Chasing Flavor

Roasted Cauliflower

with Peach-Apricot Puree and Nut Vinaigrette

Makes 4 to 6 servings

This recipe started in a roundabout way as a dish I cooked for a friend’s Passover Seder. I wanted to incorporate some of the traditional Seder ingredients, so I made a puree with dates, walnuts, and spices, and served it with thick slices of roasted cauliflower. I’ve since adapted this recipe for other seasons, even as cauliflower “steaks” have become trendy. This recipe is the summertime version, with a sweet and sour peach-based puree that accentuates the sweetness of the deeply caramelized cauliflower, and a nut-laden dressing to give the dish some crunchy texture. To get as much color on the cauliflower as possible, I treat it like a pan-roasted steak, first searing it in a hot skillet until it’s deeply browned, then transferring it to the oven to finish cooking.

Peach-Apricot Puree

Makes 1 cup

4 teaspoons sunflower or vegetable oil
¾ teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
One 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
½ Thai chile (with seeds)
1 large peach, peeled and diced
7 dried apricots, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh grapefruit juice
4 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1¼ teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1½ teaspoons elderflower syrup or ¾ teaspoon light honey

In a small saucepan, heat the sunflower oil over medium-low heat. Add the mustard seeds and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the ginger, chile, peaches, apricots, grapefruit juice, vinegar, and salt. Bring to a simmer over low heat, cover, and cook until the peaches are tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a blender or mini food processor and add the lime juice and elderflower syrup. Puree until smooth. The puree can be made up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated until ready to use.

Nut Vinaigrette

Makes 1 cup

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1½ teaspoons coriander seeds, crushed
¼ cup pistachios, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons sunflower seeds
½ teaspoon kosher salt
4 dried apricots, cut into ⅛-inch dice
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the coriander and toast until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the pistachios, sunflower seeds, and salt and cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer the contents of the skillet to a food processor and pulse a few times, until the nuts are roughly chopped. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the apricots, orange juice, and lemon juice. The nut vinaigrette can be made up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated until ready to use.

For Serving

1 medium head cauliflower
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup Peach-Apricot Puree
Nut Vinaigrette
2 tablespoons finely chopped tarragon
2 tablespoons thinly sliced mint
½ red finger chile, thinly sliced into half moons
1 orange, for zesting
Flaky sea salt

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Remove the outer leaves from the cauliflower and set the head, stem side down, on a cutting board. Cut the cauliflower from top to bottom into ¾-inch-thick slices. You should be able to get a couple of large steaks out of the middle of the cauliflower and some smaller pieces from the outsides.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches if necessary, season the cauliflower with salt and pepper and add to the skillet. Sear on one side until deeply golden brown, about 5 minutes, then flip and continue cooking until the other side is well browned, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until the cauliflower is tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Spread the peach-apricot puree on the bottom of a serving platter. Arrange the cauliflower pieces over, and drizzle with the nut vinaigrette. Sprinkle with the tarragon, mint, and chile, drizzle with olive oil, and grate some orange zest over the top. Season with flaky salt and serve.

The Takeaway

Both the peach-apricot puree and nut vinaigrette can live beyond this recipe: The puree is great with roast pork (like the Raisin-Stuffed Pork Loin), as well as chicken, duck, and root vegetables. And the nut vinaigrette is excellent with chicories and other hearty greens, as well as fish.