Adventures In Cauliflower Duality
When I was a kid, my mother was determined that her children should not be picky eaters, and so she served us a wide variety of food. And lots of vegetables. Like my brothers, I was not overly fond of vegetables, much preferring starchy delights like biscuits and mac ‘n’ cheese. My mother’s rule was that we had to eat what she put on our plates, no matter how long it took, which is how I often ended up at the dinner table an hour after everyone else was done. Sometimes, I still hadn’t finished dinner by the time the breakfast meal rolled around, so I got to continue enjoying the previous night’s dinner for breakfast.
Now my mother is a sensible lady and not needlessly cruel. She never gave us a huge amount of anything to eat, mostly just wanting us to both sample a wide variety of flavors and also at least attempt to have nutritionally balanced meals. She also really tried to find ways to cook vegetables that we all liked (or at least would eat with a minimum of complaining). At some point, she discovered a recipe (in the little cookbook that came with our first microwave, apparently) for something called Frosted Cauliflower. And we all loved it!
Sidenote/author’s personal opinion: unlike some veggies which should only be eaten raw (like carrots; even my omnivorous father hates cooked carrots), cauliflower should only be eaten cooked. I have never understood how raw cauliflower can end up on platters of cut veggies with dip. Gross!
Ahem. Where was I? Oh yes, frosted cauliflower. I will include the recipe below but the essentials are: trim the leaves off the head of cauliflower; steam it in the microwave until it’s fork-tender (cooking time depends on the microwave, but figure at least 10 minutes); slather it with the “frosting,” which is mayo, mustard, a little onion, salt, and pepper; sprinkle shredded sharp Cheddar over the top; and stick it under a broiler just long enough for the cheese to melt. Then serve it immediately in wedges. So yummy!
As an adult, I do have a much wider range of foods that I’m willing and able to eat than I did as a child. I still really like frosted cauliflower, but I’ve also figured out how to roast cauliflower very simply for a delicious result. The essentials are: cut the cauliflower head info bite-sized florets; spread them out on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet; drizzle with a nice olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper; use your hands to toss the florets to coat them all (yes, your hands…the olive oil does good things for your skin and nails); roast them at 400° until they are tender and just starting to caramelize in little brown spots; sprinkle a handful of grated Parmesan over the top; put back in the oven just long enough to let the cheese melt; serve immediately.
When I was making both these recipes to take pictures for the blog, I had intended to do it at my favorite sister-in-law’s house, so the family could all share in the meal. However, my sister-in-law inconsiderately decided to get sick, so the family dinner was cancelled. I still had to make both these recipes, because cauliflower doesn’t keep all that long in the fridge. I made the frosted cauliflower first, and it was a large head…at least 3 pounds. And I had to eat it all myself. I ate half of it right out of the oven, no problem. Then I stuck it in the fridge overnight, and reheated it gently in the microwave the next day to eat the rest. Honestly, it was almost as good reheated as it was fresh out of the oven. Almost.
The day after that, I cut up the smaller cauliflower for roasting, and ate the whole thing out of the pan in one sitting. In the past, I have saved roasted cauliflower in the fridge to reheat a day or two later, and it also is almost as good reheated as it is fresh out of the oven. Almost.
Below you will find both recipes, and I hope you give them a try. They are both easy and delicious, and the frosted cauliflower in particular is quite a showy way to present a vegetable at a dinner. Enjoy!
Frosted Cauliflower
Click here for printable PDF of recipe
INGREDIENTS
1 head cauliflower, trimmed of leaves
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp mustard
1 Tbsp finely chopped onion
1/2 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
pinch of pepper
pinch of salt
DIRECTIONS
Use the method of your choice (stove or microwave) to steam the cauliflower until tender but still firm. While the cauliflower is cooking, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, onion, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. When the cauliflower is steamed to desired doneness, place on a baking sheet, and spread the mayonnaise mixture over the top like frosting. Sprinkle the cheese over that, and then place under a broiler until the cheese is melted, 2-4 minutes. Slice into wedges and serve immediately.
Roasted Cauliflower
Click here for printable PDF of recipe
INGREDIENTS
1 head cauliflower
olive oil
salt
pepper
Parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS
Cut the cauliflower into bite-sized florets and spread out on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Use hands to toss the florets until they are coated with the oil. Roast at 400° until the florets are fork-tender, usually somewhere between 10 and 20 minutes. Sprinkle the florets with a handful of Parmesan cheese and return to the oven just long enough for the cheese to melt. Serve immediately.
