Cauliflower cheese - yay or nay?

[Bonheurdupasse]

Does anyone do cauliflower cheese as a side at Christmas? Or if not, would you consider it (eating it)?

For those who do it - are there any ways to fancy it up?
One fancy version on BBC good food had the cauliflower being roasted initially, rather than parboiled. Sounds like it would be lovely - but then all in all it would be an hour in the oven for it - wouldn't that dry it out? Especially if I did the first step the night before?

I'm thinking of adding a bit of blue cheese to mine this year for Xmas - yay or nay?

Oh yes, always add mustard 😍

YES

Yeesss love it.

I roasted the cauliflower last time I did it and it was sooo much better than boiled.

Oooh I would certainly give it a try! Although not sure with gravy. Maybe served separately so guests can help themselves?

Jamie Oliver blitzed garlic bread to make garlicky breadcrumbs.

To prevent the cauliflower going too soft I would just put it in the oven while you make the sauce, to which you must stir in a huge slurp of onion and garlic dip to before you pour it over the cauli. It will change your life forever

It's very important to use decent cheese, extra mature at the very least but preferably vintage or Comte, or both. Top with grated parmesan if you can't be bothered with the breadcrumb thing.

Always. Every roast and especially Christmas, although if we're hosting parents I make the sauce with gluten-free flour as they are coeliac. It's also the only way I can get any brassicas into the kids (and I love it). Gotta have nutmeg in the cheese sauce though, it does make a difference.

I use truffle dust in the sauce to give it a truffle flavour to fancy it up!

This sounds amazing!

I love it. Everyone else in my family hate it.
I am having bread sauce though, which again, only I like 😁

It’s a highlight here.

i Make it fancier by steeping the milk with onion, peppercorns and bay leaves. Add a dollop of English mustard to the sauce and a ton of davidstow cheddar. Dusting of cayenne on top.

might roast the cauli this year. 🤤

Yes! I do leeks and cauliflower cheese as they work beautifully together. Add nutmeg and English or Dijon mustard to the sauce. I roll up small bits of Parma ham or prosciutto like little roses and push them on top. Sprinkling of breadcrumbs and some Comte or Gruyère cheese on top and it’s divine.

As a veggie I actually have it as my main. I was contemplating roasting it this time as per the BBC recipe.

I generally pre make it and freeze it, defrost Xmas morning then it’s just a quic reheat and browning in the oven.

Love it. BUT rarely do it in Christmas Day just because everything's so rich already.

I end up looking forward to the plainer veg

Not some we ever have with Christmas dinner

It's really nice with Applewood smoked cheddar in the sauce (along with mustard) and grated on the top.

We do have it now as a Christmas side, but it's a relatively recent addition. It's definitely not traditional, but it's delicious - so why not?

No no no. Ew. Too rich. Cauliflower cheese is a main not a side dish.

I like to save my tolerance for rich food for the really crisp salty roasties with garlic and fresh rosemary, and heaps of pigs in blankets and my own bloody lovely stuffing mix recipe with fresh walnuts, apricots and sage. The rest of the veg are pretty plain - roast parsnips and carrots, steamed peas and broccoli, baked red cabbage in wine.

Stale garlic bread, processed into crumbs

When did this become a normal part of roast dinner ?
and no i love it by itself not with a roast

Absolutely essential!! But then I would eat Cauliflower Cheese every single day….absolute favourite!

Still can’t get my head around a plate with both cheese sauce and gravy without it giving me the heaves.

Agreed that it is essential! I serve it with broccoli in the same dish, with whole grain mustard in the sauce and a sprinkling of cayenne pepper and melted cheddar on top of the cheese sauce.

I love it but we have a creamy sprouts side at Xmas (which is absolutely divine) so we don’t have cauli cheese as it’s too similar. But in the absence of the creamy spouts it’s a yes from me.

I think MILs was more of a plain bechamel with just a bit of cheese on top.

Maybe a white sauce with the same sort of flavourings as bread sauce would be a good compromise for some?

Yes! We have cauliflower cheese with every roast dinner and we jazz it up with blue cheese at Christmas. I'm hungry just thinking about it!