Making a thick and creamy cheese sauce to coat cauliflower is the dream for fans of this dish, though it’s easier said than done. Debbie, a culinary expert from Proper Foodie, reveals that the key to achieving that sought-after, luscious consistency lies in the cooking technique of the cauliflower itself. Contrary to popular belief, excessive milk isn’t the culprit for a disappointing sauce. Debbie points the finger at the water content in the vegetables.
“Cauliflower cheese can go watery if the cauliflower is overcooked,” she warns. “Overcooked cauliflower releases water, which will seep into the rest of the dish. So even if your sauce was thick when it went in the oven, if it’s in there too long, the water from the cauliflower will cause it to go watery.”
To avoid this common mishap, Debbie suggests capping the oven time to an optimal 20 to 25 minutes to preserve that perfect creamy texture. If you’re concerned about browning, don’t hesitate to quickly pop the dish under the grill for a minute or two on high heat.
Mastering the roux is essential to achieving that rich, creamy base for your cauliflower cheese. There are several tricks to ensure you get the perfect consistency every time. The culinary expert from Proper Foodie divulges, “This paste is the starting point for making the cheese sauce. Many recipes say to use equal amounts of butter and flour, but I prefer to use slightly less butter, to give a thicker roux and to stop any excess butter from forming on top of the finished sauce.”
It’s crucial to keep the whisk moving constantly while preparing the roux, especially when incorporating the milk into the mix of flour and butter. Cease stirring for even a moment, and you risk the formation of lumps that stubbornly resist later attempts to smooth them out. Debbie points out, “You can also remove the pan from the heat as you need to if you feel it’s getting too hot or if you can’t stir fast enough to stop lumps forming.”
Should a skin develop on your sauce, an effective trick is to lay a sheet of cling film directly on the sauce’s surface immediately after removing it from the heat. When it’s time to add the sauce to your cauliflower, simply peel off the cling film, scrape any adhered sauce back into the pan, and proceed with your recipe.
Here’s a simple recipe for a delicious cauliflower cheese:
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Ingredients:
* 20g butter
* 30g plain flour
* 250ml milk
* 50g cheddar cheese, grated
* One medium cauliflower with the leaves removed, cut into florets
* 30g cheddar for the topping
* Black pepper
* Fresh chopped parsley
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Instructions:
1.
Make the roux:
Heat a dash of butter in a saucepan over a medium flame. As it liquifies, blend in the 30g of flour to create the thickening base (the roux).2.
Create the sauce:
Transform this into a lusciously “full-flavoured” and “silky smooth” white sauce by incrementally pouring in milk whilst persistently heating and stirring. Reduce the stove’s heat to a gentle simmer before combining 50g of cheese, stirring it constantly until it’s perfectly melded into the sauce.3.
Assemble and bake:
Arrange the cauliflower florets in an eight-inch ovenproof dish and drench them with your homemade sauce. Crown the dish with an extra sprinkle of cheese, then pop it into a preheated oven at 180C for 15 minutes to brown.4.
Check for doneness:
Check the consistency of the cauliflower with a fork. If resistance is felt, give it more time to bake.Enjoy this creamy, cheesy delight!
