Cauliflower Steaks with Cauliflower Purée
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An elegant vegetarian dish: roasted cauliflower steaks atop a flavorful cauliflower purée. Good to eat and good for you!
The idea for this recipe came to me after I discovered an amazing documentary series on Netflix called Chef’s Table, which debuted last year. Each episode of the show focuses on a world-renowned chef and gives an intimate view of their life, their restaurants and their journey to mastering their craft. It’s beautifully done and so inspiring — I binge-watched the entire first season in just a few days. You can watch the trailer below.
One of the featured chefs on the series is Dan Barber, the chef and co-owner of Blue Hill in Manhattan and Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, New York. After learning about him, I was eager to try some of his recipes; a quick Google search led me to his Cauliflower Steak with Cauliflower Purée in Bon Appétit and Food52’s Genius Recipes column. The recipe goes along with Barber’s nose-to-tail, whole-farm eating approach, as he uses the center of the cauliflower to make the “steaks” and the remaining florets to make the purée. I love the idea as a way to jazz up the trendy cauliflower steak, so I decided to feature my own slightly adapted version here.
What You’ll Need To Make Cauliflower Steaks
Step-by-Step Instructions
To begin, use a sharp knife to cut two 1-inch-thick slices from the center of the cauliflower. Cut the remaining florets into 1/2-inch pieces.
In a medium pot, bring the broth and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to a boil. Add the cauliflower and bring back to a boil.
Cover, reduce the heat to low and steam for about 15 minutes, or until cauliflower is very tender.
Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cauliflower to a food processor. Add 1/2 cup of the broth from the pot, along with the butter.
Process until smooth, then add the thyme and process until just combined.
Heat 1-1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cauliflower steaks to the skillet, nice side down (whichever side is prettier), and then drizzle the cauliflower steaks with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle each steak with 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper.
Cook until the first side is golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip the cauliflower steaks over and transfer the pan to the oven. Bake until tender, about 10 minutes.
Rewarm the cauliflower purée. Then, divide the purée between 2 plates, and top each with a cauliflower steak, nice side up.
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Cauliflower Steaks with Cauliflower Purée
An elegant vegetarian dish: roasted cauliflower steaks atop a flavorful cauliflower purée. Good to eat and good for you!
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
- Salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Using a sharp heavy knife and starting at top center of cauliflower head, cut two 1-inch-thick slices of cauliflower, cutting through stem end and leaving the leaves intact. Set the cauliflower steaks aside. Cut the remaining florets into ½-inch pieces.
- In a medium pot, bring the chicken or vegetable broth and ½ teaspoon salt to a boil. Add the cauliflower and bring back to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low and steam for about 15 minutes, or until the cauliflower is very tender. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cauliflower to a food processor. Add ½ cup of the broth from the pot, along with the butter, and process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and freshly ground pepper. Add the thyme and process until just combined. Discard the remaining broth and transfer the cauliflower purée back to the pot.
- Heat 1½ tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cauliflower steaks to the skillet, nice side down (whichever side is prettier), and then drizzle the cauliflower steaks with the remaining ½ tablespoon of oil. Sprinkle each steak with ¼ teaspoon salt and a few grinds of fresh black pepper. Cook until the first side is golden brown, 4-5 minutes. Flip the cauliflower steaks over and transfer the pan to the oven. Bake until tender, about 10 minutes.
- Rewarm the cauliflower purée over medium heat. Divide the purée between 2 plates, and then top each with a cauliflower steak, nice side up.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (2 servings)
- Calories: 353
- Fat: 33g
- Saturated fat: 12g
- Carbohydrates: 11g
- Sugar: 4g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 6g
- Sodium: 1376mg
- Cholesterol: 49mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Thank you, Jenn! Finally…a fantastic recipe for fantastic cauliflower! A HIT!
What a great idea! This was delish!
My head was a little too big – will get a smaller one next time
Innovative idea to use both form of cooked cauliflower. Thank you. I tried it and added at the end some garlic, lemon and olive oil to the steak. They were so yummmyyyy.
This is my idea of heaven — cauliflower WITH cauliflower. The only addition I made is that I used Meyer Lemon infused olive oil to drizzle on top before cooking in skillet and then topped with some lemon zest before serving.
Delicious!!!!!
I absolutely love baked/crunchy vegetables done like this, and I’m glad to see that this cooking method is getting more popular. It’s great done with not only cauliflower, but also broccoli and cabbage! Here in southwestern Hungary we have a lot of types of broccoli and also celeriac…hmmm…with grilled/baked paprika in the puree? 🙂
I love cauliflower but usually do it as cauliflower rice and when I came across this recipe, I did this minus the purée and absolutely divine not to mention paleo and whole30 approved ?
???
This is just about the most delicious vegetarian recipe I have found. Very satisfying and looks great for a dinner party too.
This recipe reminds me of the time after WWII in Germany. Not much meat consumption then, but my Oma fried Couliflower at least once weekly – I always ask for it and loved it. Tried it again and all the memories floated back to me.
I made this for dinner last night for four of us. Because I was making four steaks, I cooked one side of each in my cast iron skillet and then put the four steaks on a rimmed baking sheet and put that in the oven for 15 minutes. The steaks still weren’t quite done, so I put each one in its dinner plate and put them in the microwave for a minute each. It was delicious and I will definitely be making it again. I’d like some ideas on reducing or replacing some of the butter (fat) while maintaining the creamy texture and wonderful flavor.
Hi Ann, So glad to hear you enjoyed this! You can simply reduce the butter in the recipe to make it a little less indulgent. One reader mentioned that they used only 1 Tbsp. of butter and still found the purée creamy and delicious.
Yum! Recently went vegan to clean up our diets. I made it with vegetable broth, olive oil, and vegan butter! So good and filling. Any suggestions for the left over purée?
Glad you liked it! I think the leftovers would be nice tossed with pasta or with steamed or roasted veggies.