I think Cauliflower is one of my favorite vegetables, and cauliflower cheese is one of my favorite things to do with it . . . with a dish like that you don't really need any meat . . . rich and indulgent and very, very tasty.
Today I decided to kick it up a notch or two and added a puff pastry crust. Talk about good . . .
I love pies of any kind. If it's got a crust on top . . . I'm well ready to get stuck in!
I cheated a little bit today and used a few cheat ingredients to make the sauce instead of making one from scratch . . .
It's ok to do that sometimes . . . especially if you are feeling rather lazy as I was today . . .
A tin of condensed mushroom soup, some chicken stock, and a tub of Herb and Garlic Boursin, plus a bit of grated cheddar worked a charm.
Just make sure you drain your cauliflower really well . . . so that the sauce stays nice and thick.
I like to brush the top of the crust with a beaten egg yolk and then sprinkle it with some sea salt flakes and a bit of crushed black pepper to give it added flavor and texture . . . not to mention, it makes it all look even tastier, don't you think???
This went down a real treat and stretched one cauliflower a really long way. Oh my . . . I can't wait for the leftovers tomorrow . . . in fact . . . I may even sneak a tasty little bit right after I finish here . . . tasty tasty!
Easy . . . simple . . . and delicious. It's what works for me.
*Cauliflower Cheese Pie*
Serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe
Cauliflower cheese just got better!
1/2 of a 250g tub of Herb & Garlic Cream Cheese (1/2 cup)
1 tin of Campbells condensed cream of mushroom soup (10 ounce)
125ml of hot chicken stock (1/2 cup)
1 large head of cauliflower, trimmed and broken into florets
salt and pepper to taste
120g of strong cheddar cheese, grated (1 cup)
1 sheet of all butter ready rolled puff pastry
1 small free range egg yolk beaten with a touch of water
flaked sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Cook the cauliflower in a pot of lightly salted boiling water for about 5 minutes until crispy tender. Drain well. Return to the saucepan. Stir together the stock, soup and cheese. Pour over the cauliflower and gently stir to combine. Pour this mixture into a shallow rectangular or oval dish. Cover with the puff pastry pressing the edges against the edge of the dish to seal. Brush the surface of the pastry with the beaten egg and sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Cut a few slits in the top with a sharp knife to vent. Bake for 30 minutes, until heated through and the pastry is puffed and golden brown.
