I’m not a picky eater, but I am a particular eater.
I enjoy fruit and chocolate, but never together (which is how thesecoconut butter dipped strawberries came to be).
I lovepoached eggs, but not super runny yolks. If you eat breakfast with me, I’ll always clarify to the server, “medium poached, like I don’t want yellow oozing everywhere when you I poke it with a fork.” I know some of you are shaking your head and saying, “but that’s the best part!
Hot coffee, never iced. Even when it’s 89 degrees at 7:00 am, and the humidity is already at 65%. To me, it doesn’t have as much flavor, aNd I can’t drink it as fast.
And cheese.Except don’t build me a cold sandwich with a cold piece of cheese. I will pick it off every single time, and have done sosince I was a child. But this only applies to sandwiches.
Now warm, melted cheese… that’s where my true love resides. Injust about every application, such as Hot Buffalo Cauliflower Dip…. but especially savoryfontina cheese sauce that sinks into SMOKINGhot whole roasted cauliflower.
With edges charred and browned, dried herbs mixed with olive oil and a little dijon mustard giving it a crust that most with associate with meat.
This is the kind of dish that wins friends. Both those who love vegetables, and those who might be convinced to try only because of the cheese.
The Secret to the Best Whole Roasted Cauliflower
I learned from Joy The Baker that simmering the whole head of cauliflower (basically poaching) in a “brine” before roasted partially cooks the cauliflower, so that it is cooked from the inside out. For the brine,
I used (peppercorns, olive oil, garlic, bay leaves) infuses them with initial flavor all the way through.
Now that the cauliflower is partially cooked, roasting will take care of the crispy edges, turn the core tender, and impart delicious. It’s so tender it nearly melts in your mouth.
Making Gluten-Free Cheese Sauce
When makingcheese sauces, I like using fontina (made from cow’s milk) because it melts like a gem and is extremelyversatile.Roth Cheese, from my neighbor state, Wisconsin, produce a Swedish-style Fontina. The smooth, creamy body accents the slightly tart flavor and mild, yeasty finish.
This sauce recipe evolved from the rosemary bechamel I used on cauliflower steaks at a recent dinner party, and couldn’t have been more perfect for this whole roasted version. To make it gluten-free, you’ll use brown rice flour to make the roux.
Savory. Rich. A golden, crackly masterpiece. Comfort feelings reminiscent of those I had when eating deep fried cauliflower and cheddar cheese sauce at the local watering hole with my parents when I was young. Except it’s a little more refined, quite impressive to serve, and wholesome,real food magic. Enjoy, xo.
More Cauliflower Recipes:
Hot Buffalo Cauliflower Dip
Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad with Sage Butter
Marinated Turkey Breast Tenderloin with Garlic Cauliflower Puree
Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Fontina Cheese Sauce
A recipe for whole roasted cauliflower with a delicious crispy crust, finished with a creamy fontina cheese sauce poured on top. Makes for a beautiful vegetarian main dish!
1medium head of cauliflowerleave removed and core cut off a bit on the bottom so it sits flat
Cauliflower Crust
2tablespoonsolive oil
1/2tablespoondried parsley(or oregano)
1/4teaspoongarlic powder
1teaspoondijion mustard
1/2teaspoonkosher salt
Fontina Cheese Sauce
2tablespoonsbutter
2tablespoonsbrown rice flour
2/3cupheavy cream
2 1/2cupstwo percent milk
2 1/2ouncesRoth fontina cheeseshredded
1/4teaspoonsea salt
2teaspoonsminced fresh rosemary
1tablespoonminced fresh parsley
grated fresh nutmeg
Instructions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Bring large pot of water (I use a 5 quart dutch oven and fill it about 5 inches to the top. You’re looking to give the cauliflower room to float) to boiling. Stir in all of cauliflower ingredients, then put in cauliflower, core side facing the ceiling (so top of head down). Simmer for 15 minutes, until cauliflower is fork tender.
Drain cauliflower, and carefully place it on parchment lined sheet pan. Whisk crust ingredients together and brush all over cauliflower crust (if your cauliflower is really large, use an extra tablespoon of oil when mixing the ingredients up). Bake for 40 minutes, until crust is charred and brown. You can broil for a few minutes at end to really get crispy edges.
Meanwhile, heat butter in a saucepan on medium to melt. Whisk in flour, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, so flour can get heated through. Then whisk in cream and milk, until smooth. Add salt and bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer. Cook for 10-12 minutes, until sauce starts to thicken.
Add shredded cheese and whisk, until melted. Cook for one minute, than add rosemary, parsley and a few gratings of fresh nutmeg. Taste, and add a little salt if needed.
