Roasted Cauliflower

[bloviatrix]

The poaching/blanching of the whole head could be carried out before slicing and roasting as per the "original" recipe for a shorter cooking time in the oven, although it will probably yield a slightly different texture.

I've tried it and it's not nearly as good. The only thing going for that method is that it slices very nicely (you can make roasted sliced brain. )

[Andy Lynes]

Has anyone tried slicing the raw florets on a mandoline for ultra thin and crispy results? You could even deep fry them.

[binkyboots]

Has anyone tried slicing the raw florets on a mandoline for ultra thin and crispy results? You could even deep fry them.

cauliflower crisps!

[bainesy]

I interviewed British chef Andrew Turner for eGullet recently

Andy, have you tried Heston Blumenthal's various takes on cauliflower? There are several articles in The Guardian/Observer (one of which is by eGulleter Jay Rayner)

Guardian

Guardian

Observer

Never having been particularly enamoured of cauliflower myself, I've long meant to try his recipes (or better - his cooking). This thread (the first I've posted to BTW) is the kick up the proverbial to buy and try the stuff.

[Andy Lynes]

Andy, have you tried Heston Blumenthal's various takes on cauliflower? There are several articles in The Guardian/Observer (one of which is by eGulleter Jay Rayner)

Bainesy - congratulations on your first post - look forward to many more.

No, I haven't tried those recipes, but I particularly like the sound of the risotto. I'll definately give that a go.

[NulloModo]

Should this be crispy/moist like a french fry? I prepared this and it had a distinct limp texture.... Cooked it for about 35 minutes (which was required to reach the deep golden brown color).

Is there a particularly good way to slice the cauliflower? Mine was quite crumbly and tended to fall about into mini-florets as I sliced...

[BarbaraD]

Since trying the cauliflower recipe, I have roasted broccoli, eggplant, and stringbeans. The best is the cauliflower, but all taste delicious.

[Toliver]

I concur. Roasting offers a different way to taste the usual suspects. Besides cauliflower, I've roasted beets and I've done carrots with dill which were very good.

[ronnie_suburban]

Someone brought some roasted brussels sprouts to a party we were at and they were also terrific, but...cauliflower is still my fave.

=R=

[hathor]

Should this be crispy/moist like a french fry? I prepared this and it had a distinct limp texture.... Cooked it for about 35 minutes (which was required to reach the deep golden brown color).

Is there a particularly good way to slice the cauliflower? Mine was quite crumbly and tended to fall about into mini-florets as I sliced...

Try roasting the cauliflower longer than 35 minutes. You'll get more 'carmelized' parts. I don't think you'll ever achieve the fried crunch of a french fry, but this is just as addicitive. In my house, the crumbled up parts disappear as quickly as the nice slices. Extra sharp knives help alot.

[fifi]

I don't remember if I reported this and I am too lazy to go look.

Anyway... I have taken to lining a half sheet pan with the new non-stick foil, non-stick side up. I have also dropped the temp to 375F. A couple of things happen, the stuff seems to toast more evenly and get crispier. It is also easier to move around for more even browning. It does take longer, about 50 minutes.

[ronnie_suburban]

I'm so happy to see this thread back at the top

Since the cauliflower from my local farmer's market is so outstanding, I've been making this throughout the relatively cool summer we've had. My last batch also included some 'poker chips' of carrot (also from the local fm), which I turned out on my V-slicer

I've also experimented with the cooking method and find that in my oven, if I do the last 10 minutes at 410 F on convection, the result is wonderfully crispy. I've also done this now with canned garbanzo beans, but they don't need to be added until there's only about 30 minutes of cooking left. Yum!

=R=

[fifi]

No convection oven for me... yet. I would bet that it does an outstanding job. How were the carrot chips?

I agree... last time I added the garbanzos I waited until the last half hour or so.

[hillvalley]

Ooooooooohhhhh. 

Can I come over?

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It's already gone

I used a lower oven (350) and cut the slices fairly thin. I think it took about an hour and was completely sublime. I forgot the garlic but sea salt at the end was a nice addition. I am thinking that in a month or so this will make a great soup.

[ronnie_suburban]

How were the carrot chips?

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The carrot was excellent. I'd seen, in a previous post here, that Jason and Rachel had done this some time back and it looked great. I actually used carrot in this dish last Thanksgiving, but at that time, I sliced them all by hand--which was quite time-consuming. This time out, they were nicely sweet and most of the chips were fairly crispy without being dried out or burnt. The V-slicer turns out only 2 possible thickenesses. Experimenting, I went with the thicker of the 2 and the carrot seemed to cook at almost the same rate as the cauliflower.

