I thought this morning I would write about another British winter classic, Cauliflower Cheese. There are various ways of making this. My dear old grandmother (sadly no longer with us) used to serve it whole in a tureen, with the cheesy, creamy white sauce poured on top. I think this is a particularly attractive way of serving it, visually at least, and possibly the old-fashioned method.
You need to catch hold of a smallish caulifower, trim off the green leaves around the stem, and then steam it. Steaming is always a great way to cook vegetables, as it stops them getting soggy, and, in this case, the cauliflower will remain whole. If you boil it, it will start to break up.
Place it in a tureen, and make a white sauce. You will probably remember how to do this from previous posts. Melt some unsalted butter in a pan, stir in some flour so that the flour is cooked properly, and then slowly add milk and a bit of stock (the cooking water from the cauliflower would be ideal) until you have a smooth sauce.
Next, grate in some cheese (such as cheddar, though it would be fun to experiment with other varieties), and add salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg. I have to admit that I prefer a simple white sauce without the cheese, and lots of nutmeg, but it's all about personal taste, isn't it?
The other method is as follows: cut the cauliflower up into florets, removing the woody core first. Next, steam them or boil them until cooked. Make sure you don't overcook. Make your cheese sauce as before, but add breadcrumbs, and pour over the florets, which you have arranged in an ovenproof dish. Finish them off under the grill, so that the cheese and breadcrumbs start to turn brown. Finis.
