In keeping with my cruciform kick, I have a cauliflower recipe for you! Oh, this recipe. It’s so rich and delicious, it will make any heart sing. It’s really interesting how meaty cauliflower can become if you cook it with coconut cream and intense flavors. I used Williams-Sonoma Coarse Madras Curry & Dried Lemon Peel to flavor my coconut cream, it was a divine combination!

Madras Curry & Coconut Braised Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower
1 13.5 oz can of full fat coconut cream
2 tbsp. Madras Curry
1 tbsp. dried lemon peel
salt & pepper to taste
chopped arugula for garnish (optional but quite tasty!)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and pull out a cast iron skillet for this slow braised dish!

Cut away all the green leaves from the base, but don’t disturb the core or else the cauliflower will fall apart. I gave the cauliflower a leg up by blanching it at a gentle boil for 5 minutes. Drop the cauliflower in base down to ensure the thickest part of the cauliflower is submerged. Once you pull it out of the water, let it sit in a colander to drain. Once drained, pat dry with a towel to make sure the cream adheres to all the nooks and crannies.

I roasted the 2-lb head of cauliflower for 55 minutes, pulling it out every 10 minutes to liberally brush with more cream adding a small sprinkle of Maldon salt each time. It is important to keep brushing the cauliflower so the dried lemon peel doesn’t burn and become bitter. The lemony notes are SO wonderful in this dish. You will know if your cauliflower is done when you try to stick a fork in toward the base, it should slide in and out without getting stuck.

I topped with chopped arugula and coated the bottom of my bowl with arugula, too. It soaked up all the delicious juices and was absolutely insane. This dish is rich enough that it feels like a protein, and fatty enough to serve as a meal. It’s even more vegetarian friendly as a complete meal than my Garlicky Charred Broccoli with Tahini Drizzle from yesterday!