EASY PEASEY CAULIFLOWER CHEESY

Cauliflower cheese! Where would we be without it. A duller place that's for sure. For me it's

something you have for your Sunday roast when you really just want to spoil yourself! Don't be afraid of it tho and don't be getting yourself a ready made cheese sauce. It's so easy to make a fresh version with creme fraiche, mustard and of course the cheese of your choice. Cover that with a beautifully crispy rosemary and soy "bacon bits" topping and you'll be spoiling yourself every chance you get.

So cauliflower is cauliflower so not much to take about there really. What you may notice is that I've added some onions to my recipe. This isn't really normal for a cauliflower cheese but I like to add it in for a bit of crunch to the dish. It's optional so leave it out if you wish.

You don't even really have to add the Dijon mustard either but it really gives the cheese sauce some welly. I wouldn't use English or French mustard. To me that's just wrong but feel free to experiment of you wish or leave it out altogether if your not a mustard fan.

Where you can change up the flavor is with your cheese. You want a nice grate able hard cheese like a cheddar and you can find flavored varieties in shops now that can really mix up the taste of the dish. I used a chilli flavored cheese which gave a nice kick to the sauce without being super overpowering in a way adding actual whole chilies would. Have a look what you have to hand and what's on sale in your supermarket, experiment and find a cheese that works for you.

You can't have cauliflower cheese without that crispy topping! I used some ready made breadcrumbs but you can make these yourself by blitzing some bread that's going stale. Next I add some soy "bacon bits" for the extra crunch and bacon and cheese is always a winner really isn't it. Again, these are optional. Finally I add in some fresh rosemary for a herby smack in the face. You can used dried rosemary or a different fresh/dried herb that you think will work. Really as long as you have those breadcrumbs as the main chunk of your crispy topping you can add any additional flavors into them to make it pop!

So onto the recipe. It's so simple and you can prepare it early up to the point when you place it in the oven, cover and place in the fridge and then whack it in when your ready. Perfect if you don't want to be rushing around later in the day with the other parts of your roast;

Cauliflower Cheese

1 Large Cauliflower Cut Into Florets 

1 Large Chopped Onion

200g Grated Cheese

1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

250ml Creme Fraiche

Salt And Pepper To Season

2 Handfuls Of Breadcrumbs 

1 Handfull Of Soy Bacon Bits

1 Handfull Chopped Rosemary Leaves

1. Turn your oven on to 200 degrees (180 fan) and get a large pot of salted boiling water on the go.
2. Tumble the cauliflower florets into the boiling water and bring back to the book before simmering for 5 minutes.
3. Whilst the cauliflower simmers, mix together the onion, cheese, mustard and creme fraiche in a large bowl and season with salt and plenty of pepper.
4. Drain the cauliflower and then quickly add it to the bowl with the cheese mix whilst it's still hot and then mix everything
   
   together. The heat from the cauliflower should melt the cheese and a sauce will form. Keep going until all the cauliflower is covered in the cheese sauce.
5. Transfer the cauliflower to a roasting dish and sprinkle over the breadcrumbs, bacon bits and rosemary leaves. Place in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes until bubbling and golden brown on top.

It's as easy as that. Dish up the piping hot cauliflower cheese with the roast cut of the day and some yummy roast potatoes and get stuck in. The beautiful herbiness of the rosemary will come through in the crunchy topping hiding the scrummy cheesy veg underneath. Everyone is going to be fighting for the biggest portion around your dinner table next Sunday that's for sure.

Cauliflower cheese? It's easy peasy!