Roasted Cauliflower Head

This recipe is adapted from Domenica Restaurant in New Orleans, and the recipe was featured in Epicurious magazine here. It made quite a stir and launched the lowly cauliflower to become one of  2013's "it" food.

The original dish is served with a cheese sauce (which I've tried making too), but when we eat it at home, we actually prefer it without the sauce as it is healthier. My version omits the salt and I use chicken bouillon instead, and I also add a tablespoon of mustard seeds. If you want to make it purely vegetarian, then substitute the bouillon with salt.

I love this recipe and have served it to friends, who are amazed how the mundane cauliflower can taste soooooo good!


ROASTED CAULIFLOWER HEAD
Serves 5

1 cauliflower head (make sure it fits whole into your deep pot for poaching)
2 cups cheap, white wine
1 tablespoon oil
1 chicken bouillon cube (substitute with 1 teaspoon salt if you want to make it purely vegetarian)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon chili flakes (adjust according to your tolerance for heat)
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon mustard seeds (omit if you don't like it spicy)
3 bay leaves
3 tablespoons butter
Grated cheese, for garnish (optional)

Procedure:

1.  In a deep pot, heat the poaching liquid by adding the wine, oil, bouillon, salt, sugar, chili flakes, black pepper, mustard seeds, bay leaves and butter. Bring it to a boil.

2.  Get the cauliflower and put it into the boiling liquid.  The whole head won't be submerged, but that's okay. You can turn it upside down to braise the other half. Use a huge fork to turn it after about 15 minutes.

3.  Turn the cauliflower and braise the other side.

4. It will be done when the middle stems are soft enough for the fork to prick.  Drain the cauliflower in a strainer. Put back any liquid you collect back into the pot. Once the liquid is cool, you may store it in a covered container and freeze. You can use it next time.

5.  Get a low baking dish (I used a pie plate) and brush it with oil. It's best to use a low dish so that the sides of the cauliflower will brown too, and not just the top. Put the cauliflower on the dish. Drizzle the cauliflower with oil and season with more pepper.

6. Bake in a preheated oven at 350F for about 30 minutes, turning the dish halfway to allow for even browning.  Bake until the edges of the cauliflower florets turn dark brown. (I actually like it a bit burnt.) Serve as is, or for a richer dish, sprinkle grated cheese and bake for 5 more minutes to allow the cheese to melt.

Serve with drama with a sharp knife and putting the huge fork in the middle of the head.

This shows two roasted cauliflower heads, served at a potluck party.