Spice-Roasted Cauliflower Cheese
A riff on an old favourite intended to banish any school-canteen based dread. I cooked this version while camping out at the farm house, comforting the cat and waiting into the night for gite guests whose journey to us had shades of Odysseus, so beset by disasters were they. The comte is local and gives the whole affair an unctuousness which I enjoy. You can of course use a strong cheddar (or indeed any other hard cheese you wish to use up. I would encourage you to be brave with the heat here, and likewise this can be taken in any direction you please – I favour hot smoked paprika and dried chilli flakes but fresh red chillies gently sauteed and stirred through the béchamel offers a pleasingly sweet kick. The crème fraiche has become my leitmotif for these recipes and I regret nothing but it really is lovely here to give a little sharpness to an otherwise very rich béchamel. If you are cooking for a crowd the addition of some penne and a pivot to a baked pasta style dish is not unthinkable.
Serves 2 greedy people or 4 as a side dish (it graces a Sunday dinner table very pleasingly indeed)
Ingredients:
1 large Cauliflower (I would not, on the whole, use Romanesco. I think it would be a waste. But you must do as you see fit, and who knows, perhaps you have a glut)
500ml Milk (whole or semi skimmed is fine)
(50g) Butter
Plain Flour (4 teaspoons or so)
Comte (200g ish)
Parmesan (150g ish)
Crème Fraiche (a few tablespoons)
Dried Chilli flakes (as oer your preference)
Mustard (of your choice)
Hot smoked paprika (at least a tablespoon, but be brave)
Sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds (your choice really, enough for a handful)
Panko bread crumbs
Method:
1. Remove the cauliflower’s outer leaves and cut into manageable chunks. Place in a roasting dish (one that you are happy to bring to the table) and season with olive oil, salt, pepper, hot smoked paprika and dried chilli flakes. Roast at 180c for about 15-20 minutes.
2. While the cauliflower is roasting make your cheese sauce. Melt the butter and stir in the flour to make a roux. Allow the roux to cook down a little to get rid of the raw taste in the flour. Whisk in the milk, a little by little, until you have a smooth sauce, then add the crème fraiche. Stir in ¾ of your grated cheeses and allow to melt. If you have a wasabi mustard or the like to add at this point it would not be a bad idea. Likewise a desert spoonful of Dijon would be a good choice.
3. Once the cauliflower is roasted, pour over the sauce, stirring a little to combine. Mix together your seeds, bread crumbs and remaining cheeses and use to top the dish. Bake for another 15-20 minutes until golden and bubbling. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving to avoid the inevitable scalded mouths which gratinated dishes result in without fail at my table.