Level up your wine and cheese night with these expert recommendations

Cauliflower cheese, caper and raisin

Serves four people

Ingredients

For the roasted cauliflower florets:

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Pinch of salt

For the cauliflower cheese sauce:

• ½ head of cauliflower or the leftover trim from preparing the cauliflower florets
• 300ml milk
• 200g of grated Hegarty’s cheddar (or any strong cheddar)
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 egg yolk

For the caper and raisin puree:

• 200g golden raisins
• 100g sugar
• 100ml sherry vinegar
• 50g capers

For the caper and raisin dressing:

• 50g bloomed raisins (made when making puree)
• 50g capers
• 1 diced banana shallot
• 100ml olive oil
• 20ml sherry vinegar
• 1 pinch salt

Method

• Chop cauliflower into florets or bite-size pieces with 3-4 per portion.
• Retain any trim from cauliflower and leftovers after preparing your florets.
• Place the cauliflower leftovers/trim into a pot, pour in the milk and turn on a low simmer.
• Simmer for about 15 minutes until the cauliflower is completely soft.
• Strain the cauliflower and add to a blender (a Nutribullet works perfectly), then add the cheese, mustard and egg yolk and blend to a thick, silky puree. Leave to the side.
• In another pot, add the sugar and sherry vinegar and bring to a boil. Add the raisins until they have plumped up and take out 50g of raisins for your dressing later.
• Add the capers to the pot and blend with the remaining raisin mix to make a smooth puree.
• In a bowl, add the 50g bloomed raisins, capers, diced shallot, sherry vinegar and olive oil to a bowl and mix.

To finish

• Turn on your grill to high heat.
• In a pan, heat the olive oil and add the cauliflower to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes until golden brown and then flip the cauliflower over to show the brown side.
• Spoon the cheese puree over the roasted cauliflower and cook under the grill until brown and crispy.
• Place the caper and raisin puree around a plate followed by the roasted cauliflower cheese and then spoon the dressing over the dish and serve.

We asked wine connaisseur Brigid O’Hora (aka Brideys Wine Chats) to recommend the perfect wine pairing for this delicious recipe, and she did not let us down. Here’s what she had to say…

Aussuli Grillo, ‘Fiordiligi’ DOC 2022

Grillo is a native grape to Sicily. This particular wine is made from Grillo grapes that are left to bake in the Sicilian sun, with the addition of volcanic soils that keep the acidity lively and fresh.

Tropical fruits like pineapple and mango are partnered with baked lemon acidity that is perfect for cleansing the palate after a bite of the rich cheesy cauliflower. The ripe tropical fruits also contrast beautifully well with the subtle nutty hints of the cauliflower.

Grillo is a wonderful alternative to Sauvignon and is bountifully ripe to partner with this exquisite dish.