“Curried Cauliflower Soup” from “MOB 6”

Patterns can be beautiful. Patterns can also become self-fulfilling. In cookbooks, if you make several recipes in a row that you love/hate/feel indifferent about, it’s likely that your opinion will be fully formed and difficult to shift.

I have written before how our conclusion, “It was fine, it fed us,” is damning with faint praise. It’s not a triumph, nor is it a disaster. It was exactly as we said– fine. We’re not going to rush out and make it again, but we didn’t throw it in the trash, either.

This soup firmly goes into the “Fine, It Fed Us” category. It tasted okay, but we weren’t rushing to have seconds. It reminded us both of a good cauliflower curry, and then we talked about how we’d probably like that more.

This was the second “Fine, It Fed Us” dish from the cookbook. As the saying goes, “One is a point, two is a line, three is a pattern.” So we’ll wait with bated breath for the next recipe. If it’s great, terrific. Another win for MOB. But if it’s another “Fine, It Fed Us” dish? I think we’ll know how we feel about this cookbook.

“Creamy Cauliflower Galette” from “Sweet Enough”

This is perhaps one of the more surprising recipes in the book. Surprising because the more observant of you will notice that this is not, in fact, a dessert. It’s not sweet. It’s not even Sweet Enough. It’s a savoury pie/galette, but it made it into the cookbook just the same.

Alison makes no apologies for this, and in fat said she was happy to include a few savoury recipes in a dessert cookbook. Frankly, it’s her book, so she can do what she wants. Particularly when it turns out this delicious.

First, a note on the pie crust recipe. Over the years, I’ve made countless pie crusts. Many people find them tricky, but I don’t. I suppose it’s the 10,000 hours theory at work: I’ve learned a few things because I’ve made so many. I can unreservedly recommend Alison’s pie crust recipe. The directions were clear, and it ended up being flaky, which is key. I definitely will be using the recipe again.

As to the cauliflower filling, it too was great. It reminded us all of cauliflower cheese, in the best way. It was cheesy, with a mountain of cauliflower in the middle (so much so that I was relieved that it had shrunk while baking because the mountain was so big.)

However, I learned a very important lesson here that I want to share with everyone first. In fact, it’s something that Alison has repeatedly said but I didn’t, to my shame, pay much attention to. The lesson is this: ALWAYS READ ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE RECIPE SO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE GETTING INTO.

I didn’t, so when I put dinner in the oven I thought it needed only 20 minutes of baking, when in fact it needed closer to an hour. This meant we had a very Continental Dinner (TM) and ate after 9 pm. One of the perks of having adult children is that we can do that and no one will be scarred for life.

So friends, listen to me: ALWAYS read through. I will, from here on out.

“No Waste Whole Cauliflower and Macaroni Cheese” from “Cook As You Are”

Ah, January. We’ve reached peak Cheesy Comfort Food Season. One of the best seasons of all. The sky might be grey, the Christmas bills might be due and we might all be sick of taking lateral flow tests, but the sadness any of those things might evoke can easily be erased by a Cheesy Comfort Food dinner. Like this dish.

The thing that makes this recipe different from all the other cauliflower macaroni and cheese recipes I’ve made was the use of absolutely all of the the cauliflower. Not one bit was wasted (other than the very end of the stem, which looked dodgy, and one part of the leaves, which had discoloured). Although I’ve consistently cut up the stalk to go with the florets when I make cauliflower, I had not idea that you could also eat all of the leaves, including the ribs, with the right preparation.

Be aware, however, that all the prep means this macaroni and cheese takes longer to make than your standard macaroni and cheese, but it’s worth it. At a time when we’re trying to lessen our food waste and make a lighter impact on the world, it’s good to be able to use up the entire head of cauliflower, leaves and all.

I know I’ve tested several cauliflower macaroni and cheese recipes for this blog, so I took an enjoyable dive into the archives to revisit the other ones I’ve made. In 2012, I made this cauliflower macaroni and cheese from Gordon Ramsay, and we very much enjoyed it. In 2011, I nearly had a nervous breakdown making three courses from Jamie Oliver’s 30 Minute Meals, and one of those courses was a variation on this dish. I know that we liked it, but I also had a harsh flashback to the cleanup after making anything from that cookbook. Would not recommend (the cookbook, the recipe in particular, and the cleanup involved). Almost 10 years ago exactly, I made another macaroni cheese, although without cauliflower, which was good, but did not supplant our favourite version from the New York Times. It’s funny to note that all of these recipes were tested in the month of January. It truly is peak Cheesy Comfort Food Season.

