Cauliflower Cheese With Leek Bake Recipes

BAKED CAULIFLOWER, LEEK AND MUSHROOM MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Fill a large bowl with ice water.
• Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook 3 1/2 cups of the cauliflower until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Remove the florets with a slotted spoon, and plunge in the ice water to stop the cooking. When cool, strain and reserve.
• Return the water in the pot to a boil, and cook the pasta according to the package directions for al dente. Strain the pasta, shaking the colander a few times to drain excess water.
• While the pasta is cooking, heat 4 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat in a large pot. When the butter foams, add the leeks, mushrooms and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are lightly browned and the mushrooms are tender, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables, and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Whisk in the half-and-half and bay leaf, and cook, continuing to whisk, until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Lower the heat to a simmer, add 2 teaspoons salt and simmer 1 minute. Remove the pot from the heat, take out the bay leaf and let sit for a minute. Add 3 1/2 cups of the Cheddar, and stir until smooth. Gently fold the cooked cauliflower and pasta into the cheese sauce, and transfer the mixture to the baking dish.
• Pulse the remaining 1/2 cup cauliflower in a food processor until it resembles couscous. Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in the microwave, about 1 minute. Add the melted butter, breadcrumbs, thyme and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the food processor and pulse until combined. Sprinkle evenly on top of the pasta mixture. Sprinkle on the remaining 1/2 cup Cheddar, and bake until bubbly and brown on top, 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes. Serve hot.

CAULIFLOWER GRATIN WITH LEEKS AND WHITE CHEDDAR

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Slice cauliflower head lengthwise into 1/2-inch thick slices, including the core and leaves. (Some smaller bits will fall away: That's fine. You'll use them as well.)
• Drizzle some olive oil onto the bottom of a 2-quart baking dish. (An oval, square or rectangular dish will all work.) Layer about a third of the cauliflower along the bottom, and about a third of the leeks. Season with salt and pepper, and repeat until all of the cauliflower and leeks are used. (Don't worry about perfectly layering them.) Season with salt and pepper and drizzle cream over. Scatter cheese on top, and season again with salt and pepper. Lightly cover with foil and place in the oven.
• Bake until cauliflower is nearly tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake until cream has thickened and reduced nearly completely and the top is golden brown and crisp, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before eating.

CAULIFLOWER CHEESE WITH LEEK BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Remove the green outer leaves from the cauliflower as well as the thick white stalk, taking care not to break off the florets. Cut a deep cross in the bottom of the stem and steam it whole over a pan of boiling water until slightly tender but not cooked through. The cauliflower florets should still be firm. Remove the cauliflower from the heat and leave to cool.
• Place the butter in a large saucepan and melt over medium heat. Lower the heat and add the finely chopped leeks. Cook until the leeks are softening slightly but not cooked thoroughly. Remove 1 tablespoon of the leeks and keep to one side. Add the flour to the remaining leeks in the pan and stir. The flour will become lumpy, but continue to stir for 2 - 3 minutes. This will cook the flour and soften it to make a better sauce. Add the large pinch of salt and the mustard powder and stir again. Turn up the heat to medium and add the milk all at once. Stir briskly until a smooth sauce forms. Continue stirring until the sauce is thick and glossy - about 4 - 5 minutes. If the sauce thickens too much, add a little more milk. It should be thick, but still a bit runny. At this point, add the grated cheese and stir until melted. Remove from heat.
• Break or cut the cauliflower florets away from the thick, central stalk, taking care not to break it into tiny pieces. Place these florets in a greased baking dish large enough to hold all the florets in just one layer. Pour the cheese and leek sauce over the cauliflower making sure to cover all the florets. Sprinkle the extra grated cheese evenly over the top and scatter the reserved softened leeks over the top as well. Finally, grate some fresh pepper over the top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the sauce is bubbling and golden brown on the top, approximately 20 minutes. Test the cauliflower to make sure it's cooked through by piercing with a sharp pointed knife, cook a little longer if necessary. Serve warm.

CAULIFLOWER, LEEK AND BLUE CHEESE BAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190°C.
• Grease a large casserole dish.
• Cook the cauliflower florets in boiling water for 10 minutes until tender. Drain and set aside.
• Heat oil and cook the leeks for 5 minutes Add garlic, wine and chives and simmer gently until the wine evaporates.
• In a fresh pan melt the butter and and whisk in the flour. Cook for 1 minute to form a smooth paste.
• Remove from heat and gradually stir in the milk while whisking.
• Return to heat and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add fromage frais to the sauce.
• Arrange the leeks and cauliflower in the dish and cover with the sauce. Dot the surface with dolcelatte.
• Combine the breadcrumbs, hazelnuts, paprika and sprinkle over the top.
• Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.

CAULIFLOWER AND LEEK GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a shallow 2-quart baking dish and set aside.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add cauliflower and cook until slightly tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water; transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
• Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add leeks, shallots, red-pepper flakes, and thyme; cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour until well combined. Slowly add milk, stirring constantly, until well combined. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil; let boil 2 to 3 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in 3/4 cups cheese; season with salt and pepper.
• Pour leek mixture over cauliflower mixture and stir until cauliflower is well coated; transfer to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle remaining 3/4 cup cheese over top. Transfer to oven and bake until bubbly, about 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat broiler. Transfer baking dish to broiler; broil until golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Let cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving.