Ingredients:
2 whole medium sized cauliflowers,
2 tablespoons white vinegar,
40 gr butter,
50 gr flour,
500 ml milk,
1 saffron sachet,
Salt,
Freshly ground pepper,
200gr grated Gruyere,
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs.
Preparation:
Cut the head of the cauliflowers into florets of the same size, remove stem and discard.
Wash thoroughly yet gently the floret. Place them in a bowl, cover them with water and add the white vinegar. Stir well. Soak for 5 minutes, then drain.
Fill a large pan with cold water. Place the florets and bring the water to a boil and reduce the heat to medium-high, cook for about 15-20 minutes. The cauliflower should be fork-tender but still firm. Drain well set aside.
Prepare the béchamel sauce, in a saucepan melt the butter over medium-low and make sure not to burn the butter. Once melted add the flour and stir to form a paste. Keep stirring manually with a whisk for a couple of minutes. Add 1/3 of the milk to dilute the paste, add the remaining milk while constantly stirring for about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and keep stirring to make sure that the béchamel does not burn. Once you have reached a nice creamy consistency add the saffron and season with salt and pepper. Stir well. Let the sauce rest for a couple of minutes.
In the meantime grease a casserole dish and spread all the cauliflower florets. Spread ladles of the saffron béchamel sauce to cover the cauliflower. In a bowl mix the grated gruyere with the breadcrumbs and sprinkle evenly over the béchamel. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 200°c until you get a nice golden crust. Remove from the oven and let it rest for at least 5 minutes. Serve warm.
For 4 persons.
Style: Mediterranean.
Difficulty: Medium.
Preparation time: 40 minutes.
Cooking time: 55 minutes.
