Roasted Cauliflower

[sammy]

I know this dish had been covered elsewhere but I think it deserves its own thread. We've really enjoyed this dish since the Heartlanders had it for their big gathering.

We recently had a few friends over for dinner and had them taste the cauliflower blindfolded and asked them to guess what it was. Three of the four said french fries. The fourth had no idea.

Try this at home. It definitely tastes like French Fries, really good ones at that.

[Ling]

Sounds delicious. I think I saw the recipe in the archive. I'll make it this week.

Does brocolli taste as good as cauliflower when roasted? I'm guessing it won't be as sweet.

Edited November 10, 2003 by Ling (log)

[bloviatrix]

I came to roasting cauliflower last winter. Wow. I've always liked cauliflower, but the roasting brought it to a whole new level of taste. I have to check the recipe out on the archive. Thanks for the heads up.

[Varmint]

My father (who's 71) has hated cauliflower his entire life -- until I served him this, of course! It was a miracle, and I'm thankful for small miracles such as this.

[Anna N]

I have done the roasted cauliflower many times and have loved it but recently, in my reading and I just cannot remember where, I came across "pan-roasted" cauliflower. I could not find the piece I had read so I cut up a cauli - taking just the flowerets and making sure they were all about the same size, put a nice film of EVOO into a non-stick skillet, added the cauli, and tossed it about until it started to brown, added a couple of tablespoons of water, put the lid on and steamed for about 10 mins, removed the lid and continued to pan roast until tender and well browned - tossed with some coarse salt - equally delicious - just another take on the idea.

[Varmint]

I have done the roasted cauliflower many times and have loved it but recently, in my reading and I just cannot remember where, I came across "pan-roasted" cauliflower. I could not find the piece I had read so I cut up a cauli - taking just the flowerets and making sure they were all about the same size, put a nice film of EVOO into a non-stick skillet, added the cauli, and tossed it about until it started to brown, added a couple of tablespoons of water, put the lid on and steamed for about 10 mins, removed the lid and continued to pan roast until tender and well browned - tossed with some coarse salt - equally delicious - just another take on the idea.

Do the same using butter rather than EVOO. It's really, really, good.

[Rachel Perlow]

Does brocolli taste as good as cauliflower when roasted? I'm guessing it won't be as sweet.

I just did roasted broccoli last night. It is about 80% as good as the roasted cauliflower. Which isn't bad by any means. Instead of just OO, salt & pepper, I added a few cloves of minced garlic (since I like broccoli and garlic go well together). I'll have to try it some time w/out the garlic too.

[Al_Dente]

This may have to go on the Thanksgiving menu. I looked at the recipe, sounds like you'd end up with a lot of itsy bitsy pieces. Is it the surface area that gives it a kind of deep-fried addictiveness?

Anyone try any variations?

[ronnie_suburban]

Anyone try any variations?

I've done a few batches adding ground cumin (from seeds I toasted) and I've also done it sprinkled with the rub I usually use on my ribs. Both ways it turned out great. I'm sure it'd be great with some fresh-squeezed lemon juice too...I'll try to work that in next time.

=R=

[Rachel Perlow]

We served it last year at Thanksgiving. Slice some carrots thin on the diagonal, roast separately (different cooking times, but just a different pan, it can go in the oven at the same time ), and mix with the cauliflower for visual interest. I served with tahini sauce on the side (in a bottle, so people could drizzle it over).

[wannabechef]

Question to everyone - after reading this thread today I just had to make this. I tossed the cauliflower in olive oil salt and pepper and then roasted them for 20 min @ 400. They were delicious but not exactly what I was expecting from the descriptions here.

Do you guys get them to come out crunchy? Mine never really made it to that stage. I left them in for a while longer but to get really dark they needed almost 35-40 minutes. And then a bunch of them were burned. Also, i found that i had to keep flipping them because the bottoms were getting burned from touching the hot baking tray.

Am I doing sometihng wrong? It seems that cooking them at a lower heat and slower would yield crunchier veggies. Anyone try that?

Thanks!

~WB

[Jason Perlow]

We incorporated it into a pasta dish tonight:

[Huevos del Toro]

I did a couple of mini-heads today for my compadres at the American Legion. Rest assured these people are pretty much meat and potatoes people. I wouldn't reveal what I was doing back in the kitchen. It took the better part of 40 minutes to get it to the browned stage. I used only S&P and OO. I also served it with little cups of Tahini. A few said it was OK, even good. Some said it tasted like hash browns (bad? No!).

I'd do it again but cut them a little thicker. They tended to begin falling apart with the turning and re-arranging. I can certainly see how it can be so addicting. I ended up eating most of it myself! GET AWAY, DAMMIT! IT'S MINE!

Next I'm going to do some grated Brussels sprouts!

And to think these are some of the vegetables I loathed as a child. Go figure!

[bloviatrix]

....I ended up eating most of it myself! GET AWAY, DAMMIT! IT'S MINE!

