Whole Roast Cauliflower Cheese with Wild Garlic

Serves	2 to 3 as a main meal
Prep time	20 minutes
Cook time	50 minutes
Total time	1 hours, 10 minutes
Allergy	Egg, Milk
Dietary	Gluten Free, Vegetarian
Meal type	Lunch, Main Dish, Side Dish, Snack
Misc	Child Friendly, Serve Hot
Occasion	Barbecue, Birthday Party, Casual Party, Easter
Region	British
By author	Karen Burns-Booth

A stunning and very easy to prepare cauliflower cheese that has wild garlic added to the quick cheese sauce.

Ingredients

Cauliflower

1 x medium fresh cauliflower (trimmed and tough stem cut off)
Olive or rapeseed oil

Sauce

225g grated vintage Cheddar cheese
225ml creme fraiche
1 large free-range egg (beaten)
2 tablespoons melted butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper
10 wild garlic leaves (finely diced)

Garnish

Wild garlic flowers (to garnish)

Note

A stunning and very easy to prepare cauliflower cheese that has wild garlic added to the quick cheese sauce. Perfect for spring lunches and simple suppers.

Directions

Step 1	Pre-heat oven to 220C/450F/Gas mark 7. Bring a pan of water to the boil and then add the whole cauliflower. Simmer the cauliflower, covered, for 30 minutes, turning it over half way through. Take the cauliflower out of the poaching water and sit it in a colander to cool whilst you make the sauce.
Step 2	Mix all of the sauce ingredients together until they form a smooth, thick paste.
Step 3	Sit the drained and cooled cauliflower in an oven-proof dish. Brush the olive or rapeseed oil over the cauliflower - I used a spray oil.
Step 4	Spoon the sauce over the cauliflower and the bake it for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the sauce is golden brown and bubbling.
Step 5	Remove from the oven and cut into slices or into quarters, serving with the excess sauce from the baking dish and a scattering of wild garlic flowers. Fabulous when served with crusty bread and a seasonal salad.