=R=

[fiftydollars]

I'm new to this topic and I would really like to try making the roasted cauliflower, but recipeGullet is down. Can someone get me the recipe, please?

[fifi]

I will tell you what I do which is pretty much how the original is with a few twists.

Slice the cauliflower in less than 1/4 inch slices, more like an eighth. Some folks just go to work on the whole thing. I usually separate the florets, slice those, and slice the core separately. It doesn't matter really.

In a bowl, toss the cauliflower slices and all of the little bits with about a 1/4 cup olive oil and a little Kosher salt. Don't salt heavily as this cooks down a lot.

I line a half sheet heavy aluminum baking pan with the non-stick foil. Spread the cauliflower evenly onto the sheet keeping it in a single layer. Into the oven at 375F for about 25 minutes. Turn the pieces and move it around if it is not baking evenly. Back in the oven for about another 25 minutes. Done. Munch.

[Fred12fred]

Wow...9 pages of cauliflower!

My wife and I absolutely love cooking cauliflower this way. Both of us hadn't eaten it for years and years because the only way both of our parents cooked it was steaming or boiling until mush.

Now, we can't get enough! $0.99 a head in San Diego!

We do a cauliflower pasta that works out great. Just roast the cauliflower on some aluminum foil and "deglaze" the foil using water or chicken broth after cooking. Brown some garlic in a pan with olive oil, add cauliflower and pasta, and thin sauce as necessary with the "deglaze" broth.

Sometimes we'll top with a over-easy fried egg...

Yum

[takomabaker]

I recall that in college, I read a magazine article which said that a certain supermodel regularly consumed a whole, roasted head of cauliflower -- and nothing else -- for dinner.

Since I had my first off-campus apartment, complete with grubby kitchen, I thought eating a cauliflower dinner would be a great way to look like a supermodel on my limited college-student budget. So I put an unadorned cauliflower in a pan, turned on the oven, and left it there for about an hour.

It was awful. I couldn't eat the whole thing, and I did not look one bit more like a supermodel. 

Boy do I wish I'd had some of these recipes on hand....

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I had a similar college cauliflower experience. I was doing a costuming internship once summer. I was a theater major, a vegetarian, and flat broke. I would melt butter with some store-bought curry powder, pour it over a head of cauliflower, and roast it for dinner. I ate that quite a bit in those days, but haven't done it for probably 15 years. Never did the supermodel thing for me, either.

[Lexica]

Another testimonial to the power of roasted cauliflower -- I made a batch as part of dinner last night (my 2nd batch; the first one I ate all by myself). My husband, a serious veggie-phobe, had agreed somewhat dubiously to try it, but I could tell he wan't expecting to like it. He snagged a piece from the baking pan while I was dishing up the rest of dinner, chewed thoughtfully, and said (as he reached for another piece), "Damn, I'll eat roasted cauliflower in a heartbeat!"

Hurray! One more vegetable added to the list of veg I can count on him actually enjoying, which until now has pretty much been onions, garlic, mushrooms, and collard greens. Definite progress.

And now I'm going back through the thread copying down ideas for what to do with it on the occasions we can resist devouring it right when it comes out of the oven. Soup? Pasta? Butter-curry sauce? Mmmmm....

[Susan in FL]

We had roasted cauliflower tonight! We sliced and roasted a whole head and the two of us ate it all. Waiting for the other stuff to get done, it cooked longer than usual, and I think it was the best batch yet (tossed in EVOO and melted butter and S&P).

[Larry 1749]

I tried this for the first time the other night and guess what? I have been told that it is now to become a regular item in our meals. I was truley surprised by the depth of flavor it was great.

[hathor]

Me too! I made it Sunday night for a bunch of ragazzi (teenagers)....and they ate all their vegetables!!

[bloviatrix]

I picked up a massive head of purple cauliflower and roasted it for dinner last wednesday night. Our first roast c-flower of the season -- I had forgotten how much I like it. The color deepened during the roasting and looked very nice. I think roasting a head of white and a head of purple and serving the two together would be great for a dinner party.

[NulloModo]

How do you all cut the 'flower so thin?

I have great issues trying to do it with a knife, I get several nice latticed pieces and a bunch of crumbs, am I doing something wrong?