Cauliflower cheese
One of the most popular English side dishes is Cauliflower cheese. Nowadays many people buy it as a ready-made dish from the supermarket, yet it’s so easy to make! This version is spiced up a bit with bay leaf and clove and it’s the best recipe I’ve tried out so far. I made this one with cornflour instead of plain flour, so it’s gluten-free, but you can use standard flour too.
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Poke the clove through the bayleaf into the onion. Place this in a pan, pour over the milk and slowly heat it up, until simmering point. Turn off the heat and let it infuse for 10 minutes. Discard the onion.
- Meanwhile, break the cauliflower into florets, then put them in a salted boiling water for 5 minutes or so, until just cooked through. Drain, rinse under cold water and drain again.
- In another pan, melt the butter, add the flour, stir at very low temperature for about 3 minutes until it turns light. Add the milk, one ladle at a time, stirring constantly. Cook for 5-10 minutes until you get a silky, smooth sauce. Add two thirds of the cheese, then the cream and the mustard. Mix well. Season with salt & pepper – you can add a pinch of nutmeg, if liked. Combine gently.
- Grease an ovenproof dish with butter and arrange the cauliflower pieces neatly side-by-side. Rub a little butter on top of them, then pour over the cheese sauce.
- Scatter the remaining cheese on top and cook for 20 minutes until golden.