Cauliflower is one of those vegetables you either love or you loathe. One of the brassica family vegetables, I am from the love it camp.
Too many people have just had it very poorly cooked, and this has turned their eaters off of it. Properly cooked, it is a fabulous vegetable. But like any brassica, over cook it and you have created something appallingly horrific to the taste!
There is nothing more distasteful than a limp watery and mushy piece of cabbage, broccoli or cauliflower!!! Crispy tender is the way to go, lightly steamed is better than boiling.
But, if you want a really nice flavor, roasting it is the way to go! When you roast it, you end up with a beautifully cooked vegetable with caramelized edges, crispy tender insides. In short brassica perfection.
In Deb Perelman's book, Smitten Kitchen Every Day, she has a recipe for the Cauliflower Wedge. I was intrigued by it.
Roasted cauliflower wedges, adorned with fried capers and dried currants, plus plenty of parsley. I thought I could do one better though.
I love cauliflower cheese. Tender pieces of cauliflower in a lush cheese sauce, topped with more cheese, and baked until golden brown.
This is a favorite dish of many people and you will find it laid out as a side dish in many carveries in the UK. In fact you can even buy loose frozen cauliflower cheese there. Ready to pour out into a dish and bake.
Its a favorite dish, but I don't always want to go to the trouble of making a cheese sauce. I got to thinking, there has to be an easier way, but one which is just as delicious.
Voila! Roasted Cauliflower Cheese. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
I borrowed Deb's idea of roasting the cauliflower first. You just need to cut your vegetable into wedges, drizzle it with a bit of olive oil, season and roast it in a hot oven.
10 minutes on one side and 10 minutes on the other. At that time it should have begun to beautifully caramelize, but still be crispy tender.
There is a chicken dish I do that is very delicious and very popular, called Chicken Rarebits. Boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced almost all the way through, roasted with cherry tomatoes, topped with cheese, grainy mustard and cream.
It is my absolute favorite chicken dish of all time, and something which the missionaries always loved having when they ate at my house. LOVED!
I would cook a full roasting tray of it and it would disappear every single time. Its just incredibly delicious. The cheese and tomatoes make a beautiful sauce and the chicken always comes out incredibly tender.
I haven't made it since I moved back to Canada. I will have to make it the next time my family comes over for supper. I think they would enjoy it.
I got to thinking today that mixture would also make a fabulous sauce for roasted cauliflower. Why not try it?
Why not indeed! And so I did. I used a medium strength cheddar in a mix of white and orange. I also added some grated Parmesan cheese for some variety.
I mixed that together with a tablespoon of grainy Dijon mustard and some heavy cream. Not a lot.
Then I spooned it over top of the cauliflower after it was roasted and turning golden brown, caramelized in places., and then banged it back into the oven.
Not for long. Just long enough for the cheese to melt into that cream and for the flavors to mingle.
The mixture melting down into all the little nooks, crannies and crevices of that scrumptious caramelized cauliflower.
Crispy tender, golden bits of cauliflower . . . gooey melting cheese with the spark of mustard, and the richness of cream . . .
What a tasty mouthful. What a tasty mouthful. I'm not sure that this could get any better. Not sure at all.
And I am pretty sure you could make a delicious soup with the leftovers, heated gently in some milk along with a bit of potato . . . blitzed until smooth with a stick blender.
Just an idea I might try. I'll let you know how it goes, but I am salivating already.
I garnished it with a bit of chopped green onion for color. Scallions. Spring onions. Whatever you want to call them. It added a spark of green and just a tad bit of sharpness. Bacon bits would also be nice. Just saying . . .
In any case, this turned out really lovely. I really enjoyed it. Its also low carb and gluten free if you are on those types of diets. Delicious is what it is. Just plain delicious. It makes a fabulous side for four or a scrumptious main dish for two.
Roasted Cauliflower Cheese
Yield: 4
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 35 Min
This has to be the easiest cauliflower cheese going. There is no faffing about making a sauce, or anything like that. If you can cut a cauli into four wedges, then you can make this.
