Unravel The Mysteries of Our Lives

Dinner - Marcaroni Cauliflower Cheese Bake

Sunday, 16 November 2008

Once again we make use of Jamie's cook book to prepare our dinner - Marcaroni Cauliflower Cheese Bake. It's awesomely easy to make and taste wonderful. But we didn't add any cheese because there ain't any in our fridge, if not I think it will be even better. Well heres the pictures..

INGREDIENT (SERVES 4-6)
1/2 a head of cauliflower
200g cheddar cheese
100g parmesan cheese
a bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley
sea salt
400g dried macaroni
200g creme fraiche

DIRECTIONS

Cut the cauliflower head into small florets and halve the thick stalk lengthways, then slice thinly.
Grate the cheddar and parmesan.
Finely chop the parsley stalks and leaves
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and add macaroni and all your cauliflower till cooked.
Place the bowl of cheese over the saucepan and add creme fraiche. carefully sir every so often until the cheese is smooth and melted. if the water boils up beneath the bowl, turn the heat down slightly.
Add all the chopped parsley to the melted cheese and season with a pinch of salt and pepper and put aside in a bowl.
drain the macaroni and reserve the cooking water.
Return the pasta to the pan, pour in melted cheese and stir. It should have a lovely silky consistency, but if it's too thick, you can add a splash of your cooking water to thin it out.
You can either serve the dish as is or finish it under the grill to make it crsipy and golden at the top.
To do this, preheat your grill to a medium to high heat. Add 150ml of reserved cooking water to the macaroni, stir in then transfer to a baking dish. Place under the grill until golden and bubbling.