Cauilflower Cheese Bake

This autumnal dish is adapted from The Little Paris Kitchen, a programme I loved and this is the first recipe I've made from the book. Its gluten free but not dairy free, but is definitely tasty and I'm looking forward to playing with different veggie combinations and the lovely bechamel sauce. Rachel Khoo gives the sauce a twist by adding cheese, my own twist is to leave the onion, for extra yumminess.

Makes dinner for 3-4.

The Ingredients 

1.5kg of cauliflower, makes about 1kg of florets 

50g chopped hazelnuts 

1 slice of gluten free bread toasted 

The sauce

30g butter / olive spread

30g gluten free plain flower 

500ml of lactofree milk 

Small onion sliced 

1 bay leaf

Pinch of nutmeg, salt & pepper 

200g grated cheese - whatever you prefer 

The Method 

Toast the bread and let it cool.

Preheat the oven to 180c.

Steam the cauliflower florets for about 15 minutes. 

In the meantime, make the sauce by melting the butter on a medium heat.

Add the flour and stir hard until you have a smooth paste, take it off the heat and leave it to cool for two minutes. 

While off the heat, add the milk gradually, stirring constantly. Put it back on the heat with the onion, bay leaf, salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Leave it to cool until the cauliflower is done. 

Stir 3/4 of the cheese into the sauce, and mix in with the cauliflower. And spoon it into two medium sized pie dishes. 

Crumbly up the toast and sprinkle on top of the cauliflower along with the cheese and the hazelnuts. 

Bake for 15-20 minutes and then 4-5 minutes under the grill for extra crunch. 

It also tastes good cold the next day, if you don't feel like sharing too much of it :)