Cauliflower Gratin

Precook the cauliflower

Preheat your oven to 430 °F (220 °C).

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the white wine vinegar and liberally salt the cooking water. Precook the cauliflower florets for 5 minutes. Drain and set them aside.

Prepare the sauce

For the sauce, in a small saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and sweat them for 2-3 minutes. Add the cauliflower stem and trimmings and sweat the mixture for 1-2 more minutes. Add water from the boiling/steaming, bay leaf, thyme, and curry powder. The milk should cover the cauliflower pieces completely. If not, add some more, just enough to cover them. Season the sauce to taste with nutmeg, black pepper, and salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer and let it cook over low heat for about 5 minutes (Beware that milk can easily boil over). Once the cauliflower pieces have lightly softened, transfer the sauce into a blender and puree until smooth. If the sauce turns out too thick for your liking, adjust the consistency by adding more milk. Taste the sauce and add lemon juice to taste. Also add some more salt, if needed.

Assemble and bake the cauliflower gratin

In a large casserole dish, mix the pre-cooked cauliflower florets with the sauce. Sprinkle with cheese and bread crumbs. Bake the gratin in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. For the last minutes of baking, turn on the broiler to lightly brown the top for 3-4 minutes.