If you like this article, please share:Source: Adapted from Nora’s dinner (and breakfast, lunches and snacks for you to cook at home)
Serve: 4
Ingredients:
1 medium size cauliflower (an estimation of 400g) – refer to note 2
100g Cheddar cheese
50g Parmesan cheese
40g butter
3 tbsp plain flour
500ml milk
1 tsp mustard or mustard powder (refer to note 3)
2 tbsp crème fraiche (I omitted this item but it’s best to include it)
Salt and pepperMethods:
- Preheat oven to 200°C.
- Grate the Cheddar and Parmesan cheese separately. Set aside.
- Prepare béchamel sauce (creamy white sauce)
- Melt butter in the small saucepan over a low heat.
- Add the flour and, using your wooden spoon/ hand whisk, stir well, keeping the heat turned down low – the mixture should start to look like damp sand. This mixture is called a roux (pronounced “roo”)
- Add the milk slowly, still stirring to make sure there are no lumps. If there are any, beat these out.
- Bring the sauce up to the boil, then turn down low and allow the sauce to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring all the time until it starts to thicken. You now have a white sauce, also called a béchamel sauce.
- Take the sauce off the heat. Add the mustard, half the grated Cheddar cheese, all the grated Parmesan and the crème fraiche. Stir well, and add a little salt and pepper. Stir again and taste the sauce. Add a bit more salt and pepper if needed. Set aside.
- Prepare cauliflower (refer to note 4)
- Put the large saucepan of water on to boil. Add a good pinch of salt to the water.
- Wash the cauliflower, then use the sharp knife and chopping board to cut off the stem. Split the core in half so all the small florets fall apart. Add the cut-up cauliflower to the salted boiling water and cook for 4 minutes.
- It is important not to overcook it or it will go mushy.
- Drain the cooked cauliflower very well in a colander.
- After the cooked cauliflower it is fully drained, tip the cauliflower into a medium overproof baking dish (or 2 small baking dishes) and cover with the sauce in step (4).
- Sprinkle the remaining grated Cheddar cheese over the top (refer to note 5).
- Place in the pre-heated oven on the middle shelf and bake for 25 minutes or until the top is golden and bubbling.
- When finished, remove from the oven.
- You can serve it as main meal, side dish or even as a snack.
Note:
- To make it a complete meal, you can add cooked pasta (ie macaroni) and other ingredients (ie canned tuna or cooked salmon).
- You can give this recipe a twist by substituting half of the cauliflower with broccoli.
- I used Masterfood fine wholegrain mustard. You can also use Dijon mustard.
- Alternatively, you can steam the cauliflower for 15-20 minutes.
- Adding 4 tbsp of fresh breadcrumbs will give this dish a crispy-cruncy top.
Woooo..not a fan of it when I was younger too but now…I enjoy cauliflower very much. So yum!
Tigerfish: Yeah, our taste buds always change from time to time. 😉
Lovely dish of cauliflower with cheese. Hope things get back to normal soon there. Take care.
Mary Moh: Thanks! 😉
Me too, not a fan of cauliflower during my childhood days until now. But, surprisingly my son likes it very much! Must try this! 🙂
Alice: Yeah, give it a try! Hope you will change your mind about cauliflower too! 🙂
love cauliflower, but i dont like it when they are over cooked , your dish is a great way to feed cauliflower to cauliflower haters 🙂
Peanutts: Thanks! Hope more picky eaters will enjoy eating cauliflowers. 😉
It looks amazing!
Peachkins: Thanks! 😉
Thanks for bringing back so much memory! My American mom doesn’t make hers like this, but hers is definitely also a combo of cauliflower and cheese! Simple but down-to-earth yummy!
Just wondering are you planning on participating in this:
http://babeinthecitykl.blogspot.com/2010/08/merdeka-open-house-2010-announcing.html
I wonder if the renovation thingy at your abode is gonna affect you with that though … Haha! It’s OK. If you do plan on taking part, I’ll hop by to read yours!
Take care!
Pei Lin: Thanks for your sweet comments, and also informing me about the Merdeka Open House event. I would love to join the fun but am stuck now with the after reno cleaning up job. Will hop over to read other submissions. Hope to see yours there. 😉
Thanks for sharing this lovely recipe. I only know how to blanch the cauliflower and stir fry it.
Anncoo: You’re welcome. Hope your kids will love this combination. 😉
oh my, really messy. but look forward to bigger better toilets after the upgrading ya? love your cauliflower and cheese, two of my fave ingredients 🙂
Noobcook: The toilet is still the same size but having a brand new look. Thanks!! 😉
That certainly a nice way to enjoy cauliflower. I have cauliflower for this week vegetable too.
LCOM: Thanks!! Yes, for those who love cheese. 😉
The construction sounds absolutely horrendous! I have some going on outside my window…but thankfully it stays OUTSIDE.
The cauliflower cheese gratin looks delicious. Cheesifying a dish is a surefire way to get people to eat it!
Joanne: Yeah, it was really very messy but I’m glad it’s over now. “Cheesifying” is my powerful method to get my son eating something he dislikes. 😉
I adore this dish! Looks really creamy and yummy.. hehe.
