At its simplest, this works beautifully as an accompanying dish — rich, comforting and familiar in spirit. Treated with a little more care and layered thoughtfully, it becomes a confident, multi-textured main course. And with a few refinements, it can be pushed further into something lighter and more precise, delivering real wow factor without losing its generosity.

The foundation remains the same throughout: finely sliced cauliflower, slowly cooked in a rarebit-style sauce until tender and deeply flavoured. From there, how far you take it is a matter of intent rather than difficulty.

Think of it loosely as a cauliflower cheese — but one with far more depth, contrast and dimension than the version most of us grew up with. Soft, savoury cauliflower sits against crisp crumbs, sharp capers, warm spices and bitter notes from burnt butter. It’s comforting, but never flat.

What follows shows three ways of serving the same dish — as a side, as a layered main, or as a more refined plated course. Choose the version that fits the moment, the time you have, and the impression you want to make.

You can start by mastering the technique in its simplest form and then once you’re comfortable with the elements, build on it.

The recipes

Ingredients

Cauliflower

• 1 large cauliflower
• Fine sea salt

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Welsh Rarebit Base (Start Here)

This is the same base for all three versions.
What changes is how loose it is, and how it’s used.

Ingredients

• 35g unsalted butter
• 20g plain flour
• 350–450ml whole milk (see variations)
• 160g cheese, finely grated
  (a smoked cheese works particularly well)
• 3 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 garlic clove, very finely grated
• White pepper, black pepper and nutmeg, to taste

Method

1. Melt the butter gently in a saucepan.
2. Stir in the flour and cook for 1–2 minutes without colouring.
3. Gradually whisk in the milk, keeping the sauce loose and smooth.
4. Remove from the heat and add:
   • cheese, a little at a time
   • Worcestershire
   • Dijon
   • garlic
5. Stick-blend until completely smooth.
6. Season lightly with white pepper and nutmeg.

At this point, decide how you want to use it.

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Prepare the Cauliflower (Applies to All Versions)

1. Slice the cauliflower very finely (2–3mm), cutting through the stem so each slice holds together.
2. Lightly salt and leave for 10 minutes.
3. Pat dry.

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Variation 1

Baked Rarebit Cauliflower

(Side dish or generous main)

Milk: ~350ml
Texture: Like light single cream — fluid, not thick.

Method

1. Fold the cauliflower slices through the sauce, ensuring everything is well coated.
2. Transfer to a shallow ovenproof or cast-iron dish.
3. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 100°C for 45–60 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender but still holds its shape.
4. Remove the foil, increase the oven to 220°C (or grill), and finish until lightly coloured.

Attention

• If the sauce feels heavy before baking, it will be claggy after.
• Too thick → add a splash of warm milk and re-blend.
• Too thin → add a little more cheese, not flour.

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Variation 2

Plated Main Course with Loose Rarebit Sauce

Milk: ~400ml
Texture: Silky and fluid, but cohesive — it should move as one on the plate.

Method

1. Cook the cauliflower gently in the sauce as above, but keep the sauce looser.
2. Spoon or pour the sauce around or under the cauliflower when plating.

Suggested Garnishes

• Hazelnut & caper crumb
• Beurre noisette–roasted cauliflower florets with nutmeg
• Extra capers
• Pickled cauliflower (anise & Worcestershire)
• Crushed toasted hazelnuts
• Shaved truffle
• Golden raisin purée (late harvest Riesling)

Attention

• The sauce should coat a spoon, then drip easily.
• If it tightens as it cools, loosen gently with warm milk and re-blend.

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Variation 3

Refined Plated Version with Rarebit Foam

Milk: 450ml or more
Texture before siphon: Looser than single cream — closer to pouring cream.

Method

1. Make the rarebit base using the higher milk quantity.
2. Stick-blend thoroughly.
3. Pass through a fine sieve — this is essential.
4. Transfer to a siphon.
5. Charge with two N₂O cartridges, shaking well between each.

Serving

Use the foam in place of the baked sauce, alongside the same garnishes as Variation 2.

Attention

• If it won’t pass through the siphon, it’s too thick.
• If the foam tastes thin, add more cheese, blend again, and re-strain.
• The foam should be savoury, light, and glossy — not airy and empty.

Keep warm at around 60°C and test before serving.

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Core Principle (All Versions)

• We don’t want thick.
• We do want silky.
• The sauce should always feel like it’s holding itself together, not being propped up.

Rarebit shouldn’t feel like a coating — it should feel like part of the ingredient.

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