Recipe Charred Cauliflower, Blue Cheese and Grapes with Sesame Dressing

Morning Glory

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Serve this dish as a starter with the cauliflower warm or at room temperature. The cauliflower is cooked ‘al dente’ and then charred to create a nutty umami flavour. Please, if you have them, include a few of the cauliflower leaves. They are fantastic when charred slightly. The grapes provide a sweet muskiness but if you can’t get really good black grapes, you could substitute raisins soaked in port or brandy until they plump up. The star of the show is the faintly metallic, tangy blue cheese*. The blue cheese works perfectly with the sweet, nutty tasting cauliflower and the sesame oil dressing brings this salad together with deep savoury notes and spikes of chilli.

*I used Saint Agur, a creamy French cheese from the Auvergne but any good soft blue cheese will work here.

40067


Ingredients (per person)
8 - 9 florets of cauliflower
5 - 6 black grapes, halved
30g blue cheese
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
Lemon juice
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
Salt to taste

Method
  1. Simmer the cauliflower plus some of its leaves in water until ‘al dente’. This should take approximately 10 minutes.
  2. Drain and the cauliflower and allow to dry out. Place cauliflower on a baking tray or skillet and grill (broil) until the edges brown and begin to char.
  3. To make the dressing, place the mustard and lemon juice in a bowl and whisk with a fork until it amalgamates. Add the sesame oil, olive oil and chilli flakes and whisk until thickened. Add salt to taste.
  4. Add the still warm cauliflower to the dressing and turn to coat each floret.
  5. Tear or cut the blue cheese into bite sized pieces.
  6. Arrange the cauliflower, cheese and grapes on a plate and drizzle with any remaining dressing
40068
 
Last edited:
I was actually going to say that I thought you would need a torch to get that kind of a char, or some other open flame like a barbecue grill.

The halogen oven does quite a good job in fact if you place the food on the top level. But I think I may well have 'augmented' it here. The halogen is similar to the one used by Yorky (see here).
 
The halogen oven does quite a good job in fact if you place the food on the top level. But I think I may well have 'augmented' it here. The halogen is similar to the one used by Yorky (see here).

Did you ever consider getting a sizzler plate for the halogen oven? The one that I have is an ideal size (240mm, 9½" diameter). I'll be using it later today when the temperature drops a little.

40467


 
Did you ever consider getting a sizzler plate for the halogen oven? The one that I have is an ideal size (240mm, 9½" diameter). I'll be using it later today when the temperature drops a little.


I can use both my cast iron skillets in the halogen plus a sizzle plate that I got as a present fits too (although I haven't tried the latter). Are sizzle plates essentially different from skillets?
 
I can use both my cast iron skillets in the halogen plus a sizzle plate that I got as a present fits too (although I haven't tried the latter). Are sizzle plates essentially different from skillets?

I have no idea. Appear the same to me but I'm no expert.
 
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