I hope the work will complete soon!!
Lee Mei (MCH): Thanks! We adore it too! Finally it’s over!! 😉
I love cauliflower be it pureed, stir-fried, sautéed … this nice creamy dish is also one of my picks.
Wish every thing finishes on time, and take your time.
TasteHongKong: Cauliflower is really a very versatile superfood. I start to love eating it now. Thanks for your understanding. 😉
Good grief, you shouldn’t even bother replying. We will all understand. It looks so uncomfortable living with all that mess.
PS: Love cauliflower & cheese!
Ju (TLT): Thanks for your understanding. Can’t wait to go back to normal routine. 😉
Oh my, what a mess! I hope the work finishes real soon!
Pigpigscorner: Yes, it’s a messy place but it’s finally over now. 😉
This looks yummy! I must try it out as my elder boy doesn’t like cauliflower too, but I like it! Thanks for sharing the info on gassy tummy, I never aware of that!
KidsDreamWork: Hahaha! We are in the opposite situation. Hope your boy loves it. 😉
Great way to get kids to eat cauliflower. This recipe could work on adults as well! 🙂
A Little Yumminess: Yeah, it’s great for both kids and adults. 😉
Looks so cheesy and comforting!
Angie: Thanks!! 😉
I am not a little tot but I will make this for myself! hehe
Taste of Home: Hahaha! You’re so funny! Thanks!;)
Hope the project is finished quickly! Sounds like you’re being very patient during the process. And, your cauliflower dish looks delicious. The cheese on top looks great!
Lisa: Thanks for your kind concern and sweet comment. 😉
You are a GENIUS being able to get your kids to eat cauliflower. And gosh that does look like a really uncomfortable arrangement! hang in there LK!
Clare: Thanks for your sweet words! I’m definitely not a genius. Yay, it’s over now! 😉
Oh my, what a gorgeous dish…I love cauliflowers, but I usually keep them as they are, I don’t want to contaminate their wonderful flavor…I tried some recipes but they always went out very bitter…I will try this one, it seems perfect…
Mika: Yeah, we should enjoy the original flavour. This dish is to entice those picker eaters to try out cauliflowers. Glad you like it too! 😉
Love this creamy cauliflower with cheese dish. That’s also a clever way to get our kids to eat more veggies.
How long would the renovation project take? It’s worth inconvenience for a while once you have everything installed though.
Christine: Yeah, kids love cheese. Only 10 working days. But the cleaning up job is really very tiring! 😉
I used to like cauliflower but now like broccoli. This cauliflower cheese looks interesting!
Dora: What’s made you dislike cauliflower? Do give this one a try! 😉
Thank you share your information of this blog. I am also a cooking lover and also love to share with people and friends the greats recipes. Here is the website
http://www.agape-cookingthechineseway.com
Have a Great Day
Pris: Thanks for dropping by and sharing your great site. 😉
what ever it’s call cauliflower or cheese rice is absolutely delicious to eat, can’t miss it..
KWPang: Thanks for dropping by and your kind comment. 😉
[…] am also looking forward to trying Cauliflower Cheese by Food-4-Tots – it looks delicious and I think mixed with some macaroni it could be a kiddie […]
What a vegetable this is. I love how versatile cauliflower is. I so tempted to try your recipe later this week (I have 3 heads of cauliflower waiting for me at home.) I will come back to your site and report on how your recipe turned out for sure! Would you like to take a look at my most recent cauliflower creation? http://cuceesprouts.com/2010/09/marinated-cauliflower-salad/
Cucee Sprouts: Wow! I have never stored so many heads of cauliflower in my fridge. You must be a cauliflower lover. Your cauliflower salad is so delishh and healthy. Can’t wait to hear your feedback on my recipe. 😉
woah…i want one of this. makes me hungry 🙂
My Taste Heaven: Hahaha! Help yourself! 😉
Hi, where can i buy crème fraiche?
Piixie: You can find it at the chiller section in Cold Storage (Singapore). Same location with whipping cream. Hope it helps. 😉
Hi there, just curious, what did you serve this cauliflower gratin with? I’m thinking rice and gratin is odd! Yummy looking dish though. 🙂
KY: I think you can try macaroni with this gratin. Instead of serving it separately, you can add the cooked macaroni into this casserole before baking and turn it into a one dish meal. 😉
Hi there, can i use a toaster oven instead? can i add tomato puree in before baking as well? like what we sometimes get in restaurants? thanks!
Kelly: Can you set the temperature at your toaster oven? If not, it may not be suitable. Do you mean lasagna which has one layer of bechamel sauce and one layer of tomato sauce? Yes, you can but you need to cook the sauce separately. Here is a bolognese sauce recipe for you to try out – https://food-4tots.com/2010/06/06/baked-eggplants-with-bolognese-sauce/3/. 😉
I love this recipe and you’ve given me a great idea for something to make for Thanksgiving dinner that the children will enjoy since they don’t like brussel sprouts or green bean casserole.
GGG: Hope your kids will enjoy this casserole dish. Looking forward to your kind feedback. 😉