Asparagus, Mushroom And Tomato Bake With Seasoned Cheese Sauce - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 lb asparagus, trimmed
2 portabella mushrooms, cleaned
3 -4 tomatoes, quartered
olive oil, for drizzling
sea salt
For the Seasoned Cheese Sauce
1 whole clove
1 bay leaf
1 small onion
2 cups milk, I use skimmed
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional)
1 cup cream (optional)
salt and pepper

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 F degrees. Cover a baking pan or cookie sheet with foil (for easy cleanup).
Drizzle the olive oil over the mushrooms and asparagus and gently toss to coat them.
Put the mushrooms in the center of the pan; arrange the asparagus on both sides of the mushrooms with tips pointing in both directions on both sides of the mushrooms; reserve the tomatoes at this point.
Bake the mushrooms and asparagus in the oven for about 15-20 minutes.
Scatter the tomatoes over top of asparagus; drizzling a touch of olive oil over the top of the tomatoes.
Sprinkle a touch of sea salt over top of tomatoes and asparagus and bake for approximately another 10 minutes. Make sure to check your asparagus and mushrooms to desired tenderness.
For the sauce:
Pour the milk into a medium sized saucepan.
Make an 'ornament' with the onion, bay leaf and clove by using the clove to pierce the bay leaf and then poke the bay leaf into the onion; add your 'ornament' to the milk in the saucepan.
Warm the milk gently over low heat, to infuse the flavors, until it just begins to boil; cover and let rest for about 15 minutes or so while you follow the next step.
In another medium saucepan melt the butter over low heat; mix in the flour and cook for a couple of minutes stirring constantly.
Add the milk to the butter/flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time; cook and stir until all the milk has been added.
For a stronger flavor in your sauce you can add the onion from the milk mixture at this point.
Cook over low heat until thick, about 20-25 minutes; stirring occasionally so it doesn't burn on the bottom.
Once the sauce has thickened remove the onion, and add salt and pepper to taste; leaving the sauce over very low heat.
Stir in the cream (if using) to give a silky texture to the sauce. You don't have to use it all depending on the thickness of your sauce; keeping in mind the cheese will also thicken the sauce further.
Add the mustard and cheese to the sauce until the cheese is melted; BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO LET BOIL!. The cheese will separate and it will not look appealing.
Drizzle the Cheese Sauce over top of the baked vegetables and serve.