing, I’m learning so much! So creative! Blue cheese is one of perhaps three things that I just can’t stomach but I’m sure I can find a substitute cheese. Thanks!

    • I’m glad you’re enjoying them! If you go with a different cheese, make sure you get something creamy, like a creamy Havarti. If you’re not adverse to it, horseradish also pairs really well with beef. You could add a little prepared horseradish, as well as the Havarti, to the puree. Actually, maybe I’ll do that next time… :)

  5. Steph says:

    YUM, Mr, Fancy Pants with your mortar and pestle! :)

  6. the quickest way to my heart is a flank steak with some type of herb/cheese butter. I get it every chance I get when I eat out. I have been wanting to give this cauliflower mash a try, so I just might do it! Thanks for the good tips, Chris.

  7. Annemie says:

    Looks seriously delicious. I love the gluten-free recipes, they are such a great reminder that you can have great food without having to add some kind of carb (pasta/bread/potatoes/rice). Here in Belgium the traditional composition of a home cooked meal is potatoes – veggies – meat. When I was in school I ate a home cooked meal at my grandma’s every noon for lunch, so your recipes truely are a great way to think out of the ‘grandma certified’ box.

all the latest

We believe we should all love where we live.

We’re a couple of homebodies, working to uncover the home our home wants to be. And we’re so happy to have you here. 

HI! We're Chris + Julia

read more

Load More

Reader Faves

SHop all

What We're                     Right Now

What We're                 Right Now

Looking for our favorite things? A place to shop our home room by room, or just catch up on what Julia's wearing / loving right now? Browse the CLJ shop. 

Loving

looking for inspiration? 

A reader recently asked me if I’m starting to fully embrace traditional style and whether we still consider our house to be a “modern Colonial” and why. It was a really great question and so timely — I had really just been thinking about my approach to this home and how my style has changed […]

Can We Send You Our Love Letter?

Another way for us to stay in touch! Joining our weekly newsletter gives you access to exclusive content, never-before-seen photos, your questions answered, and our favorite DIYs. Sign up below!

Follow Along on Instagram

Welcome to our online community where we've posted home, DIY, style, renovations, and family since '09. Renovating our #cljmoderncottage in Idaho and headed for new adventures in Raleigh, NC. #cljfam #cljtransformations

@chrislovesjulia