Pour over warm cauliflower, and reserve some for dipping.
This is true of any vegetable — boiling it will give you a flavor closer to the raw flavor, which means more bitterness and more astringency. Caramelizing it will bring out its hidden sweetness. This light, vibrant roasted cauliflower salad is a recipe I developed for the fall menu at Duo.
If you're planning to roast the cauliflower whole or slice it into steaks, slice off the thick stem at the base. Drop the whole cauliflower head upside-down into cool, salted water. Let it soak for 10 to 15 minutes to remove dirt, residue and bugs.
Cauliflower cheese can go watery if the cauliflower is overcooked. Overcooked cauliflower releases water, which will seep into the rest of the dish. So even if your sauce was thick when it went in the oven, if its in there too long, the water from the cauliflower will cause it to go watery.
Cook your cauliflower cheese at the right temperature, otherwise your cheese sauce can split. If your cheese sauce splits before that, it can be down to leaving it out too long, or you've boiled the sauce. If this happens, add a splash of milk or cream and whisk vigorously and it should come back to life.
Cauliflower should be cooked quartered, or cut into florets at the base of the stem. In kitchen lore, lemon juice, milk, flour and vinegar have all been recommended as additions to cauliflower cooking water, presumably to keep it white.
Cauliflower contains some phytonutrients, these nutrients may react with iron cookware and gives the cauliflower a brownish color. To prevent this add some lemon juice to the cauliflower or to the water in which it is blanched.
Adding vinegar to the cooking water when cooking cauliflower is a common technique that can help to reduce the strong sulfur smell that cauliflower can sometimes give off while cooking. The vinegar can help to neutralize the sulfur compounds in the cauliflower, resulting in a milder aroma and flavor.
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, add the cauliflower florets and cook for 4-5 minutes until just tender. Drain and refresh in iced water, drain again and transfer to a large ovenproof dish.
Cauliflower florets are usually pre-washed. However, if you purchased a head of cauliflower, you'll want to rinse off the cauliflower head so it's free of dirt, bugs, or debris.
Can you reheat cauliflower cheese? Yes you can, and it will taste fine… But just be aware that it will dry out a little and the cauliflower will be a little bit softer… not a deal breaker, but definitely not as good as fresh! Simply place any leftover cauliflower in a lidded container and refrigerate.
Add a splash of the sauce's base liquid – if it's a milk-based sauce, for example, pour in a few teaspoons of cold milk. You may also add a splash of wine, beer or cream. Whisk the sauce vigorously for about 10 seconds; this may be enough to repair a cheese sauce that's just beginning to curdle.
It is most likely that it is the cheese in the sauces that is causing the sauces to curdle, or split. In particular some types of Cheddar cheese can let out a fair amount of oil during cooking at higher temperatures and this won't mix very well with the sauce in the dish.
The culprit behind the stomachaches is cauliflower's fiber content, which becomes most troublesome when you increase your fiber intake too rapidly without giving your body time to adjust. Stomachaches join other side effects of overloading on fiber.
Adding an acidic ingredient such as wine or lemon juice will help prevent the cheese from becoming stringy. This is why most cheese fondue recipes have a base of white wine. Simply sprinkle some lemon juice over the shredded cheese before heating it.
There's a way to save gritty cheese sauces, and you likely already have it in your fridge: lemon juice. A squirt of lemon comes to the rescue of ruined sauces in a pinch. All you have to do is cool the broken sauce, add a tablespoon of lemon juice (or white wine, if you don't mind the flavor), and whisk vigorously.
To make cauliflower taste more like broccoli, try the following: Blanch: Cut the cauliflower into small flowers and blanch in boiling water for 1-2 minutes, then remove and drain. Blanching removes the astringency of cauliflower and makes it taste more like broccoli.
Baking soda is often used as a natural cleaning agent, and it can be used to brighten up your veggies too. Sprinkle a little in the water before boiling to prevent cauliflower from yellowing and make corn look more vibrant.
It's high in vitamins C and K, and is also a good source of folate, which supports cell growth and is essential during pregnancy. Cauliflower is fat-free and cholesterol-free. And it's low in sodium. A one-cup serving contains only 25 calories, 5 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of dietary fiber.
To mellow the flavor, soak the entire head (leaves removed) in cold, salted water for 30 minutes before steaming. Some of the bitter components will leach out. Soaking cauliflower will also give your cauliflower a snow-white appearance.
Introduction: My name is Kareem Mueller DO, I am a vivacious, super, thoughtful, excited, handsome, beautiful, combative person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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