For the lovely Kellie, here is the recipe for the lovely, soul warming cauliflower cheese pies. These little bundles are perfect on a rainy miserable afternoon. Cauliflower cheese from the 1980’s has probably scarred many people. However wrapped in a thin flaky pastry, these handheld pies will convert the critics. Poaching the cauliflower in stock really adds a richness to the flavour.
This is a beautiful recipe to experiment with an interesting cheese: I used gouda, but gruyere or blue cheese would also be delicious. If you don’t have parsley on hand, use thyme or oregano. It is a flexible recipe that you can adapt and mould to suit what is on hand.
I served them hot English mustard, but a bright tomato relish would be beautiful here too.
Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 x brown onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 x cauliflower, broken into florets
- 1 tsp vegetable stock
- 1 litre water
- 1 x bay leaf
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1/3 cup milk
- 2 cups grated cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 handful chopped parsley
- 2 sheets shortcrust pastry
- 1 x egg beaten
- Sesame seeds to sprinkle
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan, and gently saute the onion and garlic until soft and translucent. Add the cauliflower florets, vegetable stock and water. Add the bay leaf and bring to a simmer for 15 minutes or until the cauliflower is soft but still holds its shape. Drain the cauliflower, reserving the liquid for later and leave aside for later.
Melt the butter until it is starting to froth, add the flour and gently whisk in the milk. Add two tablespoons of the reserved cooking liquid from the cauliflower and whisk it through. Remove from the heat and gently mix through the grated cheese, allowing it to melt through the sauce. Season the sauce and add the cooked cauliflower florets and parsley. Mix together and leave aside to cool a little.
Roll out your sheets of shortcrust pastry and cut 12 circles from the dough, approximately 9cm in diameter. Get each little circle and roll it until it has doubled in size and is approximately 3mm thick. Put a spoonful of cauliflower mixture on one half of the circle. Fold the other half of the pastry circle over the top making a half moon shape and seal with a fork. Brush the top of the half moon with egg wash and sprinkle wiht sesame seeds. Repeat with the remaining circles.
Bake in the oven for half an hour, or until flaky, golden and delicious. Serve, with a warning. The insides are HOT!
