Cauliflower-Cornbread Fritters
I understand that there are still quite a few of you out there that don’t like cauliflower, and if your experience has been of the steamed-’til-mushy, then served up with a fake-o cheese sauce variety– do y’all remember that? — then, OK, I’m with you. I get it. Why would anyone do that to any vegetable, much less one as lovely and delicate as the choufleur?
Yes, it’ll take up half of your shopping bag, and oui, it weighs a ton, but treat her right, and choufleur will show you all sorts of fun.
For proof, just look at my most recent bit of choufleur whimsy, these fritters (or galettes if you want to be Frenchy) made with cornmeal, cheddar cheese, green onions, and a bit of cumin, to give it that Cowgirl twist.
It goes without saying that X doesn’t like choufleur, but I no longer pay any attention to his long list of vegetable dislikes, and figure that with time, he’ll come around. Remember what happened with broccoli? Oh he HATED broccoli, he said. Just wouldn’t eat that. Oh no. But when I started putting broccoli — and tofu! — in my Basil Thai Fried Rice, I watched him pick the broccoli right out of the rice — and eat it FIRST.
So I made these fritters one night not too long ago to show him just how good choufleur can be.
Did it work?
Well, I came home the next day and found him eating the leftovers, cold, right out of the fridge. Cold cauliflower fritters instead of cookies as snacks?
Winner.
Cauliflower-Cornbread Fritters
Makes 12-16 4-inch fritters
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
2 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt
freshly cracked black pepper
1 cup corn meal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon cayenne
½ teaspoon cumin
2 eggs
5.29 oz. container Greek yogurt
1 cup water
4 chopped green onions, divided
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
Chipotle Crème Fraiche, recipe follows
Preheat oven to broil.
1. Put the cauliflower florets on a parchment-lined cookie sheet (or two if you need more room) and drizzle the florets with the 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and lightly sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Slide into the oven until the florets begin to brown, about 15 minutes. Once the florets brown, pull them out of the oven and turn them over, so the other side gets brown, too. This will take about 10 more minutes. When browned on both sides, remove from the oven and let cool. (Note: You can do this ahead of time and just pop in the fridge until ready to make the fritters.)
2. To make the fritters, in a medium bowl, whisk together the corn meal, baking powder, sea salt, cayenne pepper, and cumin.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, yogurt and water. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and stir together. If the batter is too thick, just add a bit more water. Fold in the cauliflower florets, cheddar and green onions, reserving about 2 tablespoons of green onions for garnish.
4. Heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a skillet and turn the heat on medium-low. When hot, spoon about 2 tablespoons of the batter onto the skillet for each fritter, and fit in as many as you can, leaving about 2 inches between each one. Cook for a couple of minutes, or until the bottom is brown and toasty, and flip to the other side for another few minutes. You don’t want these to cook too fast, or they’ll be wet in the middle. Serve immediately with Chipotle Creme Fraiche and a few green onions, because it looks pretty that way.
Cowgirl Tip: Although some people like to eat these cold, they also reheat beautifully. Just pop them in the toaster or toaster oven.
Chipotle Crème Fraiche
16 ounces crème fraiche or sour cream
2-3 chipotle chiles (depending on how hot you like it)
Put chipotles in Cuisinart and pulse to chop. Add crème fraiche and blend.
