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Let your weekend project involve the humble cauliflower. We've selected five more recipes to enjoy the veggie in new and unusual ways
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Cauliflower Flan with porcini and avocado panzanella, buffalo mozzarella fondue, black truffle shavings
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the Cauliflower Flan
450g cauliflower
50g béchamel sauce
50g Parmesan
1 egg
1 egg yolk
Salt, to taste
White pepper, to taste
For the porcini mushroom and avocado panzanella salad
3 slices of white sandwich bread
2 porcini mushrooms
1 ripe avocado, medium size
1 tbsp butter
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Olive oil for dressing
For the buffalo mozzarella fondue and truffle sauce
100g buffalo mozzarella
200g heavy cream
10g of black truffle
Method
For the flan
Clean the cauliflower and chop into small pieces. Place the cauliflower in an open pan with water covering the vegetable and boil until soft. Strain the water and blend the cauliflower to a fine purée. Strain the purée through a fine sieve and let it cool. Once cooled, mix in the béchamel sauce, Parmesan, the egg and egg yolk, salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste. Strain the flan mixture once again to filter out any eggy bits and ensure a smooth consistency. Tip the mixture into four ramekins or small bowls and place them in a deep roasting pan. Pour water into the roasting pan till it reaches two-thirds the height of the ramekins. Bake for 50 minutes at 105 degrees Celsius. Remove the roasting pan and then the ramekins. Cool the flan to room temperature, then refrigerate for a few hours until chilled.
For the porcini mushroom and avocado panzanella salad
Peel and deseed the avocado, and cut it into small squares. Toast the bread slices and cut the bread and mushrooms into squares of the same size. Place a pan on high heat and sauté the mushrooms with 1 tbsp of butter. Cool the mushrooms and toss in the avocado and bread into the salad, drizzle olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste.
For the buffalo mozzarella fondue and truffle sauce
Heat a fondue pot or a heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat and pour in 100g of heavy cream. When the cream is about to boil, whisk in the mozzarella, a little at a time. Stir continuously and keep cooking till all the cheese has melted.
Chop 10g of black truffle very finely and cook it with the remaining heavy cream in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Keep stirring and cooking till you obtain a thick sauce and set aside to cool.
To plate up
For plating all the elements, use a 7-inch round mould to place the panzanella salad on each dish. Microwave the cauliflower flan for 2 minutes and tip it over the panzanella salad. Drizzle the flan with the buffalo mozzarella fondue and black truffle sauce and garnish with thin slices of black truffle.
Recipe courtesy Matteo Boglione, executive chef at Le Cirque Signature, The Leela, Mumbai.
Panko Crusted Cauliflower Popcorn served with Hot Mustard Mayo
Serves 2
Ingredients
For the cauliflower popcorn
100g cauliflower florets
100g panko crumbs
5g sugar
5g refined flour
5ml vinegar
10ml sake
10ml soy sauce
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
For the hot mustard mayo
15g mustard paste
50g mayonnaise
Method
Clean and chop the cauliflower florets into small popcorn-sized pieces. In a mixing bowl, make a marinade using the vinegar, sake, soy sauce, sugar, salt and pepper. Allow the cauliflower to marinate in the mix for a couple of minutes and add the flour to the mixing bowl just before frying. Don’t worry about lumps, and try not to overmix, for this will result in a heavy crust. Roll the marinated and flour-coated cauliflower pieces in panko crumbs and test the cauliflower popcorn by dropping a piece in hot oil. If it rises to the surface immediately, it is hot enough. Deep-fry all the pieces until golden brown and serve alongside a dip made by mixing the mayonnaise and mustard paste.
Recipe courtesy chef Mitesh Rangras, partner at Japanese restaurant Aoi and pan-Asian restaurant Lemon Grass in Mumbai.
