On being a liar. (and cauliflower steaks)

Okay, i'm not as smart and creative as you thought.  FOOLED YOU.

Just kidding.  I am awesome.  However, there are times when i need a little boost of creativity (read: plagiarism).  This is when i refer to my cookbooks and food magazines.  I buy so many of these and honestly, other than the baking recipes, I have NEVER made anything from them.  I've made variations and stretches and "based on"s, but following a recipe to the letter, doing tablespoons and teaspoons and cooking times ehhhhh not for me.  I cook by smell and by sight and by taste.

the original recipe

Take a minute and understand how hard it is for me, now, to translate the creations from my kitchen to you.  

I found this recipe some time or another in Bon Appetit and just thought it was the most groundbreaking idea, ever.  CAULIFLOWER STEAKS?  Exsqueeze me?  I can make a steak out of cruciferae?  They original recipe sounded delicious and i made my own variation which was just that (sans olives, sans excessive blending of tomatoes hello jarred sauce).  But then I thought, where can i take this?  Enter lemony wine saucy idea.

Cauliflower Francese Style (get outta here, heavy egg breading)

1 large head of cauliflower

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 shallot (or onion, whatever)

1 tablespoon flour (i used gluten free but you can use whatever's on hand!)

"francese" style - this picture is awful, guys.

1 cup dry white wine

juice of 2 lemons

zest of one of those lemons

veggie broth to thin the sauce - about 1/3 cup 

salt + pepper 

1. Slice cauliflower into about 1/2" steaks, and cut out the core if you want.  You want the core?  G'head, keep it.  

2. Preheat oven to 400.  Heat 1tablespoon oil in oven proof skillet over medium high heat.  Cook steaks (i had to do two batches for the whole head of cf) until golden brown on each side, about 2-3 minutes.  Use another tablespoon of oil, if you need to in between batches.  Transfer cooked steaks to sheet pan and stick em' in that oven.

3. In the same pan, add in your shallot and the rest of the oil.  When shallot is fragrant and translucent add in flour and whisk to combine.  Salt, and cook for 2 minutes until light golden.  Add in wine, zest and juice (i threw in chunks of lemon because i couldnt find the zester, sue me) and whiskwhiskwhisk.  It should get thicker, as it does, add in your broth to thin a little at a time.  Each time the sauce boils, it will be the destined thickness.  Keep thinning to your desired consistency.  Salt and pepper the hell out of that thing.

4. You can figure out the rest; take out the steaks, pour that sauce over, maybe sprinkle with some parsley or tarragon.  (in case you're super fast and deft at this sauce making business, your steaks need at least 15 minutes to finish cooking)