Ingredients
| 2 large cauliflowers (or 3 smaller ones), broken into florets | |
| olive oil | |
| 100g unsalted butter | |
| 100g standard flour | |
| 1 sprig fresh sage, finely chopped | |
| a pinch of ground nutmeg | |
| 1½ litres whole milk | |
| 500g cheddar, grated | |
| flat-leaved parsley, to serve | |
| sourdough bread, to serve |
Served with: BUTTERED OLD FASHIONED
The cauliflower cheese was actually a place holder on a winter menu that made it to print when we ran out of time to come up with something more mind-blowing. That said, it sold so well that it’s a classic we have to keep on through the colder months (though its popularity never waned even through summer). Maybe it’s the nostalgia that keeps it ever-seasonal? With brown-butter notes and general old-timeliness, both this and the Buttered Old Fashioned are united in taste and tempo. Best served in front of an open fire, vinyl on the radiogram filling the room, a cigar prepared as digestif – or streaming Mad Men on your laptop, curtains closed, in bed.
Instructions
| 1. | Arrange the cauliflower in a large rectangular baking dish. |
| 2. | Drizzle with a good glug of olive oil and a healthy amount of flaky salt and cracked black pepper. |
| 3. | Bake at 180°C for 25-30 minutes or until soft and browning at the edges. |
| 4. | To make the sauce, add the butter to a large pot. Heat gently, stirring frequently, until lightly browned. |
| 5. | Add the flour and mix well to form a smooth paste. Add a drizzle of olive oil if the mixture becomes too thick. |
| 6. | Add the sage and a few fine gratings of nutmeg (about a pinch; if you can taste it you’ve added too much). |
| 7. | Add 1 cup of milk stirring constantly until it’s incorporated, then continue to add the milk about 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly until all the milk is incorporated. Ensure you scrape the bottom of the pot to prevent burning. |
| 8. | Once all the milk is added, lower the heat to minimum and add the cheddar in small batches – add about a handful at a time to avoid the sauce splitting. |
| 9. | Once cooked, remove the cauliflower from the oven and turn the oven up to 250°C. |
| 10. | Pour the cheese sauce over the cauliflower and jiggle the pan to combine. |
| 11. | Season well with salt and pepper and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes or until it begins to brown at the edges. |
| 12. | Allow to rest for 5 minutes and then garnish with flat-leafed parsley and olive oil. |
| 13. | Serve with warmed crusty sourdough to mop up any leftover cheese sauce. |
Drinks Thomas Hansen, Bartender at Civil and Naval Bites Evan Kiddey, Chef at Civil and Naval / Photography Dean Kozanic
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