Think of this as a creamier, richer take on traditional family bake, cauliflower cheese
Ingredients
- 500ml whole milk
- 2 small onions, 1 quartered, 1 finely chopped
- 1 blade mace
- 4 bay leaves (fresh if you have), scrunched in your hand
- 1kg cauliflower, broken into large florets
- 85g butter, plus a knob
- 85g plain flour
- grating of nutmeg
- 50g coarse breadcrumb (dried or stale)
Method
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Put the milk, quartered onion, mace and bay leaves in a pan, and bring to a simmer. Turn off the heat, set aside for 1 hr to infuse, then strain.
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Meanwhile, bring a large pan of water to the boil. Tip in the cauliflower and cook for 5 mins until just tender. Drain and set aside, uncovered, in a colander to steam-dry.
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Put the pan back on the heat, then add the knob of butter and the chopped onion. Gently soften onion for 10 mins until really soft but not coloured.
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In a medium-sized pan, melt the butter, then stir in the flour to form a paste. Cook for 2 mins, then gradually stir in the strained milk to form a smooth sauce. Bring to the boil and simmer, stirring often, until thickened and smooth. Stir in the softened onion and season well with salt and nutmeg.
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Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Tip the cauliflower into an ovenproof dish and pour over the sauce. Can be covered and chilled for up to 2 days at this stage or frozen. Scatter the cauliflower with the breadcrumbs, then bake for 30 mins until the sauce is bubbling and the top is golden and crisp.