Ingredients
- 1 small to medium cauliflower, about 1 1/2 pound in weight
- 4 TBS olive oil
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the cheese:
- 1 cup (235g) grated medium cheddar cheese
- 2 TBS grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 TBS grainy mustard
- 1/4 cup(60ml) cream
You will also need: (optional)
- 1 spring onion, washed, trimmed and minced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450*F/230*C.
- Line a baking tray with sides with some aluminum foil and then drizzle 2 TBS of the olive oil on the tray.
- Trim your cauliflower, removing and discarding any large leaves. Small ones are okay to leave on. Keep the core intact. Cut the cauliflower into 4 even wedges.
- Place the wedges cut side down on the baking tray and drizzle with the remaining 2 TBS of oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Roast in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, until golden brown on the sides touching the tray. Flip over to the other side, season a bit more and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes.
- Stir together both cheeses, the mustard and the cream. Spoon a dollop of this mixture on top of each wedge and return to the oven for a further 8 to 10 minutes, until the cheese has melted and turned golden in a few places, and the cauliflower is crispy tender.
- Sprinkle with the chopped spring onions and serve immediately.
Watermelon & Feta Salad. Just the name sounds delicious to me. If you enjoy watermelon as much as I do, prepare yourself to fall in love because this is one very tasty salad!
I really love watermelon. I probably buy myself some a couple of times a week. I find it to be very refreshing and I really enjoy it.
My sister and I were talking the other day about the Salads at the Superstore. I had bought a fruit and spinach one which I really enjoyed and she had bought a watermelon and feta one which she really enjoyed.
The more she told me about it, the more I wanted to try it. I didn't want to drive all the way to Kingston just for a salad however so I determined to pick up some watermelon here in town and make one for myself.
I pretty much had everything in my fridge to make it. I only had to pick up some watermelon and some mint. And Yay! Today they had fresh mint!
The one she had included red onions. I didn't add any onion to mine. I have a bit of a problem with gastric disease and so I decided to leave the onions out because they have been bothering me lately.
If you don't have a problem with onions, by all means add them. I have sized this salad just to feed one, so judge accordingly. I think one tablespoon of chopped red onion would work fine.
I used 1 cup of cubed watermelon which was just enough for me, and I added some cubed cucumber. I think they are both from the same family or if they are not, they should be.
I had crumbled feta cheese in the refrigerator. I have always thought that feta cheese went really well with Kalamata olives.
But would Kalamata olives go with watermelon. I adore olives of any kind. I tried an olive with a cube of watermelon, bearing in mind that there would be far more watermelon in the salad than olives.
It was fabulous! Very Mediterranean! I decided to add a few halved Kalamata olives, which gave it both color as well as additional texture and a slight meatiness.
Not to mention the olives were slightly salty which works really well with the sweetness of the watermelon.
The cheese is salty too so bonus! I julienned two mint leaves to put into the salad.
Or should I say I cut them chiffonade. Just a fancy name for rolling them into cigars and thinly slicing them. I was thinking baby arugula (rocket) would also go very well in this but I didn't have any.
A squeeze of lime would be fabulous on this, but I didn't have any lime. Instead I created a simple vinaigrette.
Bear in mind both the cucumber and the melon will give off plenty of liquid, so what you are looking for here is basically something which will add a bit of a sharp flavor into the mix.
You don't really need a lot. 1 teaspoon of each did the job perfectly and I seasoned it lightly with salt because both the olies and the cheese are salty. I used sea salt.
I did use plenty of cracked black pepper. I love pepper and it goes really well with fruit. Have you ever tried strawberries with black pepper?
The two are fabulous together. Simply wonderful. And balsamic goes well with strawberries also.
Altogether this was a wonderful salad which I really enjoyed. Do be warned however, it will give off a lot of liquid.
I've had somewhat of an upsetting day today. I had been expecting an order from Amazon yesterday. I had gotten the notice that it was out for delivery.
Around 6 PM I noticed a car parked out front and there was a guy going through the boot of his car and then he started rooting through the back of his car. (Phone in hand.) I thought to myself, there's my package.
