Cauliflower Cheese with a Twist

Cauliflower cheese has to be one of the great quick meals - nutritious and filling and the kids love it. I usually add bacon or ham (depending on what's in the fridge and most needs eating up) to give it some extra interest. But over the Easter holidays, when I had myself and just one child to feed (the older two were on a school ski trip) one lunchtime, I looked in the fridge and decided on an extra twist: Gruyere cheese rather than Cheddar cheese. Such a small adjustment to the traditional recipe, but such a big result. The addition of this nutty Swiss cheese adds a whole new dimension of flavour, and is great for a change, if nothing else.

Ingredients

Cauliflower
Gruyere cheese (c.100g grated)
2 rashers of smoked bacon

Quarter of a pint (c.125ml ) of milk

2 or 3 heaped teaspoons of cornflour

Large knob of unsalted butter.

I make my white sauce using cornflour (but if you prefer flour that's fine): I melt the butter over a low heat, add the cornflour and mix it into a roux (smooth paste), then slowly add the milk, stirring all the time. I do all this over a very low heat - and you must not stop stirring. Once the white sauce has formed, add the grated gruyere (I used the leftovers of a pre-grated packet in the fridge).

Check the cauliflower is clean and cut off the florets and just a few of the palest, tenderest leaves. Get a pan of water boiling and then add the florets (or use a steamer over the pan, as I do). Do not overcook them - they should still have an element of bite rather than be waterlogged.

Meanwhile, cut up the bacon rashers and fry in a frying pan for a minute or two, then add to the white sauce.

Once the cauliflower is cooked, put it into bowls, pour over the white sauce, sprinkle on a bit more of the grated cheese and add some generous twists of black pepper. Easy! And if you're being posh, you could put the cauliflower and sauce into a pretty oven-proof dish, grate more cheese over the top and grill it till the cheese is melted and forms a golden crust. The choice is yours.