Cauliflower Biscuits?

Not so many dishes this week, but they sure are tasty. You'll really want to make these for yourself!

Southern Breakfast, Cabana Style

Our new guests this week are the first to ask for this southern classic breakfast done my way: biscuits, white gravy flavored with bacon, and chef-made marmalades.

Biscuits

The simplest, easiest, fastest biscuit recipe that I know of.  Makes 4-6 light, flaky biscuits suitable for gravy or with strawberries, for a classic dessert.

2 cups Bisquick tm baking mix

1/2 cup Sour Cream

1/2 cup Lemon-Lime Soda

Flour for prepping the work surface

Combine the baking mix, sour cream and soda into a soft dough. Liberally flour a working surface.  Turn the dough out on it and knead, flouring the dough as you go, until it comes together without being a sticky mess.

Pat the dough out about 3/4” thick and cut out biscuits with a 3-4" round cutter, and place them on a parchment-covered baking sheet. Collect scraps, knead and pat out again as necessary. Bake at 425F for about 15 minutes until GB&D.

Gravy

The gravy is a basic roux. Cook a couple of strips of bacon. Into the drippings, add some butter and flour. Stir together to make a roux. Cook the roux a minute or so, but don't let it brown. Now thin out that roux with half and half, and crumble the bacon into it. Add salt & pepper to taste

Ham Steak

The Brits would call this 'gammon'. About 6-8" diameter and 1/2" thick, serves two.

Marmalades

This week I've got two kinds of marmalade -- my signature Florida Marmalade (orange, lemon, lime) and my new favorite Blood Orange Marmalade that I told you about a couple weeks ago. 

 

Cauliflower Parmesan

This recipe is one of the 2015 Top Twenty recipes from the New York Times cooking section. Makes a great alternative to the classic Eggplant Parm. Several people commented on the original recipe with improvements, notably roasting rather than frying the cauliflower.  I'll show you mine.

1 Head Cauliflower, disassembled into 2" florets

½ cup AP Flour

4 large Eggs, lightly beaten

3 cups Panko

Kosher salt, as needed

Black Pepper, as needed

4 oz sliced Mushrooms

24 oz can Tomato Sauce (I used Hunt's tm Garlic flavored)

8 oz finely grated Parmesan

8 oz shredded Mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Use a somewhat deep, narrow container (coffee mug) for the egg dredge, and a deep small bowl for the panko. Rinse the cauliflower in a collander, and shake mostly dry. Place in a plastic vegetable bag from the grocers. Add the flour, twist the top closed, and shake to coat the cauliflower. This will save you tons of time, trust me!

Dredge the floured florets, individually, in the egg and then the panko, and place on a baking sheet in a single layer.  Next time I'm going to try the bag trick with the panko too.  Drop a few egg-coated florets in the bag, shake, then transfer; and repeat.  It's gotta be faster than one-at-a-time.

Roast the cauliflower for 30 minutes, flipping it over at the halfway point for good color on both sides.

Spoon a thin layer of sauce over the bottom of an 8x10 or 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle about a third of the Parmesan over the sauce. Arrange half the cauliflower over the Parmesan and top with half the mozzarella pieces. Add a layer of sauce. Now add a layer of mushroom slices. Repeat layering and end with sauce, some panko and Parmesan on top.

Transfer to the oven and bake about 40-45 minutes, until cheese is golden and casserole is bubbling, Let cool a few minutes before serving. 

This is a real keeper, folks. It's hearty enough that it can be served as a stand-alone main course, but can also be used as a side dish along with a green vegetable. Even if you're not fond of cauliflower, I challenge you to try this dish -- it really doesn't taste of cauliflower! Crispy and cheesy and tomato-y and oh so good!