He spent quite a lot of time rooting around in his car so I got a really good look at him. I should have taken his photograph, but I just thought my package was arriving.
Then next thing you know he was back into his car, pulled into my drive, backed out and left. I wondered what that was all about, but didn't think much more abou tit.
Then today when I got back from the grocery store there was a sort of squashed package sitting on my doorstep. It felt too light to be the book I had ordered. I brought it inside.
Lo and behold inside was a half eaten pizza, some pizza crusts and loads of used napkins. It was disgusting. I thought to myself what kind of person leaves a half eaten pizza on someone's door step. Especially with Covid, etc. and I know KNOW it wasn't there when I left to go out.
I got buy with other stuff and then it was only later on when I checked my e-mail I noticed that I had one saying my Amazon package had been delivered and there was a photo of it on my doorstep (the photo is supposed to be proof of delivery.)
That cheeky so and so had obviously lost my package and tried to fob off his half eaten lunch as it. I was so upset, so, so, SO upset! I hate dishonesty. I did report it, both to Amazon and to the delivery firm.
But now I am afraid. What if he comes back in the middle of the night and tries to slash the tires on my car? I mean anyone would be that dishonest in the first place is not a nice person.
So anyways, my car will be locked up in my garage from now on just in case. I can't do anything about anything else, but hopefully nothing untoward will happen. Fingers crossed.
So that's my tale for the day. Has anything like this ever happened to you? I hope not!
Anyways, I did enjoy my salad, and I think you will too! 'Til next time!
PS - Did you notice my little watermelon hearts? Cute, but hard to spot!
Watermelon & Feta Salad
Yield: 1
Prep time: 10 MinTotal time: 10 Min
This may seem a bit unusual, but it is extremely delicious. It does need to be eaten right away, but that is so not a problem.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of cubed watermelon
- 2 inch piece of English cucumber, washed and diced
- 2 TBS crumbled Feta Cheese
- 6 Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- fine seas salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 mint leaves, slivered
- Fresh mint to garnish (Optional)
Instructions
- Put the watermelon and cucumber into a bowl. Add the olives, cheese and mint and toss together gently to combine.
- Whisk the vinegar and oil together, seasoning it lightly with the salt and pepper. Drizzle this over the salad, and toss together.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as required. Serve immediately and enjoy.
I think of all the pies in the world, Lemon Pie has to be my absolute favorite kind of pie. I love all pies of course. My whole family is a family of pie lovers.
But if I had to pick one favorite kind it would be a Lemon Pie. In the summer time I favor refrigerated no bake lemon pie recipes.
Recipes like my Old Fashioned Lemon Ice Box Pie, or Lemon Cream Pie are the order of the day. Creamy cool pies that you make with a crumb crust and then just refrigerate.
No fuss no muss. No heating up of the kitchen. Mind you, now that I live on my own, unless I am having company, there is just too much pie for one person in one of those!
I have a healthy appetite, but that's still far too much pie. What to do, what to do . . .
There was nothing for it but to create a small version of a refrigerated lemon pie. One that is perfectly sized for two. I didn't want to use sweetened condensed milk however.
Whilst I do love eagle brand lemon pie, I am quite sure I couldn't find something to do with the remainder of the tin if I made a small batch one of those.
It was time to put on my thinking cap and I think I came up with the perfect solution! This no bake lemon pie recipe is perfectly sized for two, but uses no condensed milk at all, also no cream cheese.
You do need some sour cream and lemon curd however. I don't know about you, but those are two ingredients I always have.
Sour cream and lemon curd are store cupboard staples in my house and I can tell you, in all honesty, I have never ever had to throw any of them away.
They always get used up. Always. You can make your own Lemon Curd of course, if you want to. I do have a recipe for that here, but any good store brand Lemon Curd will work fine. Today I used President's Choice Lemon Curd.
Normally I would use graham cracker crust for this type of pie. I had bought some ginger snaps a while back however to use in something else, and I thought they would make a perfectly delicious crust for this.
Ginger and lemon are perfect flavor partners. The two go together like peas and carrots!
I have a tiny little pyrex pie plate that my sister gave me. Its only six inches across and is the perfect size for this pie.
