Baked Cauliflower Cheese

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Baked Cauliflower Cheese

Post by Horus »

People over on the Blue side are always going on about the wonderful vegetables available in Egypt and tend to forget that our are of an equally good quality if you look for them. Some stuff does grow and taste better grown in the sunshine such as Tomatoes and most fruits, but some vegetables are better grown in a cooler climate. Recently we have been getting some superb Cauliflowers that are grown in Spain, they are enormous, very tight florets and lovely and white. Over the last few weeks I have taken to knocking up a quick dish that is very tasty and so easy to prepare that I thought I would share my recipe with you here.
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Baked Cauliflower with Cheese Sauce
Ingredients:
1 Large Cauliflower
2 oz Butter
2 oz Plain Flower
6 oz of hard cheese (preferably mature cheddar)
1 Pint of Semi Skimmed Milk

Condiments:
English Mustard
Black Pepper
Paprika
You also require a large shallow oven proof baking dish, no lid necessary.
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Method:
1. Prepare the Cauliflower and place florets into a steamer of some sorts. With the large Cauliflower I usually buy I have to use both upper sections of my tower steamer to accommodate it all. Try to leave the florets quite large if possible.
2. Steam in the usual way until the florets can be pierced with a fork, do not over cook as they will become soggy, but not crunchy.
3. Once cooked turn them out into a colander and allow to steam and fully drain. It does not matter that they go cold and they can be prepared hours before if you wish.
4. When fully drained, lay them out into a shallow oven proof dish, preferably in a single layer although it can be quite compacted together if needed.

When you are ready to start the baking part you will need to make the Roux, (or Roo) this is just a method of thickening the cheese sauce, but does need to be done properly. Using flour to thicken is quite common, but often people do not realise that this flour also needs to be cooked otherwise it can leave a bland taste in the food.

1. Start by putting 1 pint of semi skimmed milk into a suitable jug.
2. Add 1 slightly heaped teaspoon of English mustard to the milk and stir until it has fully blended and the milk has a yellowish tinge.
3. Set the milk aside, but within easy access.
4. Grate the cheese into a bowl and keep within handy reach

The next part although straightforward needs to be done as one operation and I suggest using a metal whisk. I also recommend that you use a medium sized pan and hold it throughout the process as this way you can lift the pan away or onto the heat with more precision, you can also angle the pan at 45 degrees to make the blending easier to do, the important thing is not to burn the butter or the flour.

1. Start by tipping the butter and flour into your pan.
2. Hold it over the heat and press down on the butter with the whisk and keep moving the butter around.
3. As it starts to melt keep pushing it into the flour until it becomes soaked up by the butter, keep it moving all the time and as the liquid becomes more fluid tilt the pan and keep flipping it up the sides of the pan with your whisk and it will run back again. Do this for several minutes, but do not allow it to burn, control the heat by moving the pan away from the heat source and then back again
4. Watch it closely and when it starts to look really hot and gloopy remove it from the heat.
5. Immediately add about half of the milk and stir thoroughly with your whisk whilst still keeping it over the heat, add the remaining milk and continue to stir.
6. Keep stirring continually whilst keeping it over the heat, watch the edge of the pan and as soon as you see small bubbles forming in the milk immediately add the grated cheese in one go and keep stirring.
7. Keep stirring and at one point you will see the mix start to thicken, this will happen very quickly, stir until it looks like smooth custard and then immediately remove from the heat.

While still hot, pour the sauce over the cauliflower in your shallow dish, try to coat all the florets and the rest can be poured into the dish. Sprinkle the dish with some black pepper to taste and add a sprinkle of Paprika all over to finish off.
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Place on the middle shelf of the oven at Gas mark 5 and bake for around 30 minutes. When cooked it will have some nice brown edges to the Cauliflower and the sauce will be slightly thicker. I like this as a meal on its own, but it could be served up as part of a meal or even as a starter. The quantities above will feed a family and it will reheat in a microwave if kept in a fridge, I have not tried freezing it yet.
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Enjoy :eat
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Re: Baked Cauliflower Cheese

Post by Mad Dilys »

Pretty much how my family liked it, :up only real difference is the Vegetarians like extra cheese grated on the top and the non-Muslims diced bacon scattered over the top and popped under the grill to finish - as well!

Never make it now as cheese gives me a violent headache. :(
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Re: Baked Cauliflower Cheese

Post by Grandad »

I have said before that the kitchen is 'off limits' to me :lol: but I do like cauliflower and your recipe sounds delicious H :up As I am on a weight loss kick at the moment I am eating even more veg than normal and I do agree that some of the caulis available right now are excellent.

Lardons on cauliflower cheese, now that really sounds good MD :eat
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Re: Baked Cauliflower Cheese

Post by Horus »

Lardons on cauliflower cheese, now that really sounds good MD :eat
I agree with that Grandad and although I have never tried that option myself I certainly will the next time I cook it, sounds like a tasty addition. The good thing about it is that without the bacon it is just as appetising to a vegetarian as a meat eater and of course it is quite a healthy meal.

Another good reason for posting a recipe is that others may also have a nice variation, as in this case. :up
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Re: Baked Cauliflower Cheese

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

I love and eat lots of cauliflower. Will give this one a try as it looks delicious - BUT - GAS MARK 5? Is about 350 degrees? Or is that a much hotter 425 degrees?

