Ingredients:
1 quart milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup unbleached flour
1 head cauliflower, small, trimmed flowerlets
Sea salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste
Garnish: minced fresh chives
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Heat the milk to just below the boil.
Make a roux: melt the butter in an ovenproof saucepan and whisk in the flour, stirring continuously for two minutes. Off the heat, pour in the hot milk, return to pan to the heat and cook over medium heat as the béchamel thickens.
Stir in the cauliflower heads and continue heating almost to the simmer. Cover the pan and place in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove the saucepan and puree the soup. Season to taste with salt, pepper. Garnish each serving with minced chives.