Next I'm going to do some grated Brussels sprouts!

And to think these are some of the vegetables I loathed as a child. Go figure!

Isn't amazing how good vegetables can taste if you prepare them properly? Blovie and I frequently comment that if our moms had known how to cook the vegies back when we were kids we would have actually enjoyed eating them.

[SobaAddict70]

want to take the taste of roasted cauliflower to a whole new level?

Try this:

Roast a head of cauliflower as normal. When done, let cool and reserve a small portion. Chop remaining cauliflower coarsely and set aside. Slice reserved cauliflower thinly.

Saute onions and shallots in unsalted butter. Add thinly sliced leeks, diced carrot and diced potato (optional; one potato should do the trick). Cook until leeks are translucent. Add cauliflower, cook for an additional one to two minutes.

Add chicken stock; adjust seasoning. Simmer for five to ten minutes, take off heat and let cool. Working in batches, puree soup in a blender or food processor and return to pot. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for an additional three to five minutes. Remove from heat.

Add light cream or creme fraiche, stir until incorporated. Adjust seasoning.

Assembly:

Ladle soup into shallow soup bowls, top each bowl with thinly sliced reserved roasted cauliflower and a spoonful of caviar. Serve immediately.

Soba

[hwilson41]

Like a lot of eGers, I'm sure, I often read cookbooks like most folks read novels, and frankly, if I ran across this recipe while reading a cookbook, my initial reaction would be "Yeah, right! You've gotta be kidding me." . But there are a lot of opinions on this board that I respect who say otherwise, so I'm going to try it. Just one more benefit of hanging out at eGullet. Sometimes you find out you're not quite as smart as you thought you were .

THW

[mamster]

Soba, I can't wait to try that. Do you start by roasting the head whole?

[Stone]

Soba -- I tried a simple puree of roasted cauliflower recently. I think you need to be careful that it doesn't get too brown. Mine did, and the end result didn't look nearly as good as it tasted.

[fifi]

Sometimes you find out you're not quite as smart as you thought you were .

I can identify with that.

Likewise, I would not have thought this recipe remarkable but, given the reports from this esteemed group, I will now try it. New Year's day maybe.

[SobaAddict70]

Mamster and others: You can use all parts of the cauliflower for the soup, but I would recommend not using any part that's too brown or black. When I make the soup, I usually use those parts that aren't overly brown. You can if you want to, the cream is meant to lighten the resulting soup. Potato gives it a bit of body, the addition of carrots lends a bit of color.

Mamster: Yes, I usually roast a whole head.

It's not remarkable in the sense that it's a "wow" recipe. But I like the taste of roasted cauliflower enough that I'm continually tweaking it to see if it can be carried over to other dishes in entirely new forms. A variation that I sometimes use is to introduce warm Indian spices in the step before addition of the leeks and carrot -- you want to add a hint of a flavor, one that accents the cauliflower rather than overwhelming it. Another variation is to whisk crab roe butter along with the cream into the resulting soup. Yet another variation omits the caviar -- finish the thinly sliced cauliflower in some almond butter, and use that to garnish the soup.

Soba

PS. Jason's pasta LOOKS amazing.

[memesuze]

One variation is to toss the florets with melted unsalted butter, then toss with a bit of sugar, salt, pepper, sweet paprika, hot paprika, and cinnamon before roasting in a 450 oven about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with coarse salt - serve hot or warm. I've converted a few party-goers with that one.

[hillvalley]

One variation is to toss the florets with melted unsalted butter, then toss with a bit of sugar, salt, pepper, sweet paprika, hot paprika, and cinnamon before roasting in a 450 oven about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with coarse salt - serve hot or warm. I've converted a few party-goers with that one.

I just changed my cauliflower dish for tomorrow night.

[Cleo]

Next I'm going to do some grated Brussels sprouts!

I became addicted to the roasted cauliflower a few months ago. I don't really slice it, I just cut it up into florets. And then I started adding brussel sprouts (cut in half if they're big), and red onion (cut in wedges). I just coat everything with olive oil, salt & pepper, and cook at about 400 degrees for about 45 minutes. I like it sort of well done. About 1/2 way through I throw in some garlic cloves. It's amazing! Sometimes I throw in broccoli and/or carrots, but my favorite combo is the cauliflower, brussel sprouts and red onion. I make these roasted vegetables almost every night that we have dinner at home. And sometimes I throw the mix over pasta. One of my favorite meals lately.

Edited December 31, 2003 by Cleo (log)

[ronnie_suburban]

I'm totally addicted to this preparation and have tweaked it in numerous ways. I consider my stumbling onto this recipe to be one of the best food 'discoveries' I made in 2003...I even had a cauliflower as my avatar for a while--that's how good this is!

=R=

[fendel]

OK, I'm a doofus. I searched but couldn't find the standard, basic recipe.

Can anyone provide a link or the recipe?