Cornish Yarg Cauliflower Cheese Recipe | A Proper Cornish Bake

Cornish Yarg Cauliflower Cheese — From Elowen's Kitchen

Cornish Yarg is made by Lynher Dairies at Ponsanooth, near Penryn. It is a semi-hard cheese wrapped in nettle leaves that give it a distinctive grey-green rind and a subtle earthy flavour beneath the creamy interior. It melts beautifully, which makes it ideal for a béchamel-based sauce.

This recipe uses Yarg as the primary cheese with a little mature Cornish Cheddar for sharpness. The result is a cauliflower cheese that is richer and more complex than the standard version, with a golden, slightly chewy crust on top.

Ingredients (serves 4-6 as a side, 2-3 as a main)

1 large cauliflower (about 1kg), broken into florets Salt for blanching

For the sauce: 50g salted Cornish butter 50g plain flour 600ml whole milk, warm 200g Cornish Yarg, rind removed and grated 80g mature Cornish Cheddar, grated 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard Freshly grated nutmeg Sea salt and white pepper

For the topping: 50g Cornish Cheddar, grated 40g fresh breadcrumbs 1 tablespoon melted butter

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan).

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the cauliflower florets and blanch for 4-5 minutes until just tender but still with some bite. Drain very well and pat dry with kitchen paper — excess water will make the sauce watery.

Make the béchamel: melt the butter in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes — this cooks out the raw flour taste. Gradually add the warm milk, whisking continuously until smooth. Cook over a low heat, stirring often, for 5-6 minutes until the sauce has thickened and coats the back of a spoon.

Remove from the heat. Add the Yarg and Cheddar and stir until melted. Add the mustard, a generous grating of nutmeg, salt and white pepper. Taste and adjust.

Arrange the cauliflower in a large ovenproof dish. Pour the cheese sauce over evenly.

Mix the topping breadcrumbs with the extra Cheddar and melted butter and scatter over the top.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden and bubbling with the topping well-browned. Leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Elowen's Tips

Drying the blanched cauliflower thoroughly is non-negotiable. Wet cauliflower makes the sauce pool at the bottom and the topping goes soggy instead of crisp.

Cornish Yarg is available from good delis and farm shops across Cornwall — Stable Yard Deli in Redruth, Gear Farm Shop near St Martin, and Truro Farmers Market. If you can't find it, a young Cornish Gouda or Gruyère works as a substitute though the flavour will be different.

For a more substantial main, add sliced cooked bacon between the cauliflower layers, or stir in a handful of frozen peas with the sauce just before pouring.

This reheats well — cover with foil and warm at 160°C for 20 minutes.

For Your Event?

Cornish Yarg cauliflower cheese features in our seasonal buffet menus. Salt Wind Catering sources local Cornish cheese for our event menus wherever possible. Call 01209 206255 to discuss your event catering.