Cauliflower Cheese

[naomi24]

Does anyone have a good recipe please?

[maggiebee]

A recipe for cauliflower cheese??? Good grief.

[gingejbee]

Yes...a good one.
Cauliflower (cooked) and cheese sauce.

[naomi24]

Do you buy ready made, maggiebee?

[naomi24]

Does your sauce come out of a jar, ging?

[tiggerblue10]

Can't remember the last time I made it but I make the same sauce for pasta bakes. I make the sauce from scratch with butter, flour, milk, cheddar and mustard.

[Maydup]

Cook cauliflower but not over cook.
Meanwhile make a cheese sauce. Either use a cheese sauce recipe plenty online, or use a ready made sauce depending on your time or sauce making skills.
Put cauliflower in an ovenproof dish. Pour sauce over. Grate some cheese on top pop it in to the oven to brown.

[naomi24]

Does anyone add garlic to it?

[maggiebee]

No Naomi, my mother taught me how to make a great cauliflower cheese when I was about 10. Remove all outer leaves from cauliflower then cut the stalk short. Cross cut the stalk to aid cooking. Cook in lightly salted boiling water until tender then drain. Meantime make your white sauce with flour, butter and milk. I always add a strong cheese to my sauce before pouring over the cauliflower.

[tiggerblue10]

I also add sliced potatoes and brocoli.

[gingejbee]

No, homemade....but it's cheese sauce. Doesn't everyone know how it's made? (OK, everyone who has a basic knowledge of cooking!)

[tiggerblue10]

Never added garlic before. I would add garlic and leave out cheese if I was making dauphinoise pots.

[naomi24]

A whole boiled cauliflower with a cheese sauce poured over it isn’t my idea of cauliflower cheese, Maggie. That explains why you thought this was a daft question.

[tiggerblue10]

I just get the florets in a bag. Saves time faffing about with cutting the cauliflower up.

[naomi24]

I’ve added broccoli before tigger but I had baked cauliflower cheese in Spain a few years ago and it was superb. I wondered if anyone might have a recipe that might come near to it.

[Mamyalynne]

This is a nice one - you don't have to layer it if you don't want to.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/four-cheese-cauliflower-gratin


I'e done a whole cauli before now as a sharing dish for a few and topped with crispy bacon lardons and a few toasted almonds.

[calmck]

I add leeks and a small potato to mine. Cook all together but not too mushy. Make cheese sauce with a little mustard. Sprinkle grated cheese, mixed with sesame seeds and a handful of oats. Bake till crispy

[Captain2]

We do ours basically as others have said. Par boil cauliflower and broccoli; make a roux, then add, Dijon mustard, extra mature Cheddar and double Gloucester.
Place veg in large shallow dish, pour sauce mix over and sprinkle with a good portion of breadcrumbs. Then 'bake' in oven until cooked through and golden on top.
Served with sausages here.

[Hopkirk]

If you boil it, it dribbles water which ruins the cheese sauce.

I break it into florets and bake it on a high heat, so there are nice brown bits on it, then smother it in sauce.

I'm hungry now.

[royfromaus]

Imo using a whole cauli is pointless.

I like to use garlic and fresh coriander and sometimes a bit of finely chopped chilli.

[naomi24]

I read a recipe that recommended baking the cauliflower florets separately first. It (allegedly) enhances the flavour. Does anyone do that?