Don't worry if you don't have one yourself, you can also make this pie in a small 4 inch square casserole dish, or in two ramekins, or large tart tins. All would work well.
The crust is made pretty much the same way as a regular refrigerated graham cracker pie crust. Its just crushed gingersnaps, a tiny bit of sugar and some melted butter. Easy peasy.
Use a nice, snappy, gingery cookie for it. It took 9 of my cookies to give me the right amount. I used the Purity ones. Nice and tasty!
Its a nice and snappy crust. Crisp and gingery. Just pick a gingersnap that you like, a really crisp one and you can't go wrong.
The filling is basically only two ingredients. Yep, two ingredients!
Just the sour cream and the lemon curd. In equal amounts. Whip the sour cream up a bit and then stir in the curd.
Spoon it into the prepared pie shell, and that's it. Done. You do have to chill it overnight so that it sets up nicely, but for me that isn't a problem. Well . . . a problem I can handle at any rate!
It probably sets up a lot sooner than overnight, truth be told, but I left it overnight to be good and sure. It was perfect.
With only two ingredients such as that, you really want to be sure.
And now you are probably wanting to know what you can do with the rest of your lemon curd, eh? Well, I have several perfect solutions for using it up and every one of them incredibly delicious!!
Lemon Curd Drizzle Cake is a good-un. You just bang everything for this easy cake in a food processor and blitz it. Delicious!
Lemon Curd Cookies are another option. Buttery round cookies with lemon curd centers. Fabulous darlings!
Lemon Curd Shortbread Wedges are another option. With a shortbread cookie base, lemon curd filling and cookie crumble on top.
Lemon Curd Muffins. Tasty muffins swirled with lemon curd.
Bread and Butter Pudding with Lemon Curd and Raisins. Another tasty option.
Squidgy Lemon Cake is a real favorite of mine! It is moist and buttery and stogged full of lemon flavour. That is probably because you dollop big drops of lemon curd all over the top of it and then swirl them in with a skewer. Baked, you top it with a lush lemon glaze icing. Delicious!
Topped with dollops of lightly sweetened whipped cream, and sprinkled with chopped candied ginger, this is a pie you are really going to fall in love with.
Lets face it, why should we suffer because we are only one or two people. We deserve delicious lemon treats as well! And this is, plain and simple . . . one very tasty treat!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
Creamy Lemon Pie for Two
Yield: 2
Prep time: 15 Mininactive time: 12 HourTotal time: 12 H & 15 M
With its crisp gingersnap crust and lush creamy filling, this is a pie to please. Tart, sweet, rich, creamy and no bake!
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1/2 cup (60g) gingersnap crumbs
- 1 TBS butter, melted
- 1 tsp sugar
For the filling:
- 1/4 cup (30g) dairy sour cream, full fat
- 1/4 cup (55g) good quality lemon curd
To top:
- 1/4 cup (60g) whipping cream, whipped and lightly sweetened
- 1 TBS finely chopped candied ginger
Instructions
- You will need a small pie tin for this (6 inch) or two individual (6 ounce) ramekins. You also need to let this chill overnight.
- Measure the crumbs, sugar and melted butter into a bowl. Combine well together and then press into your pie tin (or ramekins). Place in the refrigerator to chill for 10 minutes.
- Whisk the sour cream until it fluffs up and then whisk in the lemon curd, combing both together completely. Spoon into the chilled crust, cover with some cling film and then place in the refrigerator to chill over night.
- Whip your cream until stiff with a small amount of sugar. Pipe it into rosettes on top of the pie, or simply spread over top of the pie. Sprinkle with the candied ginger. Serve immediately.
One way of adding additional flavor to your meats, poultry, fish or vegetables is to dress them up with an easy compound butter. Fresh, garlic, herbs, and butter make for fabulous flavors when dolloped on top of your summer grills.
They are also wonderful on hot breads and baking powder biscuits. Lets face it, they are pretty much wonderful any way you serve them!
They are not only delicious, but very easy to make! Its like magic. A few simple ingredients and you are well on your way to creating something incredibly and edibly tasty!
