An elegant dish of whole roasted cauliflower with a creamy almond sauce
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time20 minutesmins
Servings: 4people
Author: Mat Lindsay
Ingredients
1headcauliflower
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2cupsmoked almonds
1cupmint leaves
extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle on top
Almond Sauce
100galmond mealgrind whole raw almonds to make your own
200gextra virgin olive oil
2egg yolks
brown rice vinegar, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Peel off the tough large outer leaves, then quarter the cauliflower, remove some of the core, and steam on high for around 10 minutes or until a skewer goes into the stem easily.
Heat the oven to as hot as you can get it (mine goes to 250°C). Place the steamed cauliflower in a roasting tray or a cast-iron pan and roast until it's dark golden brown for about 10 -15 minutes. It will char on the top, which adds flavour.
Remove from the oven and dress with a little olive oil and lemon juice. Season with sea salt and black pepper.
Cover a plate with the almond sauce and sit the cauliflower on top, and scatter with almonds and mint.
Almond Sauce
Place the almond meal in a saucepan with 150ml water and a little of the oil and heat gently until the almond just starts to swell (this makes it easier to blend).
Pour the almond mixture into a blender and process to a smooth paste, then season to taste with brown rice vinegar (start with 1 tbsp, then add more if you need it) and sea salt. With the blender running, add the egg yolks, then add the oil in a thin, steady stream until thick and creamy.
Check seasoning and set aside at room temperature.
Notes
The almond sauce can be made a day ahead. Bring it to room temperature before serving.