Fill a large pan with water and season with a little pinch of salt. Then add the cauliflower and place the pan over medium-high heat.

Blanch the cauliflower for 5 to 6 minutes until a little softer but still crunchy. Drain the blanched cauliflower well (or the sauce will become a little watery later on) and add it to a baking dish. Let it cool a little. In the meantime add the unsalted butter to a medium saucepan.

Place this over medium heat and let the butter melt gently. Then add the plain flour.

Stir the flour and butter well until you get a sticky paste. Let it bake gently for 2 minutes to get rid of the floury flavor. Stir regularly and keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn. Season with a pinch of pepper, salt and nutmeg. Then pour in a little splash of the warm milk.

Stir well. Now gradually add extra drops of the milk little by little until all of the milk is incorporated.

Let the sauce cook for a couple of minutes until it starts to thicken a little. Check the seasoning and add extra pepper, salt or nutmeg to taste if necessary. Then pour the hot white sauce over the blanched cauliflower.

Sprinkle with the grated parmesan cheese and the dried thyme.

Pop the dish under a preheated grill and brown the cauliflower for a couple of minutes until the white sauce and grated cheese is nicely golden brown. Remove the cauliflower and pelt it cool for a couple of minutes. Then serve warm.