Humble and bare in its natural state, cauliflower can morph, chameleon-like, into just about any flavor or texture you ask it to. It's the cook's blank canvas, and we can't wait to see what you all come up with – so roast, crumble, puree and sauce away. Colorful variants welcome, even Romanesco broccoli.
These are not your usual contests. We have a slightly nutty system but it works. Together, the Food52 community has created two cookbooks this way -- there’s no stopping us now. Read about it
Read about it »
photo 1 of 13
Cauliflower, parsley, lemon, garlic, olive oil, and panko.
photo 2 of 13
Cutting the cauliflower into florets.
photo 3 of 13
Merrill showed us her trick -- she quarters the cauliflower, then cuts out the "spine," making it easy to break into florets.
photo 4 of 13
Adding oil to the cauliflower -- there's just enough to barely coat it and this makes for nicely roasted cauliflower that's not weighed down by too much oil.
photo 5 of 13
Spreading the cauliflower on a parchment-lined baking sheet (for easy clean up, but also because Amanda's baking sheet is a mess).
photo 6 of 13
Toasting the panko in olive oil with salt.
photo 7 of 13
Toasted! Time to add the chopped garlic and lemon zest.
photo 8 of 13
Parsley waits on the sidelines -- it went in after the breadcrumbs cooled.
photo 9 of 13
The cauliflower, roasted.
photo 10 of 13
Time to top the perfectly-roasted cauliflower with the gremolata.
photo 11 of 13
photo 12 of 13
Ta-da!
photo 13 of 13
photo 1 of 13
photo 2 of 13
This dish is a snap to put together.
photo 3 of 13
Ground mustard goes into the pot with some sugar.
photo 4 of 13
And then a spoonful of golden turmeric.
photo 5 of 13
Amanda tackles the cauliflower, cutting it into florets, as Merrill adds cider vinegar to the marinade.
photo 6 of 13
photo 7 of 13
Make sure to stir the marinade until the sugar dissolves, or it will stick to the bottom of the pot.
photo 8 of 13
A quick simmer, and the marinade's ready.
photo 9 of 13
Amanda's still cutting cauliflower florets!
photo 10 of 13
photo 11 of 13
A quick stir to coat all of the florets in the yellow liquid.
photo 12 of 13
We covered it and let it sit for a few hours, stirring every so often to distribute the marinade.
photo 13 of 13
