Being a huge fan of the Food Network, I get a lot of my inspiration from celebrity chefs. I mean, if it weren’t for them, I would never have stepped outside of my culinary comfort zone. They never cease to amaze me with how many different ways you can replace ingredients with cauliflower, and it doesn’t look like this trend is slowing down anytime soon.

That being said, I have been itching to try some of the tried and true cauliflower recipes by these gastronomic geniuses. I selected three of my favorite chefs and made their signature cauliflower dishes. These. Did. Not. Disappoint.

Celebrity-Inspired Cauliflower Recipes

Emeril Lagasse’s Roasted Cauliflower

Ingredients:

• 5 to 6 cups cauliflower florets, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter (from 1 medium cauliflower)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp sliced garlic
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan
• Chopped chives, for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
2. Place the cauliflower florets in a large sauté or roasting pan.
3. Drizzle the olive oil over the cauliflower, and season with the garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
4. Place the pan in the oven and cook cauliflower for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure even roasting.
5. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
6. Garnish with chopped chives and serve immediately while still warm.

Nutrition Information:
Yields 5 servings

• Calories: 138
• Fat: 12 g
• Carbs: 6 g
• Fiber: 1 g
• Protein: 2 g

Jamie Oliver’s Cauliflower

Ingredients:

• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ a bunch of fresh thyme (15 g)
• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lemon
• 1 large cauliflower, with outer leaves (1 kg)
• 4 Tbsp dry sherry
• 1 x 400 g tin of quality plum tomatoes
• 40 g flaked almonds
• ½ a bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley (15 g)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
2. Peel the garlic, then add to a pestle and mortar with the paprika and half the thyme leaves.
3. Bash well to create a rough paste, then muddle in two tablespoons of olive oil and season.
4. Zest the lemon into a separate bowl and set aside.
5. Trim the outer cauliflower leaves. Trim away and discard the stalk so the cauliflower can sit flat, then cut a cross into the base.
6. Rub the paprika paste all over the cauliflower, then place in a medium casserole pan. Drizzle the cauliflower with the sherry and squeeze the lemon juice on top.
7. Cover and pop in the hot oven for around 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until tender, removing the lid for the final 20 minutes.
8. Remove the pan from the oven, then pour in the tomatoes, tearing or slicing them up into chunks.
9. Sprinkle the lemon zest and the remaining thyme leaves over the cauliflower.
10. Return the pan to the oven for a further 10 minutes or until the cauliflower is golden.
11. Meanwhile, toast the almonds in a dry frying pan over a medium-low heat until golden, then set aside to cool.
12. Once cauliflower is done, take the pan out of the oven. Top it with the toasted almonds, then scatter roughly chopped parsley leaves on top.
13. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, then carve up and serve with pilaf rice and steamed greens, or as part of a bigger spread.

CP Chef Notes: I swapped out the tin of plum tomatoes with fresh plum tomatoes and found it delicious.

Nutrition Information:
Yields 6 servings

• Calories: 184
• Fat: 10 g
• Carbs: 14 g
• Fiber: 5 g
• Protein: 5 g

Gordon Ramsey’s Cauliflower Steak

Ingredients:

Cauliflower Steaks

• 2 medium heads cauliflower (each should be large enough to produce 2 “steaks”)
• 5 1⁄2 ounces (or 11 Tbsp) extra virgin olive oil
• 4 Tbsp harissa powder
• Maldon salt
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, cubed
• 1/2 cup vegetable stock

Olive Pistou

• 1 cup Castelvetrano green olives, pitted and quartered
• 1 cup Niçoise olives or Kalamata olives, pitted and quartered
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 navel orange for juice and zest
• 1 lemon for juice and zest
• 2 Tbsp flat leaf parsley, rough chopped
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Porcini Mushrooms:

• 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 8 porcini mushrooms
• 2 shallots
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 8 mint leaves
• 3 Tbsp nonpareil capers
• kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Directions:

Cauliflower Steaks

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Peel the leaves off the cauliflower head and cut the stem leaving 1 inch or enough for the cauliflower florets to stay intact. This will leave the base flat and stable on the cutting board and make it easier to cut into the cauliflower evenly. Wet your chef’s knife liberally before cutting the steaks to make the knife slick and nonstick when making contact with the vegetable. Cut 1 inch off the left and right edges of the cauliflower leaving about 2 inches of the center intact. Then slice the remaining portion in half, resulting in two 1-inch steaks from each head of cauliflower. The more even the steaks, the more evenly they will cook.

3. Drizzle a baking sheet tray or glass baking pan with 4 ounces (or 8 tablespoons) of olive oil. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons harissa powder and 2 pinches of Maldon salt over the oil. Rub one side of the steaks in the olive oil/harissa mix and pour 1 ounce of olive oil and the remaining harissa powder over the other sides. Finish with another 2 pinches of Maldon salt.

4. Heat two large cast-iron skillets on medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil in each. Once the pans are smoking, place cauliflower in the hot pan and let brown on one side for 90 seconds or until the edges begin to char. Turn the steaks over gently, add 2 tablespoons of butter to each pan, melt, and brown to give the steaks a nutty flavor. Baste the steaks with the browned butter.

5. When the butter is frothy, split vegetable stock into the pans and let it come to a boil. Remove from the stovetop and place side by side on the middle rack of the oven. Roast cauliflower steaks for 8 to 10 minutes. Use a paring knife to test the doneness of the cauliflower. If you feel resistance, continue cooking. If it pushes into the flesh easily, it is finished cooking. Transfer to a platter to rest.

Make Olive Pistou

1. In a medium bowl, mix the quartered olives with olive oil, orange juice, orange zest, lemon juice, lemon zest, and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Make Porcini Mushrooms

1. Heat a large sauté pan on medium-high heat with two tablespoons of olive oil. Cut the porcinis in 1⁄4 -inch slices lengthwise and move to the side of the cutting board. Cut the shallots in half lengthwise; then turn them onto the cut side for stability to thinly slice. Add the porcinis to the pan and cook for three to five minutes.

2. Season with salt and pepper. Add the shallots and garlic into the pan and continue to cook, stirring occasionally for five minutes or until the shallots and garlic are translucent. Zest lemon into the pan and add the olive pistou. Stir together.

3. Lower the heat to medium-low. Chiffonade the mint (i.e., cut into long, thin strips by stacking, tightly rolling, and slicing leaves) and sprinkle over the mushrooms. Add the capers and stir in to incorporate. Turn off the heat and season to taste with more salt and pepper if needed.

Nutrition Information for Gourmet Meal:
Yields 4 servings

• Calories: 800
• Fat: 76 g
• Carbs: 29 g
• Fiber: 10 g
• Protein: 8 g