Recipe - Egg and Cauliflower Cheese

This is a deliciously retro dish that is Proper Comfort Food, the sort of thing to tuck in to on a grey, rainy day - something we've had a lot of recently! I've written this post in conjunction with British Lion Eggs, who have an informative page about Egg Nutrition - you may be surprised to learn how few calories each egg contains, especially for something packed with so many vitamins and minerals. I love eggs - they are the ultimate convenience food, and can be used in so many ways.

Egg and Cauliflower Cheese
makes two hearty servings

4 medium free range British Lion Eggs
1 small cauliflower
125g finely grated Cheddar cheese
50g butter
50g plain flour
450ml semi skimmed milk
¼ teaspoon dry mustard powder
pinch each of grated nutmeg and cayenne pepper or chilli powder
2 tomatoes, thinly sliced.

Hard boil the eggs then cool, peel and halve them. TIP - to get eggs with no dark rim around the yolk, have them at room temperature then place in cold water and bring to the boil. Boil for exactly 8 minutes (for medium sized eggs) then plunge immediately into cold water and allow to cool. They will peel more easily if, after the first few seconds in the cold water, you gently crack the shell all over then replace in the water to finish cooling.

Break the cauliflower into florets and cook in boiling salted water until just tender. Drain and arrange with the egg halves in an ovenproof dish. Heat the oven to 200 C/400 F/ gas mark 6

Make the sauce  either by the traditional roux method or the super-simple way - put the flour, butter, seasonings and milk into a saucepan and stir with a whisk until boiling and thickened. Only use this method if the sauce will be cooked further, or you will get a raw flour taste! Stir in three quarters of the grated cheese, and when melted and smooth, spoon carefully over the egg and cauliflower, making sure everything is covered.

Arrange the sliced tomatoes on top and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.

Bake in the pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes until the cheese is browned and the tomato cooked, and serve with a green vegetable plus potatoes or bread to help you mop up every scrap of the sauce.

I am joining in with Simply Eggscellent at Belleau Kitchen - it's an Anything Goes month this month.





NOTE - I have received a gift from British Lion Eggs in exchange for sharing this recipe - however it's one I would have been sharing with you anyway. You probably know by now that retro comfort food is one of my signature styles, especially at this time of year!