Say “Cheese!”

Smothered in sharp, melty cheese and a tangy mustard sauce, this Cheesy Cauliflower Supreme is a sure-fire way to make anybody happy to eat their vegetables!

When I was a small child, my mother once hosted a Tupperware party. I don’t really remember much about it, but I remember being greatly impressed when the sales lady showcased how to cook this Cheesy Cauliflower Supreme in our microwave. (The first one we ever owned, and still a pretty new thing at the time.)

Of course, she utilized a large, sturdy, microwaveable bowl with a deep lid / tray. Inverted, it was just perfect for cooking a head of cauliflower, and must have impressed my mother, too, because she bought one, along with its matching oval twin. (The oval one was, incidentally, perfect for cooking a whole chicken. I was not nearly as impressed by this, probably owing to the corpse-like pallor of the finished product — which no amount of cosmetic paprika could quite disguise.)

I should state for the record that these did, in fact, prove to be worth whatever inflated price my mother no doubt paid for them, as evidenced by the fact that she’s still using them on a regular basis thirty-plus years later.

“Cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education.” — Mark Twain

Since I am not fortunate enough to own my own ancient and sacred cauliflower-cooking-vessel, I improvise by cooking my head of cauliflower on a microwaveable plate with my eight-cup Pyrex mixing pitcher inverted over the top of it. If you do not own one, then two things: 1. You need to buy one. Stat. They are seriously handy to have around. And, 2. You can, instead, use a microwaveable bowl and a couple of oven mitts. This set-up may not be elegant, but it gets the job done.

A cauliflower by any other name…

Incidentally, the name, “Cheesy Cauliflower Supreme” is my own invention, as I don’t remember what, if anything, Tupperware-lady called it. And it didn’t seem right to go with “Cheesy Bwainz,” as my daughters always called it when they were little.

So, without further ado, let’s introduce our simple cast of characters:

Now, simply wash and trim up your head of cauliflower, and place it on your microwaveable plate. Cover it with your Pyrex pitcher (or bowl) like so:

Microwave on high for 8 – 12 minutes depending on the size of your cauliflower, and how powerful your microwave is.

Meanwhile, mix together 1/2 cup of mayonnaise with 3 tsp of mustard until it forms a creamy sauce. Shred 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Set aside.

When the cauliflower is tender, remove from microwave (caution: plate may be hot!), and remove pitcher — taking extreme care not to get steam burns!

Immediately slather prepared sauce all over cauliflower and top with the entire 1 cup pile of shredded cheddar. Place pitcher back over cauliflower, and allow to stand a few minutes until cheese is melted.

As you can see, Cheesy Cauliflower Supreme is fast and easy enough for everyday, and elegant enough for a fancy “company” dinner. And, if you’re a cheese addict like me, it’s a great way to cheese up an otherwise cheese-less dinner. Now you can enjoy cruciferous vegetable night like never before!

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