Thursday 10 November 2011

Cauliflower cheese with parmesan and almonds


They had some really nice cauliflowers in the greengrocer the other day which prompted me to make this cauliflower cheese with a twist. My husband isn’t mad about cooked cheese anyway so I decided to cut the amount of cheese and top it with flaked almonds which I reckoned would go well with cauliflower. (They really do). I think some chopped ham would be nice too if you want to make it more substantial.

The main thing is to use a strong, dryish cheese so you don’t have to use too much and can keep the flavour and texture light. I used some mature Old Winchester which I happened to have after a cheese festival but you’re probably more likely to have parmesan which would be fine. (Frugal cooking is, of course, about using what's in the fridge.)

Serves 2-3 as a supper dish, 4-6 as a vegetable

1 medium-sized cauliflower
30g butter
25g plain flour
350-400ml semi-skimmed milk
25-30g mature Pamesan or Grana Padano or 50g strong hard cheese like Old Winchester, Comté or Cheddar, grated
2 tbsp light cooking oil
50g flaked almonds
Salt and white pepper

Cut the outside leaves off the cauliflower but keep any tender, inner leaves. Cut the florets off the stalk and divide them into even sized clusters. Steam or boil the florets and inner leaves until just tender (about 6-7 minutes), drain and tip into a shallow buttered baking dish.

Melt the butter gently in a small non-stick saucepan, stir in the flour and cook over a low heat for about 30 seconds. Take the pan off the heat and gradually add the milk bit by bit, stirring between each addition. When you’ve added half the milk you can pour most of the rest of the milk in one go, holding back a little to see if you need it.

Bring the sauce to the boil, turn the heat right down and simmer for 5 minutes until thick and smooth. Take off the heat and add most of the cheese. You should be able to taste the cheese but it shouldn’t be overwhelmingly cheesy. Add more if you like then season with salt and white pepper to taste. If the sauce is too thick add the remaining milk or a couple of spoonfuls of the water you’ve used for cooking the cauliflower. Pour the sauce over the cauliflower florets.

Preheat the grill to a medium setting. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the flaked almonds over a low to moderate heat until they begin to colour then sprinkle them over the cauliflower. Place the dish under the grill (not too near the heat) until the almonds are light brown and the sauce starts to bubble.

Do you have any favourite additions to cauliflower cheese or do you prefer the classic version?

9 comments:

Sarah said...

I always fry up some onions and garlic to throw in the bottom, and I use very old Mimolette which is a lovely orange colour so gives the dish a less anaemic look.

I also add wine and mustard to the white sauce for extra taste.

Funnily enough, I made it yesterday.

Colleen said...

I love Cauliflower in Cheese Sauce or in a cream sauce. My husband, like yours is not a big fan but I will have to give this one a try. I think the parmesan would be a wonderful addition (it seems to work in everything else).
Sarah the onions and garlic sound like a wonderful addition along with the wine and mustard. A bit of wine for the pan, a bit for me!

Sarah said...

Absolutely, Colleen!

By the way, can you freeze cauliflower cheese?

Laura@howtocookgoodfood said...

I bought a lovely cauliflower last week with the intention of making cauliflower cheese but did a soup in the end with it & fennel. I think adding almonds for texture is a great idea, shall use next time!

Colleen said...

I don't see why you couldn't freeze it Sarah...My freezer is full of stuff that I have cooked too much of. I put them in zip-lock bags and squish the air out. Makes for a great lunch or a quick supper.

Anonymous said...

Have just found this blog and am working my way through it slowly. The addition of almonds to the cauliflower cheese sounds nice and is something I shall try next time we have cauli. I also add onion and mustard to my cheese sauce mixes but not the wine.
Have frozen both cauliflower and broccoli cheese before ok. If the top looks like it may split/crack a bit just add a little extra grated cheese to the top.

Fiona Beckett said...

Mustard's a good addition. I actually quite like the kick English mustard gives it.

You can freeze cauliflower cheese though I do think there's a bit of a loss of texture. And it's so quick to make it doesn't really seem worth the hassle of cooling it, thawing it and reheating it.

And hope you enjoy the blog, anonymous!

Jackie said...

I have just made your caramelised cauliflower soup this morning! I did the lemon drizzle traybake which was very popular but the cappucino cake did not go down as well. I really managed to mangle the icing which put everyone off! How is it possible to get such a dire icing with butter icing sugar and chocolate? it all separated - sure it is me & not your recipe!

Love the book! It has just stopped me from going out to get some goats cheese when I already have a fridge full of cheese - make do and mend rules ok!

Fiona Beckett said...

Sorry to hear that, Jackie. Should have looked like this http://thefrugalcook.blogspot.com/2008/10/chocolate-cappucino-cake.html
I really love that cake - do try it again. Glad the other recipes worked though

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