Deep-fried cauliflower cheese
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Sally Abé's Deep-fried cauliflower cheese recipe is a great way to use up leftovers, although with a crisp, golden breadcrumb coating and oozing béchamel filling they are more than worth the effort to make from scratch. Allow plenty of time for the cauliflower cheese to freeze as this will help the squares keep their shape as they fry.
First published in 2016
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Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
Cauliflower cheese
- 1 cauliflower
- 50g of butter
- 50g of plain flour
- 400ml of milk
- 100g of cheddar, grated
- 1 tsp English mustard
- salt
To fry
- flour, for dusting
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 100g of Panko breadcrumbs (1)
- oil, for deep frying
To serve
- sea salt
- salsa
SAVE RECIPE
Method
1
Break the cauliflower into small florets, discarding the stem and leaves
2
Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and blanch the florets for 3 minutes until cooked through. Drain thoroughly and set to one side
3
For the béchamel sauce, melt the butter in a medium pan and add the flour. Cook for 2 minutes until it forms a paste, then begin to add the milk a little at a time, whisking continuously to form a smooth, thick sauce
4
Stir through the mustard and add the cheese, mixing well until the cheese has melted into the sauce. Season with salt to taste
5
Add the cauliflower to the sauce and mix until fully incorporated, then tip into a tray lined with baking paper and place in the freezer for 1 hour, or until almost frozen solid
6
After this time, tip the frozen cauliflower cheese onto a chopping board and cut into 4cm squares
7
Preheat a deep-fryer to 180°C
8
Place the flour, egg and breadcrumbs in separate small bowls. Dredge the cauliflower squares through flour, then coat in an egg wash and breadcrumbs
9
Fry the squares for 2–3 minutes, until crisp and golden brown
10
Arrange on a plate, sprinkle with salt and serve hot with tomato salsa on the side
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