3 hours ago
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This recipe, adapted from one in my cookbook, is a very elaborate way to serve humble cauliflower cheese. The whole plant, including the leaves and core, is seasoned with nutmeg and roasted, and it’s then dressed with a satisfying layer of rich cheese sauce and grilled until charred and bubbling. Choose a cauliflower with plenty of leaves, because they go deliciously crisp when roasted.
Whole roast cauliflower cheese
This is perhaps the most decadent cauliflower cheese I’ve ever made. Inspired by an orange-coloured cauliflower I found sitting proudly in a box at my local Brockley Market in south London, I decided to make a vibrant and very orange cauliflower cheese using red leicester cheese and turmeric. I didn’t want to ruin the cauliflower’s perfect appearance, or waste its leaves, so I decided to roast it whole for maximum impact. The trick is to make sure you roast the cauliflower for long enough that it is cooked through, soft and tender throughout. You can find a video of the recipe on my Instagram page.
Serves 4-6 with sides
1 head cauliflower with leaves
30g butter
20ml extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
For the cheese sauce
50g butter
60g plain wholegrain flour (eg, buckwheat, spelt or wheat)
1 tsp mustard powder, or mustard
¼ tsp turmeric
500ml whole milk
250g red leicester
Fresh thyme, to garnish (optional)
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Put the cauliflower on a large sheet of greaseproof paper that’s big enough to wrap around it later, lay two 15g slices of butter on top and drizzle generously with olive oil. Season with sea salt and ground nutmeg, then wrap up the cauli and put it in a large ovenproof pot. Roast for an hour, or until fork tender and cooked through, then open up the package by folding back the paper and roast for another 15 minutes, or until the cauliflower begins to char.
Meanwhile, make the cheese sauce. Melt the butter in a pan over a low heat, then stir in the flour, mustard powder (or mustard) and turmeric. Cook, stirring constantly, for two minutes, then whisk in the milk a third at a time, making sure you beat out any lumps. Bring to a boil, take off the heat and stir in 150g of the grated red leicester.
Transfer the roast cauliflower to an ovenproof serving dish, pour the cheese sauce on top, then sprinkle with the rest of the grated cheese. Turn on the grill to medium-high, then cook for five minutes, until the cheese has melted and the sauce is slightly charred and bubbling. Serve topped with a scattering of thyme leaves, if using, with a simple green salad and maybe some radishes.
