Clodagh McKenna recipe: Irish Cheddar Cheese Cauliflower with Hazelnut Topping
Life & Style

Clodagh McKenna recipe: Irish Cheddar Cheese Cauliflower with Hazelnut Topping

Clodagh's Irish Cheddar Cheese cauliflower with Hazelnut Topping Clodagh's Irish Cheddar Cheese cauliflower with Hazelnut Topping

Irish 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.