“Cauliflower Soup” from “A Cook’s Book”

Soup Season has arrived! Huzzah!

I mean, sure, the official seasons are autumn, winter, spring, summer, but if we were going to classify them in a culinary way, the seasons could be soup, roasts, salad and barbecue.

We are now firmly in soup season, and I, for one, am thrilled. I love a good bowl of hearty soup.

This was a fairly standard cauliflower soup recipe with the addition of cheese toasties on top, which, frankly, yum. I was surprised that Nigel, who does not shy away from the use of double cream, didn’t recommend it here, but in all honesty, it didn’t really need it. (It wouldn’t go amiss as a type of accent on top, though, which is what I did.)

Nigel has several recipes for excellent soups here, which surely will come in handy as Soup Season steams ahead.

“Cauliflower Cheese” from “The Magic Fridge”

Cauliflower cheese is a decidedly British dish, and one, I have to say, I fell in love with nearly 20 years ago when I arrived here and never stopped loving. One look at this search of Cookbook a Month archives will show you how much we love cauliflower cheese and variations thereof. It’s a winner.

For this recipe, you start by making the cheese sauce. If you’re at all nervous about making a roux– the foundation of all good cheese sauces– the directions here are clear and helpful. Also– and I would fail as a reviewer if I didn’t mention this– it produced the best cheese sauce I’ve ever had in my life. Honestly. It’s not as if this recipe is all that different from any other cheese sauce I’ve ever made, but there was something about it that made it special. It evoked strong memories of dining in Paris for me and I couldn’t stop stealing spoonfuls of it while I went about making the rest of dinner.

Once the cheese sauce is done (or if you’re following the philosophy of The Magic Fridge and you’ve taken it out of your refrigerator), you then get on with the cauliflower cheese portion of it. Another great tip out of this was to boil the cauliflower and then roast it for a short amount of time. This step prevented the cauliflower from softening too much and also gave it a bit of a nutty flavour. This was genius. An extra step, to be sure, but worth it.

Magic Fridge Cauliflower Cheese: For The Win.

“Parmesan Roast Chicken with Cauliflower and Thyme” from “Simple”

If I ever had to pick a perfect supper, this would certainly make the list.

• Tray bake? Check.
• Chicken? Check.
• Cauliflower? Check.
• Cheese? Check.
• Easy? Check.
• Delicious? Check.
• Everyone likes it? Check.

See what I mean? The perfect supper.

This is not to say that I haven’t made a variation of this a million times before. But the reason I’ve made something similar a million times before is because of all the points listed above. It’s a good time of year to have this, as well (though it’s good any time of year, to be honest), as the days become shorter and cold weather begins to descend.

We followed the alternative directions and used gruyere instead of parmesan, but that made it seem all the more like cauliflower cheese, another winning dish.

Would I make this again? Obviously. Why mess with success?

If you’d like to make this yourself, here’s the recipe, as it first appeared in the Daily Telegraph.

“Tikka Masala Roast Chicken” and “Roasted Cauliflower with Curry and Lime” from “It’s All Easy”

Tom: Since I am the only one eating the skin, I think I am the chief beneficiary of this recipe.

Kirstin: Are you enjoying it?

Ella: It is a bird. I like it.

Lee (Kirstin’s mother): It’s very good!

Miles: I haven’t tasted it yet.

Ella: Yeah, you really should get chicken it out to see how it tastes.

Miles: Eggscellent.

Tom: I’m sorry Ella. I know you want to make terrible jokes about this food, but I’m simply not going to poulet that game.

Miles: What’s poulet?

Me: It’s chicken in french.

Miles: What’s chicken in german?

“Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Whipped Goat Cheese” from “Food52 Genius Recipes”

As soon as I saw this recipe listed in “Genius Recipes,” I knew I wanted to try it. I am a sucker for cauliflower.

Usually when I make cauliflower, I toss it in olive oil, add some salt and pepper and then roast it for about 20 minutes (covered in foil so the small florets won’t burn.) It’s a winner every time, especially for Sunday roasts.

