How to make cauliflower cheese – recipe | Food

SSince I first wrote a recipe for this dish, cauliflower has had an extraordinary transformation from broccoli’s boring cousin to the trendiest vegetable in town. In 2012, the idea of ​​serving a cauliflower as the centerpiece of a holiday meal would have seemed ridiculous to most, but now it’s popping up in restaurants and on Christmas tables alike. But don’t forget where it all started, and that’s with cauliflower cheese.

preparation 15 minutes
infuse 30 min+
Cook 30 minutes
serves 4

1 onion
2 cloves
1 liter of milk
2 bay leaves
75 grams of butter
50 grams of regular flour (or 3 tablespoons cornstarch, see step 3)
100 g Lancashire cheese (if necessary, check if it is vegetarian)
75 ml double cream
nutmeg
salt and pepper
1 medium cauliflower
4 slices of white breadCrusts removed, crumbs blitzed to breadcrumbs
25g cheddar (Also if necessary, check if it’s a vegetarian one)

1 Pour the milk with the onion and the spices

Peel the onion, then cut in half and stud with the cloves. Place in a small pan with the milk and bay leaves, bring to a slow simmer, then turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for at least 15 minutes before removing and discarding (or reusing) the onion, cloves, and bay.

2 Finish the white sauce

Melt 50g butter in a medium-sized pan over medium-low heat, then stir in the flour and simmer for a few minutes, stirring. Gradually add some of the infused milk, stirring to make a paste, then stir in the remaining milk, turn the heat down and simmer, stirring regularly, until you have a thick sauce.

3 The gluten-free alternative

If you prefer to keep the dish gluten-free, place three tablespoons of cornstarch in a heatproof bowl, whisk in some of the infused milk until you have a smooth paste, then stir in the remaining milk. Pour the milk and cornmeal mixture into a medium skillet over medium-high heat, cook, stirring, until thickened, then stir in a good knob of butter.

4 Add the cheese

Crumble or grate the Lancashire into the sauce until it melts – you can use almost any hard cheese here instead, including Cheddar, Red Leicester, Gruyere, Emmental and even Parmesan – you may want to adjust the amounts depending on what you’re using Taste. Add the cream (creme fraiche also works) and plenty of nutmeg or black pepper, season to taste, then keep warm over a very low heat.

5 Prepare the cauliflower

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, divide the cauliflower into generous florets. Cut off and discard any tough stalk pieces and chop the remaining stalk into even pieces. If your cauliflower has some green, tasty-looking leaves, break off those too—snip off the hard bottoms from the leaf stalks and discard them, then roughly chop the rest.

6 Par-boil the cauliflower

Place the florets and core pieces in the pan of boiling water and cook for four to five minutes until they are just tender but not tender because they will continue to cook later and only the strict nostalgic will enjoy the mushy cauliflower cheese. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain well. If using, soak the leaves in the water for a few minutes, then drain and set aside with the remaining cauliflower.

7 Fry the cauliflower

Melt most, but not all, of the remaining butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then stir-fry the cauliflower until lightly browned and caramelized – you may need to do this in batches. Season and place in a casserole dish and keep warm while you prepare the topping.

8 assemble and grill

Add the remaining butter to the same pan and once melted add the breadcrumbs and fry until crisp and golden but not brown. Season, then set aside. Preheat the grill to medium high. Pour the warm cheese sauce over the cauliflower and grate the cheddar over it. Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs, then grill until golden and bubbling. Serve immediately.

9 twists on the topic

To make this more substantial, in Step 7, pan fry 250g bacon or chorizo ​​before frying the cauliflower. And/or spice things up by stirring a teaspoon and a half of powdered mustard into the sauce, then adding a pinch of cayenne pepper to the pan with the breadcrumbs. Or add more veggies by gluing two halved tomatoes cut-side up before grilling.