Name: Cauliflower cheese
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 2 heads of cauliflower; 100 g cornflour (cornstarch); 100 g salted butter; 1 litre semi-skimmed milk; 300 g mature cheddar, grated (otherwise, half cheddar, half parmesan); black pepper

Cauliflower cheese is the English cauliflower bake with a cheddar sauce. In this version the sauce is thickened with cornflour, with no wheat flour. The cauliflower is blanched for 5 minutes, covered in cheese sauce and baked in the oven.

Mature cheddar makes a sharp, slightly tangy sauce that cuts through the sweetness of the cauliflower. The top bubbles and browns in places.

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 °C fan. Cut the cauliflowers into florets. Cook them for 5 minutes in a large pan of boiling water, drain and set aside.

Put the butter and cornflour in a non-stick saucepan over a low heat. Whisk as the butter melts, until you have a smooth paste. Add pepper and cook this roux for a minute or two.

Add the milk a little at a time, whisking well after each addition to stop lumps forming. If you do get lumps, keep stirring and they will go.

Once all the milk is in, the sauce will still look runny. Leave it over a low to medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often, and it will thicken well. Cornflour takes a little longer than flour.

When the sauce has thickened, add most of the cheddar, keeping a handful for the top. Stir until it melts.

Put the florets in a large baking dish and pour the sauce over. Scatter with the rest of the cheese and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.