Roasted Cauliflower with Whey Soup
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 medium-sized cauliflower
100g butter
500ml whey (water drained from home-made curd)
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Method
Cut the cauliflower into small pieces, including the stalk. In a heavy-bottomed pan, cook the cauliflower with butter, with a lid on for 5 minutes on low heat. Once the cauliflower is softened, cook it without the lid on till its colour changes to a light brown and the vegetable begins to disintegrate. Add the whey and bring to a boil. Season the soup and cool. Purée the mixture using a blender and pass through a fine sieve.
Recipe courtesy Gresham Fernandes, group executive chef fine dine, Impresario Entertainment and Hospitality.
A Lightly Smoked Cauliflower Soup with Crispy Leeks + Truffle Oil
Serves 2-3
Ingredients
500g cauliflower florets
50g leeks
500ml milk
100g flour
30g Parmesan
20g butter
30g double cream
10g garlic, smashed
5g thyme
20ml vegetable stock
20ml olive oil
15ml truffle oil
A few pieces of coal for smoking
Method
Cut the cauliflower florets into small pieces and soak them in cold water. In a stock pot, melt butter, add olive oil, smashed garlic and thyme and sauté for about a minute. Add the cauliflower florets and sauté till their colour changes to light brown on all sides. Add the milk and simmer for about 15 minutes. Finally add the Parmesan and allow the mixture to cool. Purée the mixture in a food processor and pass it through a fine sieve.
For smoking the cauliflower mixture, transfer it to a small bowl. In another pan, heat a few pieces of coal and add a little butter and thyme on the hot coal. Place the bowl of cauliflower mixture on the coal and cover it with a lid for about 15 minutes.
Wash and cut the leeks into fine shreds and mix them with flour. Shake off the excess flour and deep-fry the leek until golden brown. Drain off the excess oil and keep aside.
In a large pan, bring the vegetable stock to a boil and add the cauliflower mixture. Adjust seasoning and serve the soup with double cream, truffle oil and crispy leeks. Serve hot.
Recipe courtesy Glyston Gracias, chef manager at Smoke House Deli, Mumbai.
Smoked Cauliflower Bisque with Toasted Walnuts and Parmesan Sage Foam
Serves 2-3
Ingredients
For smoking the cauliflower
Half a cup brown sugar
One third cup uncooked long-grain rice
One fourth a cup black or oolong tea leaves
For the soup
1 medium-sized cauliflower, cleaned
450ml milk
50ml cream
A few sprigs of thyme
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
Half a medium-sized onion, finely chopped
1 tsp chopped chives
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Olive oil to sauté and garnish
For the Parmesan Sage Foam
120ml cream
1 tbsp grated Parmesan
5-6 fresh sage leaves
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
You will need a bamboo steamer for this recipe.
Method
Make a smoking mixture by packing in brown sugar, uncooked long-grain rice and tea leaves in an aluminium foil. Place the aluminium foil parcel in a frying pan, lined with a separate sheet of aluminium foil, and heat the mixture on a high flame till it begins to smoke. Place only the raw cauliflower florets in the bamboo steamer and place the steamer over the smoking mixture in the frying pan. Reduce heat to medium-low and smoke the cauliflower for 8-10 minutes until the cauliflower florets turn brown.
Put olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat and add the onions, garlic, thyme, chives and smoked cauliflower, cook until the onions are transparent and the mixture is fragrant, but not coloured. Add the milk and bring it to a boil for about 10 minutes until the cauliflower is soft. Whisk in the cream and transfer the mixture into a food processor and blend until smooth. Season to taste, reheat until almost boiling. Remove from the heat and ladle into bowls.
In a separate pan, heat the cream, Parmesan and 2-3 sage leaves with salt and pepper to taste. Allow it to cook until it begins to simmer. Take it off the stove and blend it using an immersion stick blender till the mixture starts to froth. Using a teaspoon, gently skim the froth and place it over the soup. Garnish with fresh sage, toasted walnuts and a drizzle of olive oil.
Recipe courtesy Vicky Ratnani, corporate chef, luxury dining, at Dish Hospitality (Nido and Aurus in Mumbai).
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