Cauliflower cheese

Cauliflower cheese is a classic British side dish that pairs perfectly with a roast, but also with a range of other dishes. It's easy, tasty and wonderfully comforting.

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For many in the UK, a Sunday roast was a regular tradition, though I imagine it is maybe less the case these days. Instead of the main meal being in the evening, it would be at lunch time (though often on the late side) and the whole family would come together. 

Of course, the general idea has or does exist in many other places too, but the food you might eat varies. A British Sunday roast is most commonly roast beef or lamb, though you will also sometimes have chicken or ham.

Then you have to have a few sides, which might include roast or mashed potatoes, or maybe Dauphinoise potatoes if you're feeling a little fancy. Yorkshire pudding is almost a must if you have beef, with gravy as well. Then you generally include other vegetables like carrots, Brussels sprouts, braised red cabbage or this comforting dish.

Not just a low carb mac and cheese

Despite what you might think, particularly if you are from North America, cauliflower cheese is not just a low carb dish to serve instead of mac and cheese. In fact, this dish is considerable older. 

Well, at least it probably is. The history is a little unclear, but in most likelihood it evolved not too long after cauliflowers were introduced to the UK in the 17th century. 

One possibility is that cauliflowers grew on Cyprus, which was a British colony at the time, and from there they were introduced to the UK. Béchamel is a common sauce in Cypriot cooking (think moussaka), and the cheese sauce used in this dish could be an adaptation for British ingredients. 

Certainly, a dish of cauliflower with parmesan is mentioned in Mrs Beeton's book from 1861. And these days, it's a classic side for a roast, or in fact many a meal. Full of comfort factor, and easy to make, it's no surprise it's popular.

Key ingredients

As I say, this is a very simple sauce combining cauliflower with a cheese sauce, but it's worth noting a couple ingredients. Firstly, there's the cheese. This should really be a cheddar, and the stronger the better. Remember the flavor gets a little diluted in the sauce, so a mature cheddar (or sharp cheddar) is best. 

Now I admit, I don't tend to have English mustard around much as I'm not the biggest fan so I often use Dijon instead, which works well too (though a little less sharp). Don't use a sweet mustard - it just won't give the right flavor.

You can get some fancier versions that use a mix of cheeses and/or add some breadcrumbs on top. You can, of course experiment and tweak to taste. The below, though, is your classic mix that is a great place to start (or stick with, since it's a tasty mix).

Preparing ahead

You can prepare this dish ahead, in part, in a couple of ways. First of all, you can grate the cheese and chop the cauliflower. That's probably the prep that takes the most time. You can also pre-cook the cauliflower and set it aside, ready to add the sauce.

Ideally, I'd recommend only making the sauce shortly before you are about to bake, as it can form a skin if left to cool. However, you could also make it and put the dish all together, and just make sure there's a slightly more generous coating of cheese on top to help get in the way of a skin forming too much (or at least making it a cheesy one!)

Some final tips

As I say, it's really an easy dish, but a couple small tips to help it be successful:

• Cut the cauliflower into even-sized florets. The size doesn't matter too much - that can be to taste - but it helps them cook more evenly if all are similar sized.
• Make sure you only lightly boil the cauliflower before adding the sauce and baking. It will cook more in the oven, so to save too much liquid coming out later and it falling apart, only boil the cauliflower briefly. It should be just cooked but still have some bite. Then drain well before adding to the baking dish.
• Add the milk just a little at a time as you make the sauce. This helps you to mix it in evenly and avoid too many lumps. Also, stir, stir, stir both to help with lumps and to avoid burning.
• Save some cheese for the top. This helps you get a little browning and cheesy gooeyness on top.

Cauliflower cheese is an easy, comforting side dish that goes with a whole range of mains. It has simple cheesy flavors, but with just a hint of bite from the mustard. Perfect alongside a roast and much more.

Try these other comforting side dishes:

• Spanakorizo (Greek spinach rice)
• German red cabbage with apples (Rotkohl)
• Maple roasted parsnips
• Plus get more side dish recipes in the archives.

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