Today I created a delicious Mustard-Chive one to enjoy with my steak. To be honest, I have not had a really great steak since I moved back to Nova Scotia. I sure am going to miss my Butcher in the UK.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
Every single steak I have had here has been riddled with gristle and nasty bits, with the exception of some tenderloin my sister and I went halves on last winter.
On this day it was a top sirloin steak, simply grilled. To be honest, with the exception of the butter, it was not very pleasant eating, and I always cook my beef medium rare. It really shouldn't be tough.
Even my steak knife had a difficult job of sawing through this piece of meat. I have never had a piece of grilling steak curl up on me like that. Simply awful.
That is one thing (amongst many) that the British do right. Steak/Beef. I believe I was well and truly spoiled.
This compound butter saved the day. It was lovely and herby, tasting of fresh chives, which are growing against the back of my wee house.
Also grainy mustard. I used a grainy Dijon. Lovely melting across the meat.
It would have also been very nice on the corn. There is no end really to what you can use a tasty compound butter on.
I have given you a few choices here today, a plethora of wonderful flavors to enjoy on all your summer grills.
Along with the Mustard-Chive there is a lush Blue Cheese Compound Butter. I adore blue cheese.
Can you just imagine how delicious a dollop of that would be melting into the soft cragginess of a baked potato? That is the only version without garlic. Garlic and blue cheese are not a great match, at least not in this.
Another brilliant flavor combination is the Rosemary Parmesan one. Green, woodsy and salty sharp from the cheese.
This would be fabulous spread onto hot and crisp slices of toasted French Bread, or baguettes. Or can you imagine it melted and drizzled over hot popcorn?
Garlic and Herb, with sage, parsley and thyme. Oh boy . . . simply wonderful on grilled chicken and fish.
Or even pan sautéed chicken and fish. Why not try it on steamed asparagus, or green beans?
Anchovies may not be to everyone's taste, but trust me when I say they totally work in a compound butter. Especially if you mash the anchovies so that they meld into the butter.
I can't think of anything this tasty butter wouldn't go with.
Not only are compound butters easy to make and delicious, but they are also very pretty to look at. Rolled into a log/sausage shape and chilled, you can simply slice them into rounds.
A round of a pretty butter looks really beautiful as a garnish on hot things. Almost mesmerizing as you watch it slowly melt into whichever hot surface it touches.
Today I used a melon baller to shape it into small rounds. It really looked very pretty sitting on top of my steak.
I hope you will be inspired to want to try to make some compound butters for your summer grills. A bit of compound butter elevates even the simplest of foods into something really special. I guarantee!
Compound Butters
Yield: Each makes 8 servings
There is not a tastier way to garnish a grilled piece of meat, poultry or fish. These butters also go well on grilled or roasted vegetables.
Ingredients
For Garlic & Herb:
- 1/2 cup (120g) unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 tsp dried sage (2 TBS fresh)
- 1 TBS minced fresh parsley
- 3/4 tsp dried thyme (1 TBS fresh)
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
For Rosemary & Parmesan:
- 1/2 cup (120g) unsalted butter, softened
- 6 TBS finely grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp dried rosemary (4 tsp minced fresh)
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
For Blue Cheese:
- 1/2 cup (120g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (2 ounces) blue cheese, crumbled
For Mustard-Chive:
- 1/2 cup (120g) unsalted butter, softened
- 3 TBS minced fresh chives
- 5 TBS grainy mustard
For anchovy-garlic:
- 1/2 cup (120g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup (about 15 g) minced fresh flat leaf parsley
- 2 anchovy fillets, rinsed and minced
- 1 TBS fresh lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
You will also need:
- fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- For all of the butters, place the softened butter into a bowl and using a fork, whip the butter until it is light and fluffy. Mix in the remaining ingredients, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
- Cover and let rest for ten minutes to meld the flavors, then shape into a log/sausage and wrap tightly in plastic cling film.
- Chill in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can also freeze the log for up to 2 months.
- To use either slice into coins or, scoop into balls using a melon baller. Place on top of the hot food to melt.
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