Roasted cauliflower meets a creamy whipped mascarpone cheese with lemon tang for an easy yet impressive appetizer!
I get recipe inspiration from many different places. Sometimes I will see a piece of produce in the grocery store and an idea will come. Other times, I will see a piece of pottery or a glass and I will think of a meal or drink that would look great in the dish. More often than not, I get ideas from traveling and restaurants. With two little boys, my travel and dining out is very limited.
If you have been following along on the blog, a December trip to NYC provided plenty of recipe inspiration! My friends and I dined at La Pecora Bianca on Bryant Park. I love New York at Christmastime and it was so fun to walk through the crowded market on a Saturday night and see so many people ice skating, sipping on hot chocolate and getting in the Christmas spirit!
At La Pecora, we started with their Roasted Cauliflower as an appetizer. This could have been my dinner. I knew that I would have to remake the dish as soon as I got home! I added some honey to the mascarpone and used pomegranate seeds in place of La Pecora's golden raisins and slivered almonds. Pomegranate seeds are full of antioxidants and provide a slight tart flavor to balance out the sweetness of the honey mascarpone.
Roasted Cauliflower Ingredients
The ingredients to make the roasted cauliflower are pantry staples! Here is what you will need:
- Cauliflower
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper
- Honey
- Mascarpone Cheese- This cheese can be somewhat seasonal. If mascarpone cheese is not available, you could substitute ricotta and whip in the food processor.
- Lemon- You will use the juice and then slice the lemon into wedges.
- Pomegranate Seeds
Kitchen Tools Needed
- Food processor-You will use this to whip the mascarpone cheese. If you do not have a food processor, you could use a stand mixer or a hand mixer on high speed to whip the cheese.
- Rimmed baking sheet- Any cookie sheet will do.
Let's Get Cookin' Roasted Cauliflower!
Start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with tin foil. This will make the clean up process easier and will prevent sticking. Toss the chopped cauliflower with EVOO and salt and pepper. Roast cauliflower for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, whip the mascarpone cheese. To a food processor, add the mascarpone cheese, honey, salt and pepper. Mix until combined. Spread cheese out on a serving plate.
After 10 minutes, remove cauliflower from oven. Juice one lemon over top of cauliflower. Toss to combine. Slice the juiced lemon into wedges. Add wedges onto cauliflower pan and roast for 10 additional minutes or until cauliflower begins to brown.
Remove cauliflower from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes. Place cauliflower onto of whipped mascarpone cheese. Top with pomegranate seeds. Serve warm or cold.
If serving to a crowd, I would recommend serving crostini on the side. It is delicious to spread the whipped mascarpone cheese on a nice little piece of toast!
Need Another Easy Appetizer?!
For a vegetarian option, try this Sweet Potato Mushroom Toast! Easy, Everyday Meatballs are a filling, meat lover's dream!
If you make this Roasted Cauliflower, please leave a comment or tag @delmarvaliciousdishes!
Roasted Cauliflower
Ingredients
Roasted Cauliflower
- Head of Cauliflower - Chopped
- 2 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Lemon
- Salt and Pepper
- Seeds from a Pomegranate
Whipped Mascarpone
- 8 oz Mascarpone Cheese
- 1 tablespoon Honey
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with tin foil. Toss cauliflower with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Bake cauliflower for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and toss cauliflower. Add lemon juice and lemon slices. Cook for 10 additional minutes until cauliflower begins to brown.
- Add mascarpone cheese, honey, salt and pepper to a food processor. Pulse until smooth.
- Spread whipped mascarpone cheese onto a serving dish. Place cauliflower chunks on top. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.
