🧀🥦 Cauliflower Gratin with Cheese: A Complete Guide🇫🇷🔥

Cheese lovers, take note ⚠️~ Today, I’m going to introduce a classic French home- cooked dish: Cauliflower Gratin ! 👏

This dish is called Gratin de Chou-fleur in French. It involves blanching cauliflower (broccoli/cauliflower) in water, then tossing it with béchamel sauce and a generous amount of cheese🧀. It's then baked in the oven until golden and crispy. Every bite is filled with the rich aroma of cheese and the smooth texture of cauliflower. It's truly warming and satisfying.🤤

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🛒 Ingredients (Serves 4)

The main ingredient 🥦

• 1 cauliflower (about 800g, cut into small florets)

Béchamel Sauce 🥛

• 40g butter 🧈
• 40g all-purpose flour 🌾
• 500ml milk 🥛
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper 🌑 to taste
• A little nutmeg powder (optional)

Cheese part 🧀

• Gruyère Cheese 100g (shredded, rich nutty flavor)
• Parmesan cheese 40g (grated, savory finish)
• (Optional) 50g Mozzarella cheese, for a more beautiful stringy effect

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👩🍳 Detailed cooking process

1. Prepare the cauliflower

• Cut the cauliflower into small florets and wash them with clean water.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the cauliflower florets for approx. 5–6 min., until tender but still holding its shape.
• Remove from the heat, drain and set aside.

2. Make Béchamel Sauce

• Melt butter in a frying pan over medium heat.
• Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until it becomes a yellow-white paste (approximately 1–2 minutes).
• Slowly add milk in small amounts each time, stirring constantly with a whisk to avoid lumps. 🥛
• Cook until thick, smooth and creamy.
• Season with salt, black pepper, and optionally a pinch of nutmeg.

3. Combination baking tray

• First spread a layer of white sauce in the baking dish.
• Add the cauliflower florets and spread them evenly.
• Pour the remaining white sauce over the cauliflower, making sure every floret is coated.
• Sprinkle with shredded cheese (Gruyère + Parmesan + Mozzarella). 🧀✨

4. Baked, baked, baked!

• Preheat oven to 200°C.
• Place the baking dish in the middle and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the surface is golden brown and the cheese is slightly charred.
• If you want it to be crispier, you can bake it for 2-3 minutes longer at the end.

5. Complete the dish

• Let it cool slightly for 5 minutes after taking it out of the oven so that the cheese is set and easier to cut.
• When serving, sprinkle some fresh herbs (such as chopped parsley 🌿) to add a fresh feel.

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💡 Editor's Tips & Variations

• How to prepare cauliflower : Don’t overcook it as it will need to be baked again. Keeping a slight bite is best.
• The secret to white sauce : add milk slowly and stir while adding, so that it will be smooth and free of lumps.
• Deluxe version : Add diced bacon 🥓, diced ham, or even shredded chicken 🍗 to instantly turn it into a main dish.
• Healthy version : Use low-fat milk + reduced-fat cheese to instantly reduce the calories by half.
• Hong Kong Fusion : Some people replace the white sauce with cream corn sauce 🌽, which makes it sweeter and suitable for children.
• Children's favorite : The stringy cheese after baking is super attractive, and can be cut into small pieces for children to eat as finger food.

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🎉 Summary

Baked cauliflower with cheese is a heartwarming casserole with a golden and crispy outer layer and a smooth and creamy inner layer. The cauliflower is soaked in the flavor of white sauce and cheese, making you feel happy after just one bite. 💖

What I love most about this dish is its versatility: it can be used as an appetizer, a side dish, or even as a main course with added ingredients. It's warm and satisfying in the winter, making it the epitome of comfort food! 🥰