Cauliflower Steak, Leaf Purée, and Pepper Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 Cauliflower (Use the florets for the steaks and reserve the leaves for the purée.)
• 2 Shallots (Finely chopped.)
• Black pepper (Add to the sauce and to season the purée.)
• 3 Potatoes (Thoroughly washed; for the purée.)
• Butter (A small knob for cooking the steaks, then small pieces for basting the steaks, the purée, and the sauce.)
• Olive oil (For browning the cauliflower steaks.)
• 1 verre Water (Add to the pan after browning one side of the steaks; also have enough water for cooking the leaves and potatoes.)
• Cooking water (As needed to boil the cauliflower leaves and potatoes.)
• Salt (For salting the cooking water and adjusting the seasoning.)
• 1 Bay leaf (For the cooking water.)
• 1 bouchon Cognac (For flambéing or deglazing the pan; take the necessary precautions when flambéing.)
• Heavy cream (For blending the purée and preparing the sauce; adjust the quantity until the desired consistency is reached.)
• Vegetable stock (Add to the sauce after the Cognac; quantity unspecified.)
• Garlic (Optional, to add to the butter while basting the steaks.)
• Thyme (Optional, to add to the butter while basting the steaks.)
• Rosemary (Optional, to add to the butter while basting the steaks.)

Steps

1. 1

   Thoroughly wash the cauliflower and potatoes. Separate the cauliflower leaves, reserving the florets for the steaks and the leaves for the purée.

2. 2

   Boil the cauliflower leaves and potatoes in a large quantity of salted water with the bay leaf and a lid, until tender enough; the video indicates a cooking time of about one hour.

3. 3

   Meanwhile, cut the cauliflower into thick steaks, trying to keep the slices intact.

4. 4

   Heat a little olive oil in a pan, then gently brown one side of the cauliflower steaks.

5. 5

   Add a glass of water to the pan, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.

6. 6

   Turn the steaks over and continue cooking until they are fully browned.

7. 7

   Add a small amount of butter and baste the steaks as you would a meat steak. You can flavor the butter with garlic, thyme, or rosemary.

8. 8

   Remove the steaks from the pan and set them aside. Also remove any excess cooking fat from the pan.

9. 9

   Drain the cauliflower leaves and potatoes, then return them to the saucepan.

10. 10

    Add a little butter and heavy cream, then blend until smooth. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary.

11. 11

    In the pan used for the steaks, melt a small piece of butter. Add the finely chopped shallots and black pepper.

12. 12

    Sweat the shallots for 5 minutes.

13. 13

    Deglaze with the Cognac. You can flambé it, taking all necessary precautions to avoid burning yourself.

14. 14

    Add the vegetable stock, followed by the heavy cream.

15. 15

    Reduce the sauce until it reaches a coating consistency.

16. 16

    Plate the cauliflower steaks with the purée and coat them with the pepper sauce.

Notes

The quantities of butter, cream, stock, oil, salt, and pepper are not specified in the source and should be adjusted according to the desired texture and seasoning. The source mentions cooking the leaves and potatoes for “about an hour” in the transcript, while the description gives no duration; check for tenderness before draining.

Nutrition per serving

• main course
• vegetarian
• autumn
• comforting
• French
• pan-fried
• creamy sauce
• meat-free