Description
A side dish, or on its own everyone's favorite!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 cauliflower broken into florets
- 3 tablespoons/ 1 1/2 oz/40gms butter
- 4 tablespoons / 2 oz/50gms flour
- 1 1/2 cups milk/ 3/4 pint/375mls
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard - this is optional for you but is included in French method and is delicious.
- 1 1/2 tablespoons / 6 oz grated Swiss cheese (or any hard cheese)
- Pinch of nutmeg
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare your oven by preheating it to 350°F/177°C/Gas 3
- Prepare your gratin dish or shallow baking dish by lightly brushing it with butter.
- Cook your cauliflower florets in slightly salted boiling water for about six minutes until just tender but not sloppy! You can also steam them if preferred for about ten minutes.
- Now to make the sauce. Melt the butter in a heavy based saucepan over a low heat.
- Add the flour and cook until golden. Some people use a wooden spoon for this - I prefer to use a balloon whisk and stir gently. This way I get no lumps! Stir constantly.
- Pour in about half of the milk, stirring constantly to prevent lumps forming and it will be lovely and smooth.
- Stir in the remaining milk, then the bay leaf. Stir constantly.
- Season with salt and pepper and nutmeg to your taste - literally, taste it at this stage.
- Reduce the heat and simmer and stir for a few minutes.
- Remove from the heat for the next part.
- Remove the bay leaf.
- Add the mustard and half of the grated cheese and stir until melted.
- Place the cauliflower florets in your dish and pour over the cheese sauce sprinkle the remainder of the cheese on top.
- Bake for about fifteen to twenty minutes until golden brown.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: side dish
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: French