Roasted Cauliflower with Apples

I sometimes get frustrated when cooking. Also frustrating is that I’ve apparently been spelling and pronouncing frustrating” frus-ter-ating” my entire life. Does anyone else have a word that you’ve been saying the wrong way forever?!?

What’s bringing all this frustration out you ask? Well, the end of the year is coming faster than you can say “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” and my goal of picking out ingredients at a farmer’s market, whipping them into an organized flawless perfect meal is coming to a close (this may be moving to the 5 year list)!

In an attempt to advance my understanding of flavor combinations, I’ve been taking some recipe “freedom” and creating my own dishes. Some of them have been edible and some have gone immediately from the pan to the compost. Along the way my guide has been a book every aspiring chef should have in his or her kitchen: “The Flavor Bible”.

This book, just like the humble title says, ought to be treated like a bible. It is holds the secrets of five star restaurant quality flavor combinations – seriously. All it takes to unlock them is a little effort and trial and error.

This recipe was one that’s made it to the kitchen table more than once. And (might I add) there haven’t been any leftovers! I used “The Flavor Bible” to pair curry, cauliflower, apples, and Gruyere cheese together in a roasted and sautéed dish. It was delicious! I never thought curry would bode well with cauliflower but the combination worked wonderfully!

Roasted Cauliflower with Apples and Curry
Serves 4

You will need:
~ 1 head of cauliflower, trimmed and cleaned
~ About 1 tbsp olive oil for drizzling
~ 2 tsp curry, I’m biased towards Madra’s Curry Powder
~ 1 apple, something that is in season I used Gala
~ ½ tbsp butter
~ ¼ cup Gruyere, freshly grated
~ Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In a large bowl, combine cauliflower florets, olive oil, and curry. Mix thoroughly and toss evenly on a baking sheet. Roast for 25 minutes.

Melt butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Thinly slice apples and add to sauté pan. Sauté for 5 to 8 minutes until golden.

Combine cauliflower and apples in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Grate cheese on top and serve immediately.