Foodie Friday – Cauliflower Cheese

Do you make/eat Cauliflower Cheese?  We do.  It was originally a British dish.  Funnily enough, it is basically cauliflower in a milk based cheese sauce.  There may be mustard and nutmeg.

 

It is thought the dish came to Britain via Cyprus, which was then a British colony.

 

Here is a recipe for a traditional cauliflower cheese (thanks to the BBC):

 

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower, broken into large florets
• 40g/1½oz butter
• 40g/1½oz plain flour
• 400ml/14fl oz milk
• 1 tsp English mustard
• 100g/3½oz mature cheddar, grated
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1.    Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5.

2.    Wash the cauliflower thoroughly and place in a large saucepan of salted water. Bring to the boil and cook for 3–5 minutes, until the cauliflower is almost tender, but still fairly firm. Tip into a colander and leave to drain.

3.    To make the sauce, melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan and stir in the flour. Cook over a gentle heat for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and gradually add the milk, a little at a time, stirring well between each addition. Return the pan to a medium heat and bring the mixture to the boil, stirring constantly. Simmer for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat. Stir in the mustard and two thirds of the cheese and set aside.

4.    Arrange the cauliflower in an ovenproof baking dish. Carefully pour over the sauce, ensuring the cauliflower is completely covered. Scatter over the remaining cheese and bake for 25–30 minutes, until the top is golden brown and bubbling.