Cauliflower Gratin with Gruyere Bechamel

What you need

• 800 g (28 oz) cauliflower florets, from 1 medium head, cut into even pieces
• 40 g (3 tbsp) butter, plus a little for the dish
• 25 g (3 tbsp) all-purpose flour
• 400 ml (1 2/3 cups) whole milk, warm
• 80 g (3 oz) gruyere, grated, divided
• 1 pinch nutmeg, freshly grated
• salt, for the water and the sauce
• black pepper, freshly ground, to taste

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Heat the oven to 200 °C (400 °F) and butter a 20 x 25 cm (8 x 10 in) gratin dish.

2. 2

   Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the florets and cook until a knife slides in with slight resistance, 6-8 min.

3. 3

   Drain the florets thoroughly and leave them in the colander to steam dry for 5 min. Wet cauliflower thins the sauce.

4. 4

   Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1-2 min, until foamy and pale gold.

5. 5

   Pour in the warm milk a little at a time, whisking constantly to keep the sauce smooth.

6. 6

   Simmer, still whisking, until the sauce thickly coats the back of a spoon, 4-5 min.

7. 7

   Take the pan off the heat. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, then stir in half the gruyere.

8. 8

   Arrange the florets in the dish in one snug layer and pour the sauce over them.

9. 9

   Scatter the remaining gruyere on top.

10. 10

    Bake until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden brown, 20-25 min. For a darker crust, finish under the grill for 2-3 min.

11. 11

    Let stand for 5 min and serve hot from the dish.

Imported from giallozafferano.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.