For this month’s TGRWT I wanted to make a cauliflower cream and serve it with something crispy. Considering the fact that cocoa and parmesan are also a good match I googled for parmesan crisps and found a nice recipe for “frico” – Italian parmesan crisps. The cauliflower cream was invented in the process of making it.

Cocoa frico
40 g parmesan, grated
2 t cocoa

Mix parmesan and cocoa. Divide into six portions on a parchment paper (use cake rings with a diameter of approx 9 cm). Bake for 4 min at 175 °C. Leave to cool. If made to thick, the fricos will be chewy rather than crispy.

Grate parmesan and mix with cocoa.

Transfer to parchment paper.

After baking the fricos look like this – let them cool for a couple of minutes before handle them.

If you want to make “baskets”, invert them over a wine cork or something similar.

Cauliflower cream
1/2 cauliflower, in slices
2.5 dL water
1.5 dL sour cream
2 t salt
1 t xanthan

Cut cauliflower in pieces and spread on aluminum foil. Bake for 40 min at 175 °C. Add water to cauliflower and pureé with immersion blender until smooth. Add sour cream, salt and xanthan and blend. Pass through a fine sieve and transfer to a 1/2 L whipper and charge with nitrous oxide. Note: To use up this portion of cauliflower cream makes you’ll have to make 20-30 cocoa fricos!

Caramelized cauliflower with nicely browned edges.

To serve, place frico on plate, fill with cauliflower cream and sprinkle with pepper.

The baskets were a little to large to grab, and impractical to eat with a knife and a fork. The flat half-moon pictured at the top of this post was easier to eat just using the fingers.

Verdict: A nice appetizer! Fricos have a strong parmesan flavour with a hint of cocoa. Aromas blend well, but the dish could need some kind of freshness added to it – Any suggestions?

Get ready for the next round of TGRWT! The seventh round is hosted by Papin at Flavor alchemy who chose to pair caramlized cauliflower and cocoa. An easy way to caramelize cauliflower is to cut it in 2 cm thick slices (many of them will fall apart – that’s OK) and bake them at 200 °C for approx. 30 min. You can sprinkle the pieces with olive oil and salt, but this is not absolutely necessary.

It is a truly delicious combination, and I’ve published a simplified recipe for caramelized cauliflower and cocoa jelly, based on a recipe published by Heston Blumenthal. What is fascinating about the combination is that after I’ve tasted the two together, caramelized cauliflower on it’s own reminds me of cocoa.

For an extra boost of inspiration, visit Inge’s round-up of TGRWT #6 (part 1, part 2) which featured many delicious combinations of apple and lavender.