Recipe from Adam Weisell
Adapted by Elaine Louie
- Total Time
- 2 hours
- Rating
- 4(107)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Featured in: The Temporary Vegetarian: Cauliflower Sformato
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Ingredients
Yield:Six four-ounce flans
- Salt
- Half a large head (about 12 ounces) cauliflower
- 1cup milk, plus ¼ cup or as needed
- 2tablespoons butter
- 2tablespoons, plus 1½ teaspoons flour
- 2large eggs, beaten
- ¼cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for garnishing
- Freshly grated nutmeg
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Unflavored nonstick spray
- cracked or coarse black pepper, for garnish
- ½cup heavy cream
- 4ounces Gorgonzola dolce
For the Sformato
For the Fonduta Sauce (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Preparation
Step
1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place a large pot of lightly salted water over high heat to bring to a boil. Cut the half head of cauliflower into quarters, removing the outer leaves and the tougher part of the stem. With a sharp knife, cut the florets into 1 inch pieces, and slice the center stalk thinly.
Step
2
Reserve a packed ¾ cup of the florets, and add remaining florets and sliced stems to the boiling water. Boil until tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain well and transfer to a blender. Blend, adding ¼ cup milk, or as needed, to make a very thick, smooth, puree. Pour into a large bowl, and set aside.
Step
3
In a small pot over medium-high heat, heat 1 cup of milk just until steaming. Season with salt to taste. Cover and turn off heat. In a second small pot over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter, and whisk in flour. Cook until thickened, whisking constantly, about 3 minutes. Add hot milk and whisk constantly to make a thick béchamel, 3 to 5 minutes.
Step
4
Fold the béchamel into the cauliflower puree. Add eggs, ¼ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, a pinch of nutmeg, and salt to taste. In a small sauté pan over medium-high, heat remaining 1 tablespoon butter, and add ¾ cup cauliflower florets. Sauté until tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and fold florets into béchamel mixture.
Bring a kettle of water to a boil. Lightly coat the insides of six four-ounce ramekins with nonstick spray, and fill almost to the top with the flan mixture. Place in a baking dish and add boiling water until it reaches two-thirds up the sides of the ramekins. Cover tightly with a sheet of aluminum foil, and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover, and cook until the centers are firm yet still jiggle a little. Remove ramekins from the water and cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate overnight or up to three days.
Step
6
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring a kettle of water to a boil. Meanwhile, allow ramekins to sit at room temperature until no longer chilled. Place in a baking dish and add boiling water until it reaches two-thirds up the sides of the ramekins. Cover tightly with foil, and bake until reheated, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the fonduta sauce.
Step
7
In a small pot over low heat, combine the heavy cream and Gorgonzola dolce. Stir until melted and smooth.
Step
8
To serve, remove the sformato from the water bath. Run a knife around the inside of a ramekin, and place a small plate on top. Invert, and remove the ramekin. The sformato should unmold effortlessly. Repeat with remaining ramekins. Spoon fonduta sauce over each sformato, and sprinkle the top with a little black pepper and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Ratings
4
out of 5
107
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Cooking Notes
Denise
I served this with a roasted chicken, and it was delicious. I would make it again, but I am wondering how it's different from mashed cauliflower with cheese, since the ingredient list would be similar, minus the eggs. It was a lot of effort for the same flavor.
rebelchanteuse
This is delicious and looks really impressive. The texture is so luscious. You definitely need to use a small saucepan to make the bechamel because the roux is so thick. A large saucepan has too much surface area and the roux won't come together -- trust me on this!
rebelchanteuse
This is delicious and looks really impressive. The texture is so luscious. You definitely need to use a small saucepan to make the bechamel because the roux is so thick. A large saucepan has too much surface area and the roux won't come together -- trust me on this!
Denise
I served this with a roasted chicken, and it was delicious. I would make it again, but I am wondering how it's different from mashed cauliflower with cheese, since the ingredient list would be similar, minus the eggs. It was a lot of effort for the same flavor.
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