THE ORIGINAL ‘RECEIPT’

HOW TO BUY –  Choose a large, close-flowered cauliflower.

HOW TO COOK  – Boil the cauliflower till nearly done;  trim off all green leaves, and cut the stalk, so that the cauliflower will rest well with the flower upwards.  Cover it with white sauce…..;  on that strew rasped cheese, which sprinkle over with bread-crumbs;  bake in a moderate oven till nicely browned.

HOW TO SERVE  –  Dish hot, flower upwards, with white sauce and toasted sippets round.

~ Handbook of Domestic Cookery. London and Glasgow: William Collins, Sons, & Company, Limited, 1882.

THE UPDATED RECIPE

• 1 head of cauliflower (medium-large)
• 2 Tb. butter
• 3 Tb. flour
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. white pepper
• ¼ tsp. grated nutmeg
• 1 ¼ c. milk
• ¼ c. grated Cheddar cheese
• 1 Tb. grated Parmesan cheese
• ¼ c. grated bread crumbs.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Trim the base of the cauliflower head so that it will sit flat in a baking dish.

Boil the cauliflower head in slightly salted water in a covered saucepan, until it is almost tender, but still crisp.

Butter an oven-proof baking dish.

In a double-boiler, prepare a cream sauce by creaming together the butter and flour and spices, then adding the milk;  cook until the mixture becomes smooth and thickened.

Put the cauliflower face up in the buttered baking dish, and pour the sauce over top.

Sprinkle the cheeses over the sauce, and then top with the grated bread crumbs.

Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes, until lightly browned.

Serve immediately, garnished with sippets (small pieces) of toast, if desired.

Yield: approximately 4 servings.

Cauliflower and cheese seem to have a natural affinity for one another.

A note from Patricia: I have always prepared cauliflower cut up into florets and then steamed it (or I’ve riced it to eat with stir frys in place of rice), however cooking the whole head of cauliflower felt a bit fancy, and I was into it. And now I’m sold. The cauliflower was tender and delicious, and the sauce, with its hint of nutmeg, was creamy and so flavourful. The bread crumb topping created a bit of crunch which I enjoyed as well. I made the sauce with 1:1 gluten free flour which was successful, and I made my own bread crumbs using some stale gluten free bread that I had on hand that I pulsed in the food processor. The recipe indicated serving this with ‘sippets of bread’, which I learned is simply fried cubes of bread that were traditionally used to sop up sauces and gravies, and so I fried up some GF bread for this as well to decorate the plate. This would make a lovely side dish to a variety of meals, but I ate a quarter slice of this as a vegetarian lunch. Fantastic!

Cauliflower, to be eaten in perfection, should be eaten fresh;  choose them fine, and close grained, white as possible, and of medium size.

~ Handbook of Domestic Cookery. London and Glasgow: William Collings, Sons, & Company, Limited, 1882.

TO COOK CAULIFLOWER ….Take it up as soon as a fork will easily enter the stem:  a little longer boiling will spoil it.

~A. B. (of Grimsby). The Frugal Housewife’s Manual. Toronto: J.H. Lawrence, 1840.