Ravinder Bhogal’s Cheese Recipes: Cauli Cake, Dauphinoise & Toast | Food

IIt’s hard to resist the charm of cheese. I fall hard for everything; the lactic flavor of a sharp cheddar, the seductive trait of mozzarella, the salty crumble of a pungent pecorino. Cheese doesn’t really need a companion to be spectacular, but many dishes are enhanced by it. Adds texture, warmth, scent. And above all pleasure..

Potato and vegetable dauphinoise with fontina cheese

If you regularly make dauphinoise and potato gratins, it’s worth investing in a mandoline so you can slice your potatoes evenly and thinly. If you can’t find fontina, comte, taleggio, or gruyere, make some great alternatives here.

Prepare 20 mins
Cooked 40 mins
Serve 4

800 g of coarse-textured potatoes (like charlotte), peel and slice very finely
A knob of butter
1 large leekwashed and finely sliced
3 cloves of garlicpeeled and chopped
400 g of winter vegetables (I used a mix of kale, kale and chard), coarsely chopped, stems and all
Sea salt and black pepper
Zest of 1 lemon

For the fontina cheese sauce
75g fontinagrated
50g pecorino or parmesangrated
50 g of unsalted butterdiced
50 g of plain flour
500ml of milk
A generous pinch of grated nutmeg

Heat oven to 220°C (200°C fan)/425°F/gas 7. Simmer the potatoes in boiling salted water for five minutes until just tender; drain.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the leek until soft but not colored, then add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Stir in the vegetables, cover and cook for six to eight minutes, until wilted and the stems have softened a bit. Season, add the lemon zest and set aside.

Meanwhile prepare the sauce. Mix the cheeses in a bowl. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat, then add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for three to four minutes until browned. Gradually whisk in the milk until you have a silky sauce. Heat, stirring, almost to a simmer, then remove from heat. Stir in the nutmeg and two-thirds of the cheese and season to taste.

Place half of the potatoes in a 1.8 liter ovenproof dish and cover with the vegetable mixture. Cover with the remaining potatoes and pour over the sauce. Finish with the rest of the cheese and bake for 25 minutes until golden and fluffy. Serve immediately.

Curry cauliflower cheese cake

This is a love child of a Greek filo pie and cauliflower cheese – definitely the quintessential comfort food.

Prepare 20 mins
Cooked 55 mins
Serve 6

12 sheets of filo pastry
100 g of clarified buttermelted
30 g of flaked almonds

For the stuffing
1 tclarified butter
1 onionpeeled and finely chopped
3 cloves of garlicpeeled and finely chopped
30 g of gingerpeeled and finely grated
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
2 ttable spoon madras curry powder
A pinch of saffron
750 g of cauliflowercut into small florets
Sea salt and black pepper
A large handful of chopped coriander
250 g of feta cheesecoarsely crumbled
the zest of 1 lemon, the juice of ½

For the filling, heat the ghee in a saucepan over medium-low heat, add the onion and saute until soft and starting to brown.

Add the garlic and ginger, fry until fragrant, then add the spice powder and saffron. Stir briefly, then add the cauliflower florets, season and mix well. Add a dash of water, cover and cook for 20-25 minutes or until cauliflower is very tender. Set aside to cool.

Then add the coriander, feta cheese, lemon zest and juice and mix well.

Heat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan)/375°F/gas 5. Brush a filo sheet with melted ghee and place in a cake tin 22cm in diameter and 4cm deep. Repeat with five more sheets, spacing them slightly apart so the plate is evenly covered and the pastry is sticking out.

Spread the filling evenly in the pan, then fold over the protruding dough. Finally, brush the remaining filo sheets with ghee and place them on top of the pie so that the filling is completely covered. Trim the edges of the pastry if necessary and then tuck the ends into the pan, almost as if you were making a bed. Brush the top with more ghee, sprinkle with the almonds and bake for 30 minutes, turning the pan occasionally, until the pastry is golden brown and crispy. Serve immediately.

Chili toast and lime pickles

The lime pickle cuts through the richness of the mozzarella here, which melts into the oozy stroke of your dreams.

Prepare 5 minutes
Cooked 5 minutes
Serve 1

25 g of lime pickles
2 slices of sourdough bread
Butter
25 g of mozzarella, mature cheddar, gruyereall grated
Olive oil

Mash the lime pickle into a paste with a pestle and mortar. Lightly toast two slices of sourdough bread, cool slightly, then spread butter on both sides.

Spread the lime pickle over a slice. Mix in the cheeses and divide between the two slices. Heat a splash of olive oil in a cast iron skillet, for which you have a lid, over medium heat.

Add both slices of bread, cheese side up, then cover with the lid to help the cheese melt. After two minutes, remove the lid and continue frying until the underside of the bread is browned and the cheese is melted.

Carefully and quickly, join the two slices so that all the cheeses are in the centre, then press down gently with a spatula and continue cooking until the cheese has melted and the bread is golden brown: it is best to turn the sandwich every minute or SO. Cut into slices and serve immediately.