Traditional English Cheddar Cauliflower Cheese - Gratin

"When I was growing up, we NEVER called this dish a "Gratin" - it was always Cauliflower cheese and was invariably our main meal and NOT an accompaniment! My mother had to be very clever and thrifty in what she bought & cooked, and in the absence of meat on the table, she used cheese as the protein! This dish has become very "fashionable" again is served in many guises, Cauliflower Noisette, Cauliflower Gratin, Cheese and Cauliflower Bake...but to me, it will always be just Cauliflower Cheese, and it remains one of my favourite meals! I do serve it as an accompaniment now, but you have to be very careful what you serve it with, as it is very cheesy and rich. Alternatively, just have it as a main meal and serve some homemade bread and butter with it and maybe some salad or steamed spring greens! By the way, if you make a large batch, it freezes very well - either in small plastic containers or in zip lock bags; defrost and microwave to re-heat OR reheat over a Bain Marie. Try wherever possible to use English Mustard AND a good mature Cheddar cheese in the sauce, it DOES make a huge difference to the taste, and other types of mustards & cheeses do not work as well."
 
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photo by Jonathan Melendez photo by Jonathan Melendez
photo by Jonathan Melendez
photo by aylett photo by aylett
photo by aylett photo by aylett
photo by Caroline Cooks photo by Caroline Cooks
photo by AcadiaTwo photo by AcadiaTwo
Ready In:
40mins
Ingredients:
9
Serves:
4-6
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ingredients

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directions

  • *If oven baking, pre-heat oven to 225C or 450°F.
  • Trim the cauliflower & break into small florets.
  • Boil in salted water for 10-15 minutes or until just tender.
  • Drain in a colander and then place in a buttered ovenproof baking dish.
  • Add the milk, flour and butter to a saucepan.
  • Heat and whisking with a wire whisk continuously until the sauce thickens, boils and is smooth.
  • Allow to simmer for a further 2 minutes.
  • Add three-quarters of the grated cheese, mustard, a pinch of nutmeg and seasoning.
  • Cook for further minute stirring well.
  • Pour the sauce over the cauliflower.
  • Mix the remaining cheese, and breadcrumbs, if using, together, sprinkle over the top.
  • Place under a hot grill until golden brown, OR, bake in a pre-heated oven 225C/450F for about 15 to 25 minutes until golden brown and bubbling.
  • Serve immediately.

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Reviews

  1. Excellent. For those without a kitchen scale: 220 g of cheddar worked out to 2 cups shredded and packed 25 g of breadcrumbs was about 1/4 cup 50 g of butter was 1/4 cup
     
  2. Excellent! Everyone to whom I served it loves this: a great change of pace from macaroni and cheese - and healthier! THREE notes: ONE: for slightly-crunchy, non-mushy, cauliflower, put the raw pieces in a bowl while the water in your pot heats to a good boil. Then add the pieces, boil for only 10 minutes, and drain into a colander. If you're not going to add the sauce and eat immediately (without baking), rinse or soak the hot cauliflower in cold water to stop the cooking. Then, toss with the hot sauce and place in a buttered baking dish, with any desired topping, set aside, then later bake as directed in the recipe. TWO: For those who have never made a bechamel sauce (butter, flour, milk) as in step 5, I suggest melting the butter alone in the saucepan, adding the flour and stirring it into a paste over low heat for 2 min. to get rid of the raw flour taste, then slowly adding milk while stirring with a fork, and the flour-butter (roux) will readily dissolve into the milk. THREE: My broken up raw cauliflower filled up a 3-qt pot and I'm guessing the sauce could have been stretched for up 50% more.
     
  3. Great recipe! DH Loves it and it makes a nice veg-based starch. I make it often with good aged cheddar and Colman's mustard. I use 1 1/4 cups of milk and 2 cups of sharp cheddar, 3 Tbs butter and flour, 1/4 cup bread crumbs (the conversion function on this site is terrible, so this is for future reference :) Thanks French Tart, your recipes are all FAB!
     
  4. 1 1/4 cup milk, 2 cups cheddar cheese, 3.5 tbsp butter, 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
     
  5. Yum, I love cauliflower cheese, and this is an easy and tasty recipe! Definately a five star keeper! French Tart, you are obviously a talented chef, I have come across a few of your recipes on here now and they are all great! Thanks!
     
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Tweaks

  1. I didn't have any bread on hand to make fresh breadcrumbs so I just used Panko instead and it give the dish a nice crunchy topping.
     
  2. Had no colmans powder,so used colmans mustard.
     
  3. I love how easy to make this is, and the outcome was delicious.<br/><br/>I modified it to my specifications, as I tend to like it extra cheesy. :) Some Stilton, extra old cheddar, monterey jack, and parmesan cheese. I also used actual hot mustard instead of powder, and paprika instead of nutmeg. I also added several crushed garlic gloves, and some diced onions.
     
  4. This was really good. Thanks. Instead of fresh breadcrumbs I used mashed up croutons mixed with the shredded cheese on top and it was great.
     

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