London Has Sticky Buns

After over one hundred trips to England I got to know some really good tea and bake shops.  While the British are not known for fine cuisine, their baked goods and their baked potatoes are really tasty.  I have eaten many piping hot baked potatoes after covering a flea marked or antiques fair.  The spud not only warmed the inside but it soothed icy cold hands as well. My most memorable ones were outside in the cold after the Birmingham flea market and at the Newark flea market which was held in the cold and in the extreme heat...no matter the weather the baked potato was a good thing.  The locals layered everything tasty on the fluffy white bed...slaw, cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, chives, bacon--no end to the ideas when it came to jacket potatoes.

Tea with Bea is a new recipe book from Bea's of Bloomsbury published in 2011. I got the same cozy feel as I used to get entering a British tea room or bakery. Usually a small area housed sticky buns, spice cakes, lemon tarts, almond cherry muffins, scones, and dense slices of fragrant goodness. (I never saw too many pies as we know them.) I really liked the dense loaf cakes which kept for days and seemed to be more moist with each passing day. I guess the best high tea that I had with friends at Harrods in London was the most memorable but the ones in New Orleans at Windsor Court were very nice memories as well. I wish, however, there were more savory items rather than all the sweets offered both places. I learned to love trifles as well and make them for almost all entertaining endeavors here at the house.

On a new note, I love cauliflower and try to put it in many things such as potato salad. Today, in the Cook's Corner from the Columbus Dispatch is a recipe for cauliflower mac 'n' cheese. That sounds so good to me! Let's try it.

Cauliflower mac 'n' cheese:

Non stick cooking pray in an 8 inch baking dish. Oven at 375
1 large head cauliflower cut into small florets
salt
1 cup heavy cream
2 ounces cream cheese
1 1/4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Cook cauliflower in a large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender. Drain well and PAT DRY with paper towels. (These florets hold so much water.)
Meanwhile, place cream in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a simmer.
Whisk in cream cheese and mustard until smooth. Stir in 1 1/2 cups cheese, pepper, garlic powder and salt to taste until cheese melts.
 Pour over cauliflower. Stir to coat. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake until browned and bubbly, about 15 minutes.