Cauliflower Sformato is a savory soufflé, with the texture more like a savory baked custard. It can be served as an appetizer, enjoyed over a glass of wine as an entrée, or even perhaps eaten as a main course at lunch.
Each week we receive a box of farm fresh fruit and vegetables. When our delivery arrives, it's a little bit like Christmas morning. Each box has different fruits and vegetables because each week the delivery is based on what is freshest and in season. One of the inclusions last week was a whole cauliflower.
Cauliflower can be steamed and served as a side dish, served au gratin, added to a stir fry, soup or risotto. But I wanted to do something a little different. So I decided to make Cauliflower Sformato.
For my sformato, I opted to roast the cauliflower and added truffle salt for a luxurious touch. I also opted to make miniature sformato's and serve them with crackers and wine.
Have you had sformato before?
And don’t forget to grab a copy of my free vegan cheat sheet too! It’s packed with my favorite easy substitutions to help you make just about any recipe vegan!
Other Cauliflower Recipes
If you're a fan of cauliflower, you'll love these tasty recipes. From Cauliflower Buffalo Wings to Cauliflower Rice Sushi Bowls to Cauliflower Tacos to Pasta Curry with Cauliflower, you can find a cauliflower dish to fit any menu!
We're Coming to the USA
By the way, in some VERY exciting news, our trip to the United States is back on!! Regular readers will recall we had to cancel our much anticipated trip a few weeks ago as my boyfriend fell over and broke his foot while taking our rubbish bins out (not a task usually considered dangerous, but we live on the edge). Well, when we visited the doctor last week, we asked when he expected that my boyfriend would be well enough to travel. He advised the end of the month, as surgery was successful and the fracture is healing well. SO we heading over to the United States in the first week of June!!! I am beyond excited!!
We'll be visiting New York and Las Vegas. Sadly, we had to cancel plans to visit San Francisco, due to restrictions around using our Frequent Flyer points to purchase the flights. The restrictions also meant we had to come home via Fiji, so we have decided on a 5 day layover there. I can't think of a better way to recover from jet-lag!
How to Make Cauliflower Sformato
Béchamel
- Pour the milk into a jug. Add the garlic and steep for 15 minutes.
- In a saucepan over a medium-low heat, melt the butter before whisking in the flour. Cook for a minute to remove the flour taste.
- Remove the garlic from the milk and gradually whisk into the flour and butter mixture. Add the nutmeg.
- Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and decant into a bowl or jug. Cover with cling film, ensuring the cling film touches the béchamel to prevent a skin from forming.
Sformato
- Preheat the oven.
- Line a roasting pan with baking paper and add the cauliflower. Drizzle with the olive oil and toss to combine. Roast for 15 minutes or until the cauliflower is cooked. Set aside to cool.
- Process the cauliflower in a food processor until smooth.
- Whisk the eggs in a large bowl and add the béchamel. Mix until well combined.
- Using a spatula stir in the cauliflower puree, parmesan, salt, and pepper.
- Spoon the mixture into well greased individual moulds (panna cotta moulds are perfect for this), and place into a roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with hot tap water until it comes half way up the side of the moulds and bake for 15–20 minutes or until set.
- Cool in the mould for 10 minutes and then unmould.
While you're here, be sure to grab my free e-cookbook packed with reader favorite vegetarian recipes!
Recipe
Ingredients
Béchamel
- 1 ¾ cups milk
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons plain all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Sformato
- 1 medium head cauliflower about 800 grams, trimmed into individual flowerets
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups Parmesan cheese freshly grated
- ½ teaspoon fine truffle salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Béchamel
- Pour the milk into a jug. Add the garlic and steep for 15 minutes.
- In a saucepan over a medium-low heat, melt the butter before whisking in the flour. Cook for a minute to remove the flour taste.
- Remove the garlic from the milk and gradually whisk into flour and butter mixture. Add the nutmeg.
- Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and decant into a bowl or jug. Cover with cling film, ensuring the cling film touches the béchamel to prevent a skin from forming.
Sformato
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/355°F.
- Line a roasting pan with baking paper and add the cauliflower. Drizzle with the olive oil and toss to combine, then roast for 15 minutes or until the cauliflower is cooked. Set aside to cool.
- Process the cauliflower in a food processor until smooth.
- Whisk the eggs in a large bowl and add the bechamel. Mix until well combined.
- Using a spatula, stir in the cauliflower puree, parmesan, salt, and pepper.
- Spoon the mixture into well greased individual moulds (panna cotta moulds are perfect for this), and place into a roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with hot tap water until it comes half-way up the side of the moulds. Bake at 180°C/355°F for 15–20 minutes or until set.
- Cool in the mould for 10 minutes and then unmould.
Maria@Scandi Foodie says
I've never tried this before but I'm certainly loving the idea! I'll have to give it a go, cauliflowers are so gorgeous right now!
Maria@Scandi Foodie says
I've never tried this before but I'm certainly loving the idea! I'll have to give it a go, cauliflowers are so gorgeous right now!
Gastronomy Gal says
Argh- so happy for you that your trip is back on! Very exciting - I know how disappointed you were. Amazing news. Can't wait to hear about all your travels and eating adventures overseas.
Kayla says
I've never heard of sformato before. At first, I thought it might be a typo error. The ingredients spell Y-U-M. I think whole cauliflower is a wonderful thing. I love them in stir fries, but would never have thought of cooking them like this!
My recent post Blueberry Lemon Muffins Gluten-free and Vegan
delicieux says
The first time I read about sformato I thought it was a spelling mistake too! 😀 It is yummy, and you can extend it to incorporate any vegetable you like.
Kulsum says
Oh Jennifer I never had savory souffle! But it sounds very interesting. Have a great time on your trip and come back with many many pictures to share 😀
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Ellie says
Its great to find out new way to cook cauliflowers. Thanks for sharing!
Dzenana says
Yum! I've never heard for sformato before, let alone had it, but it looks so good!
I'm so glad your trip is back on too!
My recent post Sweet Corn and Zucchini Ratatouille
muppy says
I have never had sformato before, looks delicious. So glad you still get to go on your trip.
Sukaina says
I've never had a svaory souffle before and I'm too chicken to try. I'm so happy that the trip of a lifetime is back on. Have a fabulous time!
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delicieux says
Thanks Sukaina 😀 I am sure we will have a fabulous time. 🙂
Mary says
I've never heard of Sformato before either but it sounds wonderful!
New to your blog; happy I found you!
Mary xo
Delightful Bitefuls
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delicieux says
Thanks for visiting Mary and I'm glad I could introduce you to something new 😀 I hope you will stop by again 🙂
Xiaolu says
Wow I never imagined cauliflower could be transformed into sometehing like this. Sounds so delicious!
Nicole@HeatOvenTo350 says
I've never heard of this before! It looks so elegant. So happy that your trip is back on. My husband and I are headed to Las Vegas in a month. It's a fun place!
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delicieux says
Sounds like we will just miss you and your husband in Vegas. We will be there in a little over 2 weeks for a week. I can't wait. It certainly looks like an interesting place from what I've seen on tv.
Not Quite Nigella says
You know I don't think I've ever tried a sformato! It looks really interesting! And YAY for your US trip being back on. I felt your pain when you said that it was cancelled!
CC11 says
I have never actually heard of Sformato before but it looks yum - and yay for fast healing and rescheduled holidays, all that planning went to good use after all!
@natureinsider says
It's great that your trip will happen after all! Have a lot of fun there! :)))
I never had a sformato before, but it sounds delicious 🙂
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