Cherry & Dennis Recipes
Cauliflower Cheese Bake
白汁芝士焗椰菜花
Recipe overview
Cauliflower Cheese Bake is a practical Western family dish for a Hong Kong home kitchen, using supermarket ingredients and twelve reliable steps for four servings.
01
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 800 g cauliflower (cut into even florets)
Seasoning and sauce
- 40 g butter
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 500 ml milk
- 150 g Cheddar cheese (grated and divided)
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp salt
- 0.5 tsp black pepper (ground)
02
Tools
- knife
- cutting board
- pot
- colander
- saucepan
- whisk
- wooden spoon
- baking dish
- oven
- oven mitts
03
Steps
Step 1
Preheat the oven
Preheat the oven to 210°C and prepare a roughly 23 cm baking dish.
Step 2
Cut the cauliflower
Cut cauliflower into even 4 cm florets and thinly slice the thick stem.
Step 3
Boil the cauliflower
Boil the cauliflower for 5 minutes until just tender but still firm.
Step 4
Drain thoroughly
Drain in a colander for 5 minutes, shaking out water trapped in the florets.
Step 5
Cook butter and flour
Melt butter over medium heat, add flour, and stir for 1 minute to make a smooth roux.
Step 6
Whisk in the milk
Add milk in four additions, whisking completely smooth after each.
Step 7
Finish the cheese sauce
Simmer for 5 minutes until thick, then remove from heat and melt in half the cheese, mustard, salt, and pepper.
Step 8
Arrange the cauliflower
Arrange drained cauliflower in one layer in the baking dish with cut sides mostly upward.
Step 9
Add the cheese sauce
Pour cheese sauce evenly over the cauliflower so it runs into the gaps.
Step 10
Add the cheese topping
Scatter the remaining cheese evenly over the surface without piling it in the centre.
Step 11
Bake until golden
Bake at 210°C for 15 minutes until bubbling and golden.
Step 12
Rest and serve
Rest for 5 minutes so the cheese sauce settles before serving.
Common mistakes
- Wet cauliflower thins the sauce.
- Adding all the milk at once causes lumps.
Tips
Parboil only until just tender so it does not become mushy.
Adding cheese off the heat reduces splitting.
