Making a thick and creamy cheese sauce to coat cauliflower is the dream for fans of this dish, though it’s easier said than done.

Debbie, a cooking maestro from Proper Foodie suggested that the cooking technique of the cauliflower is paramount for achieving that sought-after, luscious consistency.

Contrary to popular belief where excessive milk gets the rap for a disappointing sauce, Debbie points the finger at the water content in the vegetables themselves.

She warned: “Cauliflower cheese can go watery if the cauliflower is overcooked. Overcooked cauliflower releases water, which will seep into the rest of the dish.”

Debbie continued: “So even if your sauce was thick when it went in the oven, if it’s in there too long, the water from the cauliflower will cause it to go watery.”

To sidestep such a mishap with your creation, Debbie proposes capping the oven time to an optimal 20 to 25 minutes to preserve that perfect creamy texture.

If you’re concerned that your dish isn’t browning sufficiently, don’t hesitate to whip it out of the oven and give it a quick blast under the grill for a minute or two on high heat.

Mastering the roux is key to nailing that rich, creamy base for the dish. There are several tricks to ensure you get the perfect consistency every time.

The culinary expert from Proper Foodie divulged: “This paste is the starting point for making the cheese sauce. Many recipes say to use equal amounts of butter and flour, but I prefer to use slightly less butter, to give a thicker roux and to stop any excess butter from forming on top of the finished sauce.”

It’s also crucial to keep the whisk moving constantly while preparing the roux, especially when incorporating the milk into the mix of flour and butter. Cease stirring for even a moment, and you risk the formation of lumps that stubbornly resist later attempts to smooth them out.

Debbie pointed out: “You can also remove the pan from the heat as you need to if you feel it’s getting too hot or if you can’t stir fast enough to stop lumps forming.”

Should a skin develop on your sauce, an effective trick is to lay a sheet of cling film directly on the sauce’s surface immediately after removing it from the heat. When it’s time to add the sauce to your cauliflower, simply peel off the cling film, scrape any adhered sauce back into the pan, and proceed with your recipe.

Cauliflower cheese recipe

Ingredients

• 20g butter
• 30g plain flour
• 250ml milk
• 50g cheddar cheese, grated
• One medium cauliflower with the leaves removed, cut into florets
• 30g cheddar for the topping
• Black pepper
• Fresh chopped parsley

Method

First, make the roux. Simply heat a dash of butter in a saucepan over a medium flame. As it liquifies, blend in the 30g of flour to create the thickening base (the roux).

Transform this into a lusciously “full-flavoured” and “silky smooth” white sauce by incrementally pouring in milk whilst persistently heating and stirring.

Reduce the stove’s heat to a gentle simmer before combining 50g of cheese, stirring it constantly until it’s perfectly melded into the sauce. Arrange the cauliflower florets in an eight-inch ovenproof dish and drench them with your homemade sauce.

Crown the dish with an extra sprinkle of cheese then pop it into a preheated oven at 180C for 15 minutes to brown. Check the consistency of the cauliflower with a fork. If resistance is felt, give it more time to bake.