Béchamel is a milk-based sauce, thickened with butter and flour. Leaving the flour out, we can keep it paleo ...
Trim the florets from a cauliflower and select the tender leaves from the inside.
Steam the florets until soft, drain off and arrange in an oven-proof dish.
Make up a cheese sauce with milk and cream - this will give the slightly thicker sauce, negating the need for flour. Add in the cheese and this will thicken right up. Cheddar is ideal. Just a touch of nutmeg, too.
Pour over the cauliflower.
Breadcrumbs are often used to provide a final crunch, sprinkled over the top - we can deploy a primal weapon here: bacon!
Sprinkle just a little more cheese over the top and then a good handful of fried bacon pieces. Streaky bacon is best here as the fat content really crisps up and the saltiness works so well with the sauce and soft cauliflower.
Place in a pre-heated oven set to 175C for 20 minutes, or so, until the cheese topping has melted fully and the sauce warmed through.
Cauliflower Cheese is a great dish on its own or as an accompaniment, often as part of the traditional Sunday Roast.
Of course, if dairy is out of your paleo diet then just enjoy a bowl of clean steamed cauliflower with some spice and bacon bits!
