Cauliflower Cheese with Thyme and a side of Grocer

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I am pretty sure every one is going to love this Cauliflower Cheese with Thyme. I am not going to make a cheese sauce for this, well not your standard one anyway.

I used to whip up a cheese sauce and steam those cauliflowers before baking the whole lot in the oven but not this time. I am pretty sure that once upon a life-time ago nobody roasted their cauliflower either but things have changed. I love it roasted, its nutty and holds some of its texture. I also wanted to make it this way because it is an easy Gluten free way to make Cauliflower Cheese.

Start with a Cauliflower.

I picked this beauty up at Kareela Grocer, in Southern Sydney this weekend. John the manager pointed them out, saying they are the best buy this week. I love an independent grocer you can always find someone to help you.

Brothers, sisters, son’s, daughters, nephews and uncles, this business is a family thing. Don’t you love that?

Paul Moraitis likes to let everyone know he has been loving the fruit and vegetables business for 34 years now.  Don’t think he has been biding his time stacking the oranges though, along with other family members he’s built an enormous Australia wide wholesale business. This store though is a special place, it is close to the original family store of all those years ago and they get to continue that family kind of atmosphere where you still know the customers that come in.

All that history makes me feel safe. I know I’m going to get good fruit and vegetables and good advise too. Somehow I always want advise. I love to know where the vegetables are from and hear stories about the growers. Maybe there was too much rain last week or  maybe too much sun.  As a city slicker, it makes me feel good to know.  Try asking questions in a supermarket.

There’s everything I could want here in fact, the whole back section is dedicated to everything I want. Cheese, meats, herbs, breads, eggs, I want to buy all of it as usual.

But today, I have to sidestep that section because I have come in for new season vegetables. It’s Saturday morning and the flower section is being refilled with the colours of the rainbow bursting from buckets and vases. They are housed in a specially built area, jostling each other for attention under the spotlights. You can get fresh squeezed juice too, over at the counter that’s stocked with chocolate strawberries the size of saucers.

What an excellent adventure.

These guys practise what they preach, they’re part of the local community, they look after their customers not only in the shop but outside it too. They pack up baskets and boxes and donate them to local raffles for schools and sporting clubs.  They also sponsor and support heaps of other teams too. Miranda Bombers AFL season sponsorship, with voucher giveaways for prizes weekly, Joeys Soccer team, Michael Tynan Memorial fund raiser,  Cronulla school holiday academy  and Cronulla rowing club. They have done well and share it back.

I first noticed Kareela Grocer after they were nominated as a finalist at the Fresh Awards in 3 categories . Retail Presentation, Best medium Business and Greengrocer of the year. It’s taken me till this weekend to pay them a visit and it was well worth it. I wont wait as long before next visit.

Watch the video here too, Cauliflower Cheese with Thyme, Gluten Free is simple.

Cauliflower Cheese with Thyme, Gluten free

Print Recipe

This is an easy and quick way to make Cauliflower Cheese. It has all the lashings of tasty cheese without the gluten. The texture of the Cauliflower is extra good in this nice baked version

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Rating: 4.67
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Servings 6

Ingredients

Unit:MetricUS Imperial

• 1 kg cauliflower cleaned and chopped
• 200 gm Cheese sharp cheddar grated
• 250 ml cream
• 40 gm cornflour 2 tablespoons
• 150 gm onion diced
• 2 tablespoon Thyme fresh chopped ( use 2 teaspoons dried)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 30 gm butter
• 60 ml olive oil
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C or 350 F for this
2. You will need a baking dish approximately 30 x 22 cm or 12 x 9 in
3. Make sure your cheese is grated and onions and herbs chopped.
4. Put the chopped Cauliflower into your baking dish and toss and mix it with the cornflour to coat the cauliflower evenly. Set aside.
5. Heat a small pot on the stovetop and add the Olive oil and butter. Melt it together on medium then add the onion. Cook without colouring on a medium to low heat, till starting to soften.
6. Add the thyme and cook a minute more.
7. Add the cream and stir till just heated.
8. Add 3/4 of the cheese ( reserve some for the top). Stir well till just starting to simmer. add salt and pepper and pour over the cauliflower and cornflour mixture stirring well to combine.
9. Cover the top with the remaining cheese and the sesame seeds.
10. Bake for 50 minutes to an hour depending on your oven. Bake till golden and the cauliflower is tender.

Recipe Notes

Dont be tempted to leave out the cornflour. The cauliflower sheds a lot of liquid in this recipe and needs to cornflour to thicken it.
This recipe has been tried and tested MULTIPLE times.

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