Cauliflower with cheese sauce
I love cauliflower with cheese, but Steve isn’t so keen. It means this whole head might be all mine (not complaining at all!). Two terms that are important for this recipe: blanching and béchamel.
Start by cutting up a head of cauliflower into florets and blanching (they weigh approx 2 lb for reference) to soften. Set aside in a baking dish and preheat the oven to 400F.
To make the béchamel, heat 4 cups of milk in a saucepan over low heat and add ½ tsp whole allspice and 2 bay leaves. In a separate pot, melt about ½ cup of butter and add an equal volume of flour; whisk for about 5 minutes, until combined. Slowly ladle the hot milk into the flour mixture (discarding the bay leaves and allspice) and whisk constantly until the sauce thickens. Remove the saucepan from the heat.
Stir in a blend of grated cheddar (150g) and gruyere (200g) plus some crumbled stilton (100g) for a stronger flavour into the béchamel. Pour over the cauliflower and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Bake, uncovered, for 30–40 minutes until golden on top.
We served this with baked fish.
