A wellington makes a great centrepiece for a celebration. This one, in which the more traditional beef is swapped for a whole cauliflower, is the stuff of golden, buttery, flaky pastry fantasies. Roasting the cauliflower first, until it’s browned and a little caramelised, only adds to its delicious flavour. Serve with ladlefuls of the silky cheese sauce, and the carnivores are bound to have food envy.
Whole roast cauliflower wellington with cheese sauce
Prep 20 min
Chill 30 min
Cook 1 hr 30 min
Serves 6
1 large cauliflower, outer leaves removed, stem trimmed
Sea salt and black pepper
Olive oil, for drizzling
2 sheets 325g ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry
2 eggs, beaten
Picked thyme leaves, to decorate
Finely grated pecorino, to serve (optional)
For the filling
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled and very finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and very finely chopped
1 tbsp picked thyme
250g chestnut mushrooms, blitzed to a fine crumble
150g cooked chestnuts, blitzed to a fine crumble
200g good-quality ricotta
1 handful chervil or parsley, very finely chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
Nutmeg
For the cheese sauce
50g butter
50g plain flour
½ tsp mustard powder
500ml milk
100g gruyere, grated
50g parmesan, finely grated
Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4. Put the cauliflower on a roasting tray, season with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and roast for 30 minutes, until tender but still holding its shape. Leave to cool while you make the filling.
Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a wide pan and saute the onions until softened. Add the garlic and thyme, cook until fragrant, then tumble in the mushrooms and cook until golden and the pan looks dry. Add the chestnuts, cook for another few minutes, then take off the heat and leave to cool.
In a bowl, beat the ricotta until smooth, then add the herbs, lemon zest and cooled mushroom mix. Season generously, grate in the nutmeg and stir to combine.
Roll out one pastry sheet and put the cooled cauliflower on top. Spread the mushroom mix all over the cauliflower (avoiding the base), then brush a ring of egg wash around the cauliflower base (to help the two sheets join). Cover with the other sheet of puff pastry, and smooth down from the top down, making sure there are no air pockets and tucking in the cauliflower tightly, leaving a 2cm border at the base.
Trim the excess off both pastry sheets, then reroll the scraps into a 3mm-thick sheet. Use a cutter to stamp out leaves, then plaster them all over the wellington; alternatively, if you are feeling fancy, use a sharp knife to make a series of 2cm slits in staggered rows, 1cm apart. Gently pull the pastry so the slits open and a lattice pattern reveals itself. Egg-wash the pastry covering the cauliflower, then drape the lattice on top. Seal all around the border with the back of a fork, remove any excess pastry, then egg wash the lattice and stick thyme leaves in each lattice cove. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Turn on the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6 and bake the wellington for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.
Meanwhile, make the cheese sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan on a high heat, add the flour and mustard powder, and cook until golden brown and sandy. Gradually add the milk, whisking well after each addition, then add both cheeses and stir until melted. Season well.
To serve, carve the cauliflower into slices and spoon over the hot cheese sauce. Grate over some pecorino, if you like.
