Cauliflower au gratin (Coliflor gratinada)

"Coliflor gratinada" is great as a tapa or as a side dish to complement meats. My family tradition was/is to serve it on Christmas. Children love it because it has the creaminess of the béchamel and the softness of the cauliflower. The only person I know who didn't like it as a child was my older brother, Javier. Well, I hope he likes it now.

Ingredients:

the florets of 1 cauliflower

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour

4 cups hot milk

salt

1 teaspoon nutmeg

parmesan cheese (optional)

Boil the cauliflower with a pinch of salt until tender, remove carefully from the water and strain it.

For the béchamel:

In a sauce pan, put the butter to melt. While it's melting, be careful not to burn the butter. Afterwards, add the flour and stir it. When it is mixed, start adding the hot milk little by little, always stirring it. Add the salt and nutmeg, keep stirring until it thickens, or until it is the consistency that you like.

Put the florets on an ovenproof plater, add the béchamel on top of the cauliflower, add a few thin slices of butter, parmesan cheese (optional), and put it into the broiler until it browns.