Cauliflower Gratin Recipe

Cook the leeks:

• Melt butter on medium heat in a medium sized saucepan. Add the sliced leeks and gently cook until completely softened, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Lightly steam the cauliflower:

• While the leeks are cooking, place cauliflower florets in a steamer basket in a saucepan over an inch of water. Bring water to a boil, cover, and steam the cauliflower for 3 to 4 minutes.
• The steaming should just take the rawness out of the cauliflower, but not cook it so much that it is tender.
• You want the cauliflower at this stage to be al dente. Remove strainer and cauliflower from hot pan and set aside.
• Make roux with butter, leeks, flour, add milk: Add 2 Tbsp of flour to the leeks and butter. Stir and let cook for a minute or two. Slowly add the milk, stirring as you add it to break up any lumps. Bring to a low simmer and continue to stir as the sauce thickens.
• Stir in cheese, thyme, nutmeg, salt: Once the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, stir in 3 ounces of the shredded cheese (reserving the rest of the cheese for the topping), the thyme, nutmeg, and salt.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Pour sauce over cauliflower in gratin dish: Spread a teaspoon of butter over the insides of a 2-quart gratin dish. Place the lightly steamed cauliflower florets in an even layer in the dish. Pour the leek and cheese sauce over the cauliflower. Top with remaining cheese.
• Bake at 400°F for 25 minutes.

Toast breadcrumbs:

• While the gratin is baking, melt 1 Tbsp of butter in a small sauté pan on medium high heat. Add the fresh breadcrumbs and toast in the melted butter for 4 to 5 minutes, until lightly browned.
• Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and a sprinkling of pepper. Remove from heat.
• Top gratin with toasted breadcrumbs and bake: After the gratin has baked for 25 minutes, remove it from the oven.
• Sprinkle toasted breadcrumbs over the top and return to the oven. Bake for 5 more minutes.