Cauliflower Frittata

With the supposed summer coming, that means lots of fresh fruits and vegetables will be available at local farmers markets and stores! I’ve been trying to play with more vegetables in more creative ways, aside from just roasting, steaming or boiling them. Even more, incorporating vegetables into main entrees rather than side dishes is something I’ve been interested in lately. When friends and I got together for a Brunch for Dinner party not too long ago, I had a wonderful Cauliflower Frittata, where cauliflower is drenched in a rich egg custard and baked with onions, garlic and thyme until puffy. Cauliflower has now captured my heart…

I can’t say that I really gave cauliflower much time to shine in the kitchen. It was always a vegetable that didn’t seem to be interesting enough. It’s white and boring. It’s flavor is fairly neutral and bland. But the beauty about cauliflower is that it lends itself as a blank canvas. It picks up flavor well, is hearty enough to withstand baking, boiling and even grating. I’ve found some delicious and creative ways to prepare it… but never did I think of using it in a frittata.

Thanks to my friend Robert, our host for the Brunch for Dinner party, he prepared this dish and it was wonderful. After enjoying this frittata, I was inspired to use cauliflower in more recipes to highlight how versatile it is. I liked that this frittata had a nice satisfying texture as a result of the cauliflower. The garlic and fresh thyme really gave some good flavor. And to top it off, freshly grated Parmesan cheese offers a nice touch.

1. 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2. 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3. 1/2 medium head of cauliflower cut into 1-inch florets (2 cups)
4. Sea salt
5. 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
6. 3 small garlic cloves, thinly sliced
7. 10 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
8. 2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs from 1 piece of toast
9. 2 teaspoons thyme leaves
10. Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
11. Truffle salt or fleur de sel and aged balsamic vinegar, for serving
12. Preheat the oven to 400°. 
13. In a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium high heat, melt butter in the olive oil. 
14. Add the cauliflower florets, onion and garlic, seasoning to taste. Cook until cauliflower is golden brown and onions and garlic have softened.. 
15. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the eggs with 3/4 teaspoon of sea salt. Pour the eggs over the cauliflower and cook, without stirring, until the bottom of the frittata is just set, about 2 minutes. Lift the edges of the frittata and tilt the pan to allow the uncooked egg mixture to seep underneath. Continue cooking the frittata until the bottom is golden and the top is just slightly runny, about 3 minutes.
16. Sprinkle the bread crumbs and thyme over the frittata and bake until it is just set, about 3 minutes longer. Sprinkle the frittata with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and slide it onto a work surface or platter. Cut the frittata into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature with truffle salt and balsamic vinegar.