Thursday on DelmarvaLife, Chef Mo L’esperance told us how she incorporates healthy dishes into her child’s life. Mo says, “I would like to focus away from making a hot dog as healthy as a hot dog can be and pushing them onto something else, like a cauliflower mac and cheese.” Chef Mo says the cauliflower mac and cheese is easy and delicious. If you would like to make it, here is the recipe:
CAULIFLOWER AND CHEESE RECIPE:
I love both cauliflower cheese and macaroni cheese and it occurred to me that cauliflower is a great vegetable to hide in a cheese sauce. Make sure that the cauliflower is very well steamed so that it blends smoothly into the sauce. You could also mash the cauliflower and then mix it with the sauce. If you prefer you can use all cheddar cheese, rather than the mixture of cheddar and gruyere.
INGREDIENTS
- 200g cauliflower florets
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 250ml milk
- 55g mature cheddar, grated
- 55g gruyere cheese, grated
- 2 tbsp Italian hard style cheese
- 2 tbsp mascarpone or crème fraiche
- ¼ tsp Dijon mustard
- 185g macaroni
Optional topping
- 4 tbsp fresh breadcrumbs (1 slice bread, crusts removed)
- 4 tbsp grated Parmesan
METHOD
- Break the cauliflower into small florets and steam for 15-20 minutes, until soft.
- Meanwhile put the cornflour in a saucepan and whisk in the milk. Heat the milk gently, whisking constantly, until it comes to the boil and thickens to a sauce. Simmer for 1 minute then remove from the heat and stir in the cheeses, mascarpone and mustard.
- Blend the sauce with the cooked cauliflower until smooth and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook the macaroni according to the packet instructions and drain well. Return to the pan and add the sauce and stir over a low heat for 1-2 minutes, until hot.
- For the optional topping, mix together the breadcrumbs and cheese. Preheat the grill to high. Spoon the macaroni cheese into a heatproof dish and scatter over the cheesy breadcrumbs. Grill for 2-3 minutes, until golden.
(Source: http://www.eatsuda.com/)
