Cauliflower Popcorn - Roasted Cauliflower

"This is based on the recipe by Bob Blumer from the "Surreal Gourmet Bites" cookbook. This simple caramelization method transforms this much maligned veggie into a knock-your-socks-off side dish or sweet snack that you won't be able to get enough of!"
 
Download
photo by DianaEatingRichly photo by DianaEatingRichly
photo by DianaEatingRichly
photo by DianaEatingRichly photo by DianaEatingRichly
photo by Anonymous photo by Anonymous
photo by Garden Gate Kate photo by Garden Gate Kate
photo by breezermom photo by breezermom
Ready In:
1hr 10mins
Ingredients:
3
Serves:
4
Advertisement

ingredients

Advertisement

directions

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  • Trim the head of cauliflower, discarding the core and thick stems; cut florets into pieces about the size of ping-pong balls.
  • In a large bowl, combine the olive oil and salt, whisk, then add the cauliflower pieces and toss thoroughly.
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment for easy cleanup (you can skip that, if you don't have any) then spread the cauliflower pieces on the sheet and roast for 1 hour, turning 3 or 4 times, until most of each piece has turned golden brown.
  • (The browner the cauliflower pieces turn, the more caramelization occurs and the sweeter they'll taste).
  • Serve immediately and enjoy!
  • Where I got it: I originally heard about this recipe at Gail's Recipe Swap, where Josh posted it and many folks tried and loved it.

Questions & Replies

  1. The serving size of 162g, is that before or after being cooked? Thanks! ??
     
Advertisement

Reviews

  1. Delicious! I was scared they were burnt, but they tasted delicious. Next time I will reduce the cooking time a bit, and reduce the amount of salt....maybe just adding it at serving. But I have been reducing salt in my diet and am probably overly sensitive. I agree with earlier posters....do not cut the cauliflower into small sizes.....maybe a little larger than ping pong balls.....they really shrink up! The smaller ones dry up. Made for Best of 2010 Tag game! Congrats on being a Best of 2010 Recipe!!! Thanks for sharing.
     
  2. Absolutely fabulous! I've given this recipe out many times. You'll be surprised at how much the cauliflower cooks down. My husband and I can eat a whole head of cauliflower cooked this way because of the shrinkage. I'd recommend making two full heads to feed a family. This is INCREDIBLE tasting. The cooking is spot on. I sometimes add some crushed red pepper or a shake or two of garlic powder...but it's perfect just as it is. A very requested veggie in my house.
     
  3. Let me preface this review by saying I normally hate cauliflower. I've never served it to my kids, and this is the first time in 16 years of marriage that I've made it for my DH. <br/><br/>That said, if it were only me ranking this, I'd give 5 stars. DH said 3, one DS said 4, the others weren't sold on it. I cut them into small bites - definitely smaller than ping pong balls - and let them go the full hour. I also liked the very small (burnt?) pieces that were crunchy. I like that the small pieces lost their texture (which is a big problem I have with cauliflower), and had the dark, roasted flavor. I also salted after roasting - in addition to the salt in the oil. I tried without, and it definitely needed it - and I don't usually salt food. <br/><br/>Be warned - they shrink A LOT! Started out with a very full pan, ended up with less than half when they were done. So have I extracted any bit of nutrition by cutting them small and baking till dark and mostly crunchy? Possibly, but I hope not. I can definitely see me making this again for myself. And I can guarantee this is the only way cauliflower will be served in our house. Yum!
     
  4. Like others have posted, I over-coked mine. They still tasted great and I will repost after I make it again. My kids even eat them without complaint (a major victory in our house). One tip for those who are making this for the first time...... do not cut the florets too small. The long cook time will soften the bigger pieces and if they are too small they will dry out..
     
  5. What a great cooking alternative for cauliflower! I have a daughter with a dairy allergy, so we are a non-cheese sauce family - the usual preferred method to eat cauliflower it seems. This roasted cauliflower was tasty and sweet. My cooking time was a little less, maybe I made my pieces smaller? So easy to make, definitely will make it again
     
Advertisement

Tweaks

  1. These were delicious! Instead of olive oil, I just used cooking spray. Instead of salt, I used garlic salt. Tasty and addictive!
     

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

<p>It's simply this: I love to cook! :) <br /><br />I've been hanging out on the internet since the early days and have collected loads of recipes. I've tried to keep the best of them (and often the more unusual) and look forward to sharing them with you, here. <br /><br />I am proud to say that I have several family members who are also on RecipeZaar! <br /><br />My husband, here as <a href=http://www.recipezaar.com/member/39857>Steingrim</a>, is an excellent cook. He rarely uses recipes, though, so often after he's made dinner I sit down at the computer and talk him through how he made the dishes so that I can get it down on paper. Some of these recipes are in his account, some of them in mine - he rarely uses his account, though, so we'll probably usually post them to mine in the future. <br /><br />My sister <a href=http://www.recipezaar.com/member/65957>Cathy is here as cxstitcher</a> and <a href=http://www.recipezaar.com/member/62727>my mom is Juliesmom</a> - say hi to them, eh? <br /><br />Our <a href=http://www.recipezaar.com/member/379862>friend Darrell is here as Uncle Dobo</a>, too! I've been typing in his recipes for him and entering them on R'Zaar. We're hoping that his sisters will soon show up with their own accounts, as well. :) <br /><br />I collect cookbooks (to slow myself down I've limited myself to purchasing them at thrift stores, although I occasionally buy an especially good one at full price), and - yes, I admit it - I love FoodTV. My favorite chefs on the Food Network are Alton Brown, Rachel Ray, Mario Batali, and Giada De Laurentiis. I'm not fond over fakey, over-enthusiastic performance chefs... Emeril drives me up the wall. I appreciate honesty. Of non-celebrity chefs, I've gotta say that that the greatest influences on my cooking have been my mother, Julia Child, and my cooking instructor Chef Gabriel Claycamp at Seattle's Culinary Communion. <br /><br />In the last couple of years I've been typing up all the recipes my grandparents and my mother collected over the years, and am posting them here. Some of them are quite nostalgic and are higher in fat and processed ingredients than recipes I normally collect, but it's really neat to see the different kinds of foods they were interested in... to see them either typewritten oh-so-carefully by my grandfather, in my grandmother's spidery handwriting, or - in some cases - written by my mother years ago in fountain pen ink. It's like time travel. <br /><br />Cooking peeve: food/cooking snobbery. <br /><br />Regarding my black and white icon (which may or may not be the one I'm currently using): it the sea-dragon tattoo that is on the inside of my right ankle. It's also my personal logo.</p>
 
View Full Profile
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Find More Recipes