Instructions: First, steam a small cauliflower. Then put it in a saucepan with some butter and brown it lightly, breaking it up into little pieces as it cooks. Season with salt and black pepper. Put it in a mixer and beat it into a paste, then add two egg yolks and three or four tablespoons of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

Make a bechemel sauce by heating two tablespoons of butter and two of flour in a small saucepan and cooking gently for a couple of minutes. Add a cup of hot milk, cook a bit more, and stir until smooth.

Mix the bechamel sauce and cauliflower paste and mix gently until well blended. Butter a square pan and put the cauliflower mixture into the pan, smoothing the top. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes at 400 F (205 C). Let the flan cool and gently invert it onto a plate or cutting board and cut it into slices. Separately, gently melt some cheese in a double-boiler. Ms. Trevisan says the choice of cheese is up to you, but mentions several cows-milk cheeses that are Piedmont specialties that will create different effects - Castelmagno

(a creamy blue cheese), Fontina (a delicate white cheese, well appreciated for its melting qualities), Raschera (a semi-soft ivory cheese) and Gorgonzola

(another blue that is known around the world).

Put a slice of flan in each dish and cover it with a spoonful of the melted cheese. Serve immediately.

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