Cauliflower cheese with buttery breadcrumbs
We’re continuing the brassica theme today with a hearty cauliflower cheese. Cauliflowers are grown year round here in the UK, with May being the end of the winter season, and even though the weather is slowly warming up there are still a few lingering chilly days where something more warming and substantial is required at dinner time. I love cheese (I think it’s the main thing standing in my way from becoming a vegan) and I’m always excited when going out for a Sunday roast to see if it comes with a side of cauliflower cheese. This is my version of the classic side - a whole cauliflower is cooked quickly to retain some crunch, then smothered in a cheesy white sauce and baked with buttery breadcrumbs until golden and delicious. I use Colman’s mustard powder and a garlic clove to add extra flavour to the sauce, made with as mature a Cheddar you can muster, and the buttery breadcrumbs are inspired by the topping of Smitten Kitchen’s potato and leek gratin - if you haven’t made it before I implore you to try it.
While this does make an excellent side to a roast dinner or even Christmas lunch (it’s a standard accompaniment in our house), I think there is also merit in serving it as a meal in its own right. Paired with a fresh salad, it becomes more appropriate for the warming weather, and if you wanted to add a bit more substance to it you could fry up some bacon alternative (I recommend THIS vegan bacon rashers) and add it in at the same time as you add the cauliflower to the sauce. Alternatively, a cup of frozen peas and maybe a squeeze of lemon would be a good choice if looking for something a little bit lighter (although realistically, with this quantity of cheese it’s never going to be too light!). This cauliflower dish is best served fresh and hot, while the breadcrumbs are still crispy. If you do want to make some to have another day, I’d recommend stopping before you’d put the dish in the oven, leaving the breadcrumbs off and only adding them in when it comes to heating in the oven, otherwise they may go soggy.
Cauliflower cheese with buttery breadcrumbs
Serves: 4 | Total time: 50 mins | Source: vicki cooks veggie
Ingredients
1 cauliflower (about 500g/slightly over 1lb once the leaves are removed)
100g (3.5oz) mature cheddar cheese
55g (2oz) unsalted butter
1 garlic clove
40g (1.5oz) plain flour
½ tsp mustard powder
400ml (13.5 fl oz) milk (I use semi-skimmed but you can use whole if you like)
Salt
15g (½oz) coarse breadcrumbs (panko, or make your own)
Method
Preheat your oven to 200°C/390°F.
Get a large pan of salted water on the boil. Chop your cauliflower into florets, and chop the stem into bitesize pieces.
Once the water is boiling, add your cauliflower and bring it back up to the boil. Cook the cauliflower for 3-5 minutes until it’s tender but not soft. Drain the cauliflower well and leave it in the hot pan to steam dry (this is very important so that you don’t end up with a soggy finished dish!).
While the cauliflower is drying, grate your cheese and start the cheese sauce. Melt 40g (1.5oz) of your butter in a saucepan on a low heat (if you’re using a metal whisk, do NOT use a non-stick pan!).
Crush your garlic clove with the side of a knife, finely chop, then once the butter has melted fry the garlic clove in the butter for 1 minute.
Add the flour to the butter and whisk rapidly for 1 minute. Start to add the milk a little at a time, whisking constantly. Once you’ve added all of the milk, keep stirring until the sauce thickens - this can take up to 5 minutes.
Take the sauce off the heat, add 75g (2.5oz) of the grated cheese and a good pinch of salt and stir until the cheese has melted.
Tip the cheese sauce over the cauliflower and mix well. Pour the cauliflower into an oven dish.
To make the topping, melt the remaining 15g (0.5oz) butter in a small dish, then add in the breadcrumbs. Stir well so that the butter coats the breadcrumbs then add a good grinding of salt and pepper. Mix in the remaining 25g (1oz) cheese and scatter over the cauliflower.
Cook in the middle of the oven for 30 mins, then serve either as a delicious side or as a meal in its own right with some salad (if you’re serving this as a main, perhaps add some fried bacon alternative to the dish before putting in the oven?).