Cauliflower Gratin

5 from 1 vote

Cauliflower gratin is tender, roasted cauli florets blanketed in a velvet sauce that is bubbling, oozy and rich with cheese.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1 30

Total Time1 45

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: European

Keyword: cauliflower gratin

Servings: people

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Break the cauliflower head into florets while keeping pretty large chunks and arrange on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt, roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or till slightly charred but still has a bite to it. Remove from the oven and set aside.
While the cauliflower is roasting, make the mornay sauce. Melt the butter in a large pan or a saucepan and add the chopped onion to it, sauté over low heat for 10 minutes without colouring it, then add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds longer.
Stir in the flour and continue cooking while stirring until it smells a bit nutty, now pour in the whole milk while stirring with a whisk to avoid lumps, add the nutmeg and a pinch of salt and cook over low heat for 10 minutes stirring once in a while until the sauce thickens and coats a spoon. Now blend it with an immersion blender for a silky smooth sauce or leave it as it is. Stir in all but 1/2 cup of grated cheese and stir over low heat till blended. Then slowly blend in the white wine if you are into that delicious Swiss fondue taste. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Butter a shallow baking dish ( or you can bake it in the same skillet you made the sauce in) and add the roasted cauliflower, then pour the sauce over it, scatter the reserved cheese all over and cook in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.