And - English mustard? Is that a spicy mustard? yellow mustard? Brown mustard?
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Re: Baked Cauliflower Cheese

Post by Horus »

Gas Mark 5 is about 190C or 375F in old money and yes English Mustard is the Yellow stuff, the brownish one is usually French Mustard which has a milder taste :up
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Re: Baked Cauliflower Cheese

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

Okee dokee H - thanks. I love cauliflower which hit $9/head over this past Christmas season here. Nobody know WHY it went to such a ridiculously high price but it did. Jokes started about using it to mortgage the house. Now it is back down to $2.50 to $3 each.
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Re: Baked Cauliflower Cheese

Post by Ruby Slippers »

For a slightly quicker approach, cut all the outer leaves from the cauliflower, thus leaving it whole. Wash it upside down under running cold water and shake excess water out. Wrap in clingfilm, place on an upside down plate and cook in the microwave. :)
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Re: Baked Cauliflower Cheese

Post by Kiya »

Not keen on cauliflower or mustard but you recipe looks delicious :)

Copy & try sometime :up
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Re: Baked Cauliflower Cheese

Post by Horus »

That sounds like a good tip RS, although to be honest I am not that keen of anything that is cooked in a microwave, always tastes different to me. I just use mine to reheat stuff although I may give this idea a try. ;)

Kiya the amount of mustard just adds a bit of bite to the cheese, you can always leave it out. My grandson always said he disliked Cauliflower and refused to eat it, until he got a whiff of his Granddads cooking ;) now he wolfs it down if he gets a chance when I take his mum some over. :up
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Re: Baked Cauliflower Cheese

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

I find the taste of foods cooked in the microwave different too. Not sure what happens during the microwave process but I can taste it. Not a fan of convection cooking either. Much prefer the plain old bake cycle.
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Re: Baked Cauliflower Cheese

Post by Ruby Slippers »

I don't like meat cooked in a microwave but vegetables seem to retain a lot more of their flavour. Probably because the water to cook them is minimal. If you want a quick jam sponge pudding for dessert, that too is excellent done in a microwave. :)
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Re: Baked Cauliflower Cheese

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

:( I don't know what jam sponge pudding is :( :( But it does sound lovely.

Before I got a rice cooker which is really fast and efficient I used to cook rice in the microwave. 1c rice, 1/2c water and 15 minutes later I had rice.

I've honestly not experimented that much with cooking in a microwave and use it mostly to heat up or re-heat stuff.
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Re: Baked Cauliflower Cheese

Post by Ruby Slippers »

When I first had my microwave (yes, it's still the same one! :D ) in 1983, there was a weekly magazine on cooking with the microwave. It was full of recipes for the microwave and was in 101 issues, of which I bought them all. I made it a point to try at least one new recipe out of every issue. Some worked for us, some we didn't like, but it was a good way to get to know this wondrous new gadget! :D I still have all the magazines today and the microwaved cheesecake has become a family favourite for special occasions. :up
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Re: Baked Cauliflower Cheese

Post by Horus »

LLL, Jam (or Jello for our colonial friends ;) ) Sponge Pudding looks something like this:
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Here is a recipe for one done in a microwave, but I am sure that RS has one of her own :)
Ingredients
Serves: 4
• 50g (2 oz) butter
• 50g (2 oz) caster sugar
• 50g (2 oz) self raising flour
• 1 medium egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 tablespoons of jam (Jello) or syrup
Method
1. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth.
2. Mix in the egg and milk gradually, so as not to curdle the butter.
3. Sift in the flour, and fold in gently.
4. Put 2 tablespoons of golden syrup, treacle or jam in bottom of microwave-safe bowl. Pour in batter.
5. Cover, and cook for 3 1/2 minutes on full powder, or until the pudding appears set when gently jiggled, and the top is sticky. Serve hot.
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Re: Baked Cauliflower Cheese

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

Is the texture of this like a custard? Or more like angel food cake? (light airy flour based cake) Definitely looks appealing to say nothing of delicious :)

I'd imagine the containers would have to be fairly tall?

My mother did lots of cooking in her microwave. She even cooked a Christmas turkey in it one year for her and my father. Her specialty was pumpkin muffins or maybe they were pumpkin cupcakes. I'm taking from the 1980ies too. Her microwave was HUGE and weighed a ton. And now that RS says she got recipes I believe my mother had cookbook(s) that gave all sorts of recipes for cooking in the microwave.

I just bought a microwave last week and there was an instruction book but I don't think there were any recipes at all. Just specs on the machine, installation instructions and what all the different knobs and buttons are but I don't recall seeing a recipe.
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Re: Baked Cauliflower Cheese

Post by Mad Dilys »

I used to make 7 cakes in variety every Sunday in the microwave. One to eat fresh and freeze the others as soon as they were cool and take one a day out of the deepfreeze for when the children came home from school.

I had a couple of really good books on microwave cookery and it saved me a lot of time.

I preferred to make sauces the traditional way, even though the microwave was quick, because washing up was more difficult. Scrambled egg also clings to the container.
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Re: Baked Cauliflower Cheese

Post by Grandad »

Ruby Slippers wrote:For a slightly quicker approach, cut all the outer leaves from the cauliflower, thus leaving it whole. Wash it upside down under running cold water and shake excess water out. Wrap in clingfilm, place on an upside down plate and cook in the microwave. :)
I don't have (or am not allowed to develop) any culinary skills ;) but I like the sound of your microwaved cauli RS. I hate overcooked veg and that sounds good. Does it mean that the residual water in the cauli actually 'steams' it? I think it would be just right for my palate. :up
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Re: Baked Cauliflower Cheese

Post by Ruby Slippers »

Got it in one, Grandad! :up Courgettes are also good cooked in the microwave; just sliced and dotted with butter. No water at all.
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Re: Baked Cauliflower Cheese

Post by Jayway »

I have had microwaves but they have all gone to the bins after reading what they do to the people standing nearby. I have a bottle gas cooker and the top of the woodburner for slow cooking in the winter.
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