Clodagh's Irish Cheddar Cheese cauliflower with Hazelnut ToppingIrish Cheddar Cheese Cauliflower with Hazelnut Topping
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 small cauliflower
80g butter
80g flour
400ml milk
80g mature Irish cheddar cheese
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
For the topping
50g hazelnuts
40g breadcrumbs
50g Parmesan cheese
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 170°C/Gas mark 3.
Remove the outer leaves from the cauliflower and coarsely chop. Then place the cauliflower and leaves in a saucepan with about 2.5cm of water. Cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes (you want them slightly undercooked as they will be going in the oven too).
In a separate saucepan, melt the butter and whisk in the flour. Cook for two to three minutes, stirring constantly. Then add the milk, whisking continuously to ensure that no lumps form. Stir in the grated cheese and the freshly grated nutmeg.
Place the cauliflower in a lightly buttered gratin dish and pour over the cheese sauce.
Next make the hazelnut topping, by roasting the hazelnuts in the pre-heated oven for 10 minutes. Once roasted remove from the oven and place in a food processor and blend for 30 seconds (not too fine), mix them together with the Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs. Sprinkle the hazelnut topping over the cauliflower cheese.
Bake in the pre-heated oven for 20 minutes and then serve immediately.
This is one of eight recipes created by Irish chef Clodagh McKenna in association with Ireland’s National Dairy Council. For more details on the other recipes, click here.
For more on Clodagh McKenna, click here.
See More: Cauliflower, Cheese, Clodagh McKenna, Cooking, Featured
