Budin of Local Vegetables and Mexican Crema - Rick Bayless | Frontera

By Dustin

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower, preferably romanesco, florets removed from the stalk and broken into small pieces (you’ll need 2 1/2 cups)
• 12 ounces baby patty pan squash, halved and thinly sliced (you’ll need 3 cups)
• 1 medium fennel bulb, sliced very thin (you’ll need 1 cup)
• 1 small white onion or 4 shallots, sliced paper thin
• 6 cleaned squash blossoms, cleaned (pistels and stamens removed) and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (thick bottom stems removed)
• 1 cup of Mexican crema, crème fraiche or heavy cream
• 1 medium (8 ounces) baking potato, peeled, shredded and squeezed dry
• Salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cups fresh bread crumbs
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican melting cheese (like Chihauhua, quesadilla or asadero) or Monterey Jack, brick or mild cheddar

Details

Servings 6
Adapted from rickbayless.com

Preparation

Step 1

Turn on the oven to 375 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, scoop in the florets and blanch for 2 minutes. Drain and let cool.

In a large bowl, mix together the patty pans, fennel, onion, squash blossoms, cilantro and crema. Add the cauliflower, grated potato, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and mix well. Fill six 8-ounce ramekins and arrange them on a rimmed baking sheet . Bake for 30 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

2. Make the crumb topping.

While the budins are baking, heat the oil in a large (10-inch) skillet over medium. Once hot, add the bread crumbs and stir until crisp and brown, about 5 minutes.