Indulgent Macaroni Cauliflower Cheese with Truffle Oil

I love Macaroni Cheese and Cauliflower Cheese and so combining the two makes an even more sense.  Adding the truffle oil to this dish makes it even richer and I think it works a treat. Serve as an extravagant side dish with a roast. Or, as a main course suggestion,  serve it with some baked tomatoes and fresh rocket. 

Ingredients, which serves 6 people:

1 Cauliflower, broken into fleurettes (I think that's what they're called)

300g Macaroni

100g Mature Cheddar, Grated to go on the top

150g cream cheese. I used Quark on this occasion

1 table spoon of horseradish

3 teaspoons Truffle Oil

Seasoning: Salt, Pepper and Nutmeg

For the cheese sauce:

75g butter

3 tablespoons of plain flour

2 pints of milk

200g Mature Cheddar, Grated

Method:

First make your cheese sauce and let it cool on the side.

Cheese Sauce:

1. Melt your butter in a non stick pan. 

2. Whilst still on a low heat, stir in the flour so that you have a smooth paste. 

3. Gradually add your milk

4. Then add your grated cheese and season well with Salt, Pepper and Nutmeg.

5. Stirring regularly, bring the sauce to the boil until it thickens.

6. Once it's done, cover with cling-film (so that it doesn't form a crust on the top) and let it cool, ready to pour over your macaroni and cauliflower.

Then cook the Macaroni and Cauliflower. Cook the pasta for 3 minutes less than it says on the packet. The cauliflower only needs about 4 minutes cooking, so add your cauliflower pieces to the pasta water 4 minutes before the pasta should finish cooking (probably about half way through).

Drain in a colander and pour over cold water so that the pasta and cauliflower do not continue cooking. Once cold, place the pasta and cauliflower in a large baking dish.

To the dish, add your horseradish, truffle oil, cream cheese and seasoning of salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir everything together.

Then pour over your cold cheese sauce mix and make sure it's stirred in evenly and top with your 100g of grated cheddar. 

Bake for 40-45 minutes on 180 degrees centigrade until golden brown on top. Once cooked, let it stand for 5 minutes before serving.