Cauliflower cheese

I have brought back a lot of things from my experience living in the UK , some of them gastronomical. Here is the most popular family dinner side – cauliflower cheese.

Really, it’s a gratin. Because, of course, kids will eat veggies if they are covered in cheese. Let me tell you, adults are not that different…

You’ll need:

1 medium-large cauliflower, whole
55 g butter
55 g AP flour
1/2 cup grated cheese (cheddar works best)
1 pint skim milk
Salt, pepper
1 T ground mustard powder

1. Wash and trim the cauliflower, taking off all of the green leaves.

2. Preheat oven to 450F. Bring a large pot of water (with steamer basket or a colander on top) to a rolling boil. Lower heat slightly and steam the cauliflower whole for 10-15 minutes. Let cool before breaking apart into medium size florets.

3. In a medium saucepan, heat up butter and flour on low heat, stirring well with a spatula until combined. Add salt, pepper, and mustard powder and mix well.

4. Increase heat slightly and add milk, whisking/stirring constantly until sauce is just thickened. Add more milk if needed. Add half of the cheese and whisk together, remove off heat. Taste and season.

5. Layer the florets in a baking dish. Pour cheese sauce over the cauliflower and sprinkle with remaining cheese and a bit more ground pepper.

6. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden and lightly crusted on top.