Cauliflower cheese belongs to those winter dishes that reward good seasoning. Mustard finds its place naturally here: stirred into the béchamel, it brings the acidity and character that wake the vegetable up. Moutarde de Meaux® Pommery® adds its whole seeds, which you find again beneath the gratinated crust with every spoonful.
Serves: 4 • Prep: 15 minutes • Cooking: 40 minutes • Difficulty: easy
Ingredients
2 tablespoons Moutarde de Meaux® Pommery®
1 large cauliflower (about 1 kg)
50 g butter, plus a knob for the dish
40 g plain flour
500 ml whole milk
120 g grated Comté or Gruyère
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
Nutmeg, coarse salt, fine salt, freshly ground pepper
Method
Break it down. Cut the cauliflower into even, medium-sized florets, so they cook at the same rate.
Blanch. Drop the florets into a large pan of well-salted boiling water and give them 8 minutes. The cauliflower stays firm to the point of a knife and will finish cooking in the oven.
Drain and dry. Drain immediately and let the florets air-dry for around ten minutes in the colander: the gratin comes out all the creamier.
The roux. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour all at once and stir for 2 minutes over medium heat without letting it colour.
The béchamel. Add the cold milk in three additions, whisking hard, then let it thicken for 5 minutes over low heat. Season with salt, pepper and grated nutmeg.
Mustard and cheese. Off the heat, stir in the Moutarde de Meaux® Pommery® and two thirds of the grated cheese. The sauce should not boil again after this.
Assemble. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Arrange the florets in a buttered dish, coat with the sauce, working it down between them, then scatter over the remaining cheese mixed with the breadcrumbs.
Bake. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until deeply golden and bubbling at the edges. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.
💡 Perfect pairing: This gratin stands alone as a supper dish, and works just as well alongside a pork roast brushed with Pommery® Honey Mustard before roasting.
Our tips for a perfect cauliflower gratin
Eight minutes of blanching. That is the timing that leaves the cauliflower enough body to finish in the oven while holding its shape.
Dry the florets. Ten minutes in the open air, and the béchamel coats them far better.
A slightly thicker béchamel. The vegetable will release a little more water in the oven, so it is worth planning for.
Breadcrumbs on top. Mixed with the cheese, they give the crisp crust that makes the whole pleasure of a gratin.
Our cauliflower cheese with Moutarde de Meaux® Pommery®
This cauliflower cheese recipe turns a simple winter vegetable into a generous dish with real character. The mustard béchamel brings the acidity that wakes the cauliflower up, along with a fine depth of flavour. Made at the gates of Meaux by the Chamois family, Moutarde de Meaux® Pommery® gives this wholegrain mustard cauliflower gratin its recognisable grainy texture. Explore our Pommery® old-fashioned mustards.
