Cauliflower Cheese

Cauliflower Cheese

You can't beat cauliflower cheese. It's a welcome addition to any Sunday roast – just brilliant with beef or chicken – or just have it on its own with hunks of crusty bread. The key to its success is the cheese sauce. It needs a good zing of black pepper and nutmeg (or try adding a teaspoon of Dijon mustard), and by Christ it needs to thicker than a BNP pub quiz team. This recipe comes from Nigel Slater, a "celeb" chef who I  have a ridiculous amount of time for. Serves 4.

Ingredients:
1 large cauliflower, cut into florets
550ml full-fat milk
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
2-3 cloves
1 bay leaf
50g butter
50g plain flour
125g mature cheddar, grated

To finish:
nutmeg, freshly grated
parmesan or cheddar, grated

Method:
1. Steam cauliflower until tender.
2. Make a rich cheese sauce by warming 550ml of milk in a pan. Season with peppercorns, a couple of cloves and a bay leaf and bring to the boil. Turn off and allow to infuse for 15 minutes.
3. Melt together butter and flour, stirring until it thickens, then whisk in the strained milk. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and stir in grated mature cheddar and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Finish with a little grated nutmeg. Pour the sauce over the cauliflower, scatter with a little parmesan or cheddar and bake at 200C/gas 6 for 25-30 minutes.