For this recipe, you don’t separate out the florets, which can be a boring and laborious job. Instead, you roast the cauliflower whole after you’ve poached it. While it’s poaching and roasting, you make the whipped goat cheese. Your vegan friends can opt out of using the whipped goat cheese, which gives more for everyone else to enjoy. (It’s also great on toasted multi-seed bread the next day.)

I am not sure the picture does it justice. It looks simply magnificent when you take it out of the oven.

This is the sort of dish that would be perfect for a dinner party, as who wouldn’t be impressed with such a glorious sight as a whole head of cauliflower, tinged brown from roasting. I’d recommend cutting it into wedges at the dinner table; a modern take on the classic Norman Rockwell image of carving a turkey at the table.

One caveat: you should watch the amount of chilli flakes you use. The recipe calls for one tablespoon– or to taste. If you’re making this for less robust palates, I’d recommend using a lot less than one tablespoon. Both of the boys found this far too spicy with the one tablespoon of chilli flakes I used.

Would I make this again? Absolutely.

Want to give this a try? I’d recommend it. Click through this paragraph to find the recipe on Food52.

“Cauliflower and Potato Curry” from “Deliciously Ella”

I won’t bury the lede here. We liked it!

I have to say I was surprised. I’m a bit dubious about this whole book, which is why I’m struggling to find recipes that I want to make. But as it was Meat Free Monday, I thought I would look again through the book hoping to find something that would work for last night’s dinner. And I did.

After making the Veggie Lasagna where herbs and spices were completely absent (and would have gone a long way to making that dish better), this dish went completely in the other direction, with a combined 12 tablespoons of spices, along with garlic and jalapeno peppers. Lest you worry that’s a lot of flavouring, it all gets absorbed in the chopped tomatoes and coconut milk in which the vegetables cook.

Our only criticism of this dish was there were too many potatoes. We all felt it was mostly a potato dish, with the other ingredients fighting for attention. The next time I make it, I’ll only use about 750g of them (or 12 charlotte potatoes), but I’ll also double the amount of cauliflower I use.

Also it has to be said for the less experienced cook that the instructions are a bit vague at times. What exactly does a “generous amount of olive oil” mean? I guessed, but I’m still not sure I had it right, and you could quite easily use too much olive oil and then end up with a greasy curry.

We enjoyed it. It scored an average 7/10 – Would Eat Again from the table. I’m including the recipe below for those who would like to make it.

A few notes from my experience:

-As I said above, I would cut down on the number of potatoes, though that comes down to personal preference. I would also double the amount of cauliflower.

-I threw caution to the wind and cut the potatoes down into chunks before I par-boiled them. It saved me time in the long run, as I didn’t have to wait for them to be cool enough to handle and I could just get on with the next step right away. They held up fine.

-We all put some Greek yogurt on top to lessen the sting of all the spaces.

-Before you start, check the supply levels on the spices that it calls for. Three tablespoons takes about half of a standard-sized spice jar.

-Ella recommends that you have it with brown rice. We were rebels and we had white rice instead. We like to live life on the edge.

“Cauliflower Cake” from “Plenty More”

Maureen: I’ve been intrigued by this recipe for as long as I’ve had the book. It’s cauliflower cake for Meat Free Monday today.

Nicholas (11): What? Cake made of cauliflower? That sounds strange.

Maureen: It’s not actually cake like we think of cake. It’s more of a frittata, with lots of eggs, cheese and some cauliflower thrown in for good measure. What do you think?

Andrew (15): The flavour combination is interesting.

Maureen: Is that good interesting? Or bad interesting?

Andrew (considering): It’s good interesting, actually. I like it.

Tim: I’m not so sure about the texture.

Maureen: What do you mean?

Tim: It seems a bit strange.

Maureen: Does that mean you don’t like it?

Tim: If you made it, I would eat it, but I wouldn’t ask for you to make it, if you see what I mean.

Maureen: Hardly a ringing endorsement. What do you think Nicholas?

Nicholas: I’m with Dad. I’m not so sure about it.

Maureen: I like it. I’m with Andrew. I think it’s interesting. But then again, I am a big cauliflower fan, so maybe that’s part of it. So it’s a mixed result tonight.

If you would like to make this yourself, click through this link to find the recipe in the Guardian. I’m with Ottolenghi when he says it’s even better the next day. I just had some for lunch and it was delicious.