Method

• 1.
  Place the ceps in a small bowl and pour over 150ml hot water. Leave to soak while you deal with other matters.
• 2.
  Place the reserved cauliflower trimmings, including the stem and leaves, in a large saucepan pan and pour over the milk. Add the parsley stalks and bay leaves. Place the pan on a medium heat, bring up to the simmer and immediately turn off the heat. Let the milk infuse for a while.
• 3.
  Place another large frypan on a medium heat. Add 25g of the butter and, when it’s melted and bubbling away, add the onion and garlic, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Gently fry, stirring regularly for 10-15 minutes, until onion is nice and caramelised.
• 4.
  Meanwhile, drain the ceps, reserving the soaking liquid.
• 5.
  When the onion is ready, add the cauliflower florets along with the rehydrated ceps. Stir to combine, turn up the heat a little and fry for 6-8 minutes, until cauliflower has softened. (Make sure you stir everything regularly so it cooks evenly.) Add the chopped parsley leaves and season well with salt and pepper.
• 6.
  Heat the oven to 200°C.
• 7.
  Melt the remaining 75g butter in another large saucepan over a medium heat. When it’s melted and bubbling, stir in the flour. Reduce the heat to medium- low and cook gently for a minute or so, then pour half the infused milk through a sieve into the pan.
• 8.
  Use a whisk to mix the sauce vigorously, then sieve in the remaining milk, along with the mushroom soaking liquid (don’t add the very last few drops, though, as the dregs can be gritty) and whisk again for 5 minutes.
• 9.
  Add all but a handful of the cheese to the sauce and stir it in well to melt. Taste, and season with salt and plenty of black pepper.
• 10.
  Pour the sauce over the cauliflower and give it a good mix. Spoon out the mixture into a large ovenproof dish or roasting pan and give it a shake to level it out. Scatter over the breadcrumbs and the remaining cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling away and the breadcrumbs are golden, crisp and crunchy.