Cauliflower is a tricky vegetable to cook due to its strong smell. It has a distinguished taste that definitely takes some getting used to, so I thought I'd show you how I make my Cheesy cauliflower bake.
In my humble opinion, making a delicious, good tasting and delicious Cheesy cauliflower bake is all about the cooking method, it honestly makes such a big difference some of my family members and friends often comment how they never thought that the bland old cauliflower could ever taste so good.
I like to cook my cauliflower florets (steam or boil) until they are slightly tender and I usually set the timer to 7 minutes because otherwise it'll overcook, fall apart and become too mushy or even turn into a soup, this way it won't be called a Cheesy cauliflower bake.
I have a good tip about boiling cheesy cauliflower which I learnt from a chef, he used to boil a pot of water that's enough to submerge the cauliflower florets in, once it comes to a boil he could add the cauliflower florets with the juice of half a lemon and a tablespoon of plain flour wait for the water to regain its boiling state after adding the cauliflower florets, then time 7 minutes and drain it to place it in ice cold water or simply run cold water on the drained cauliflower.
This tip helps take the edge of the smell that fill your kitchen/cooking space while boiling it and leaves a subtle and pleasant lemon.
Another thing I should add is that this recipe requires making bechamel sauce, now I know some people would rather buy the pre-made jar bechamel sauce or the powder that you add either water or milk to -depending on the package instructions-.
Some people like to line their boiled or steamed cauliflower florets onto their baking sheet and pour the bechamel sauce on top and I used to do the same but I recently started dipping them in the sauce first before placing them onto the baking sheet.
If you choose to boil the cauliflower florets instead of steaming them, I suggest you let them drain for as long as possible. I usually boil them the night before and once it has cooled down I'll cover and put them in the fridge. Sometimes if your cauliflower isn't drained well the water will be released onto the bechamel sauce and it can end up being runny and watery.
Cheesy Cauliflower a.k.a Cauliflower Gratin
Equipment
- Whisk
- Wooden spatula
- Baking dish
- Sauce pan
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower
- 2 tablespoon flour
- 2 tablespoon butter
- ½ Liter milk
- 1 & ½ cup cheddar cheese Or parmesan, emmental, edam
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Cut the cauliflower head into small florets and wash.
- Boil a large pot of water, add a generous amount of salt and add in cauliflower florets. Boil for 6 minutes 6 optional but you can add a tablespoon flour and a squeeze of lemon to take the strong smell off of the boiling cauliflower.
- To make bechamel sauce: melt butter on low fire.
- Add flour to the melted butter, stir until a smooth paste is formed a.k.a. roux.
- Add in cold milk bit by bit and start whisking until it thickens
- Add your nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste
- Place well drained cauliflower onto the bechamel sauce and then onto baking sheet.Sprinkle grated cheese and into the oven for 30 minutes or until gratinated.
