Chef Deb Paquette from Etch made Roasted Cauliflower with Truffled Pea Pesto, Red Bell Essence and Feta Cream. Etch is located at 303 Demonbreun Street in downtown Nashville. For more information, or to make reservations, visit www.etchrestaurant.com or call (615) 522-0685. As a part of the Taste of the NFL's Kick Hunger Challenge, a portion of the proceeds of each Roasted Cauliflower dish sold at Etch will benefit Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee. For more information on Taste of the NFL visit www.TasteoftheNFL.com.
Roasted Cauliflower with Truffled Pea Pesto, Red Bell Essence & Feta Cream
Serving size: 8
Prep time: 1 hr
Cook time: 45 min
Ingredients
Cauliflower:
● 2 medium heads of cauliflower
● 1T truffle oil
● 1T vegetable oil
● 1 C. marcona almonds for garnish
Pea Pesto:
● 3 C. frozen green peas defrosted (we smoke 1/2 of the peas but this step may be omitted)
● 1/4 lb unsalted butter, melted and warm
● 2T water
● 1 tsp Salt
● Pinch cayenne (optional)
● 2T truffle oil
Feta Cream:
● 8oz cream cheese
● 4oz feta cheese
● 2T olive oil
● Juice and zest of 1 lemon
● 1 C. cauliflower - finely chopped
● 1/2 tsp regular grind black pepper
Roasted Red Bell Pepper Sauce
● 2 medium red bell peppers
● 2 C. chopped tomatoes
● 6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
● 3/4 C. vegetable oil
● 1/4 C. olive oil
● 1/2 tsp salt
● 2 tsp smoked paprika
● Pinch of cayenne
Steps
Feta cream, roasted red bell pepper sauce and truffled pea pesto can all be made up to one day in advance and kept chilled.
1.) Prepare sauces in advance and chill until ready to serve.
Feta Cream
1. In electric mixing bowl, cream the feta and cream cheeses until smooth. Add remaining ingredients.
2. Chill until 40 degrees until ready to spoon or place in a piping bag to make rosettes.
Roasted Red Bell Pepper Sauce
1. Pre-heat oven to 375.
2. Cut peppers in half and clean out the innards. Place on baking pan and set aside.
3. Place chopped tomatoes on small baking pan.
4. Roast both the peppers and tomatoes for about 20 minutes.
a. The peppers are done with you can see dark spots -- you want them to be dark roasted and do not remove skins (adds great flavor!)
b. The tomatoes are done when almost all of the liquid is cooked off.
5. Meanwhile, place vegetable oil in small saute pan. When hot, cook the garlic until medium brown in color.
6. When all items are cooked, place tomatoes, peppers, and all remaining ingredients into blender and mix until very smooth.
7. Chill the sauce. Sauce can then be placed in a squirt bottle to drizzle.
Truffled Pea Pesto
1. Place all ingredients into blender. Mix until very smooth.
a. If too thick, add a touch of water.
2. Chill to 40 degrees. Fill piping bag to make rosettes or just spoon on the plate.
2.) Once sauces are chilled and ready to serve, prepare cauliflower. Once the cauliflower is roasted, plate the dish with the prepared sauces and top with cauliflower.
Roasted Cauliflower
1. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Clean and trim the cauliflower heads into 2” pieces.
a. A bit of stem is nice for people who want to eat with their fingers!
3. Place the cauliflower in large bowl and toss with 2T vegetable oil and 1 tsp. salt; coat well.
4. Place cauliflower on sheet tray and roast until the tops are caramelized. Meanwhile, mix truffle oil and vegetable oil. This will be drizzled on top of cooked cauliflower.
5. Plate the dish!
a. Decorate the plate with the three sauces: add a few rosettes or spoon fulls of pea pesto and feta cream, then add dots or drizzle roasted red pepper sauce.
b. Place cauliflower on dish and drizzle with truffle oil mixture.
c. Garnish with toasted almonds and a few microgreens for color. Enjoy!
