Savory Cauliflower Soufflé

Except for grass-fed butter, the ingredients on My Paleo Marin are mostly dairy-free.* So what’s a blogger to do when the recipe for a phenomenal-looking “Cauliflower Cake" by Yotam Ottolenghi calls for 120 grams of parmesan cheese?

Googling a cheese substitute suggested using ingredients with fat and salt. What better to go with the mild-tasting orange cauliflower from Whole Foods than bacon? And olive tapanada to replicate the texture of the missing cheese?

The resulting soufflé was a delicious rustic main course that can be served warm or cold, morning, noon or night - and with no danger of “payback" for those with lactose sensitivities.






Ingredients:

1 tablespoon melted butter
2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
1 tablespoon black caraway seeds

6 pieces bacon, preferably sugar-free**

1 bottle of pitted green olives
1 bottle of pitted Kalamata olives
1 tablespoon virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 head orange cauliflower, or white
1 teaspoon fine sea salt

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion, peeled
1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary

7 large eggs
1/2 cup basil leaves, chopped
1 cup gluten-free flour, sifted, preferably Cup4Cup Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Optional:  1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper; or 1/4 teaspoon cumin, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

1. Line a 9” springform cake pan with parchment paper; cut paper even with top edge of the pan and make folds with excess around the inside. Brush the bottom and sides with melted butter. Sprinkle the sesame and black caraway seeds around the sides and bottom of pan. Set aside.

2. Put bacon slices on a rack over a pan. Put in preheated oven to bake for 10 minutes, turning pieces over midway through. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

3. Make the tapanda by first chopping the olives into small pieces. Mix in the olive oil and garlic powder. Set aside.

4. Remove the outer leaves of the cauliflower and cut or tear the florets into 1-1/4” pieces (about 4 cups). Put the cauliflower in a pan, cover with water, add 1 teaspoon salt, and put lid on. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the florets collapse easily with a fork. Drain in a colander, and set aside.

5. Cut four 1/4” slices off the ends of a red onion, 2 from each side. Carefully put them on a plate and set aside.

6.Coarsely chop the rest of the onion into small pieces. Heat the oil in a
frying pan, and cook and stir the herbs and chopped onion until soft, about 10 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Let cool.

7. Crack the eggs in a large bowl. Whisk the eggs briskly until they fluff up. Fold in the onion mixture, bacon (torn into bits), basil, and 1 cup of the tapanada. Add the flour, baking powder, turmeric and pepper (plus optional spices) and mix. Fold in the cauliflower gently to mix everything together. Taste for seasoning.

8. Pour the soufflé mixture into the prepared pan. Add one reserved onion slice on each quadrant. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes, or until a fork comes out clean in the center. Cool on a rack for 20 minutes. Eat warm, or serve at room temperature.

#paleo #soufflé #glutenfree #dairyfree #nutfree  

Recipe adapted from “Cauliflower Cake” in Plenty More by Yotam Ottolenghi.

*Recipe for "Orange & Black Hot App” (11/14) calls for goat cheese (often can be tolerated by those with lactose sensitivities), and some of the chocolates may contain small amounts of milk.

**Note: For vegetarian entrée, eliminate bacon.