Cauliflower steak with cauliflower puree and pomegranate molasses

This creamy and crunchy recipe uses both the heart of the cauliflower and some of its leaves.

Cauliflower steak with cauliflower puree and pomegranate molasses. Credit: Freshly Picked with Simon Toohey

• serves

  2

• prep

  25 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 1 cauliflower with leaves attached
• 60 ml vegetable oil

Sauce

• 100-200 ml oat milk
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 2 garlic cloves
• Splash of water
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• 25 g panko bread crumbs, toasted

To serve

• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• 30 g hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
• 1 bunch chives, finely chopped
• 1 pomegranate, seeds removed
• 20 ml pomegranate molasses

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Remove the leaves from the cauliflower and reserve. Quarter the cauliflower. Roughly chop one cauliflower quarter and place in a saucepan with any florets that may have come off the other quarters.
3. Heat vegetable oil in a heavy-based cast iron tray over medium-high heat and colour 2 of the remaining wedges of cauliflower on cut sides, seasoning with a pinch of salt and pepper (Reserve remaining wedge of cauliflower for another use). Once coloured, add a splash of water to the tray and cover loosely with foil, so that some of the steam can escape. Put in the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender.
4. Meanwhile, add half the oat milk, 1 clove of garlic, bay and thyme to the cauliflower in the saucepan. Cook on medium-low with the lid on until the cauliflower is super soft. If it looks like its drying out too much, add a little more oat milk.
5. Finely chop a few of the smaller reserved cauliflower leaves until they resemble the size of bread crumbs (the rest will last for ages in the fridge). Toast breadcrumbs with oil and finely chopped cauliflower leaves in a frying pan until golden brown.
6. Once the cauliflower is tender, remove the herbs from the sauce and pour into a blender with half of the toasted breadcrumbs. Blitz until super smooth. Add more milk if the mixture is too thick. Taste and season.
7. In the meantime, roast the hazelnuts and roughly chop.
8. Spoon the cauliflower sauce onto a plate, flatten until smooth. Place the cauliflower in the centre of the sauce, top with cumin seeds, pomegranate seeds, chopped hazelnuts, sliced chives and a drizzle of the pomegranate molasses.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.