Daniel Clifford’s Cauliflower Cheese
The ultimate comfort food, this Cauliflower Cheese from Daniel Clifford is deliciously decadent and a great accompaniment for Sunday roasts!
Ingredients
- 1 whole cauliflower
- 250g butter
- 250g plain flour
- 2 litres of semi skimmed milk.
- 300g mature Cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 onion, peeled & halved
- 5 bay leaves
- 2 cloves
- 10 sprigs of thyme
- 10 black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp horseradish sauce
- 1 tbsp English mustard
- Salt & pepper
- Panko breadcrumbs
- 100g Parmesan
Method
Remove outer leaves from cauliflower and remove the centre of the core.
Bring a pan of water up to the boil and season with salt.
Blanch the cauliflower whole for 5 minutes, until tender.
Drain it onto a resting rack and leave to steam out for 3 minutes.
Break down into florets.
To make the sauce, put the butter into large pan and melt.
In a second pan, place the milk, onion bay leaves, cloves, thyme and peppercorns then bring to the boil.
Once boiled leave to infuse for 15 minutes, then pass through a fine sieve.
Once butter has melted in the other pan, start to add the flour slowly, whisking it in until it forms a thick paste.
Cook the flour out for about 5 minutes on a low temperature.
Start to slowly incorporate the sieved milk into the paste, whisking to beat out the lumps that will form.
Once all the milk is added you should have this velvety, smooth, sauce, cook it out for 7 minutes.
Next, add 200g of grated cheese and whisk that into your sauce until it melts through it.
Once all incorporated add the horseradish and mustard, then season with salt and pepper.
To finish. Cover the base of an ovenproof dish with about a third of the white sauce, then add the cauliflower florets. Cover the florets with the remaining sauce, so it is completely covered. Sprinkle the remaining 100g of Cheddar cheese equally over the top of the white sauce, then sprinkle breadcrumbs and parmesan all over the top. Bake at 180c for 18 minutes and serve.
Ingredients
- 1 whole cauliflower
- 250g butter
- 250g plain flour
- 2 litres of semi skimmed milk.
- 300g mature Cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 onion, peeled & halved
- 5 bay leaves
- 2 cloves
- 10 sprigs of thyme
- 10 black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp horseradish sauce
- 1 tbsp English mustard
- Salt & pepper
- Panko breadcrumbs
- 100g Parmesan
Method
Remove outer leaves from cauliflower and remove the centre of the core.
Bring a pan of water up to the boil and season with salt.
Blanch the cauliflower whole for 5 minutes, until tender.
Drain it onto a resting rack and leave to steam out for 3 minutes.
Break down into florets.
To make the sauce, put the butter into large pan and melt.
In a second pan, place the milk, onion bay leaves, cloves, thyme and peppercorns then bring to the boil.
Once boiled leave to infuse for 15 minutes, then pass through a fine sieve.
Once butter has melted in the other pan, start to add the flour slowly, whisking it in until it forms a thick paste.
Cook the flour out for about 5 minutes on a low temperature.
Start to slowly incorporate the sieved milk into the paste, whisking to beat out the lumps that will form.
Once all the milk is added you should have this velvety, smooth, sauce, cook it out for 7 minutes.
Next, add 200g of grated cheese and whisk that into your sauce until it melts through it.
Once all incorporated add the horseradish and mustard, then season with salt and pepper.
To finish. Cover the base of an ovenproof dish with about a third of the white sauce, then add the cauliflower florets. Cover the florets with the remaining sauce, so it is completely covered. Sprinkle the remaining 100g of Cheddar cheese equally over the top of the white sauce, then sprinkle breadcrumbs and parmesan all over the top. Bake at 180c for 18 minutes and serve.
