"FRITTI, FRITTI, FRITTI" - FRIED CAULIFLOWER WITH SAGE AND LEMON
Palace Kitchen chef Duskie Estes claims her goal for the year is to improve the underrated image of cauliflower to its deserved hip status. We think her dish, which is currently on the Palace menu, does the job! It's so delicious that it warrants the extra effort it takes to deep-fry foods at home.
Deep frying is easiest in a heavy, deep, straight-sided pan. You will need to fill the pan with 2 to 4 inches of oil, but the pan should be no more than half full, because the oil will sputter up as you fry. A frying thermometer is a good investment, because the temperature of the oil will change as food is added. A fryer basket is a great help, or you can drop the food in the oil with a tongs and scoop it out with a small sieve or slotted spoon. (Note: you can make a simpler dish by skipping the fried lemons and serving the fried cauliflower and sage leaves with lemon wedges.)
Step #1 Prepare a basic aioli: combine 1 cup mayonnaise, 2 teaspoons chopped garlic, 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice and a pinch cayenne. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate.
Step #2 Prepare the lemons for frying:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 lemon, very thinly sliced
1 cup club soda
ice cubes
3/4 cup flour
Combine 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar in a small pot and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Slice 1 lemon into very thin slices as you allow the sugar syrup to cool. Put the slices in the syrup and allow to steep for at least a half an hour.
Prepare batter for lemons: Add a few ice cubes to 1 cup of club soda and allow to chill a few minutes. Remove the ice cubes. Whisk the iced club soda with 3/4 cup flour in a bowl. Set the bowl of batter in another bowl of ice water.
Step #3 Prepare the cauliflower:
Peanut oil for frying
1 medium head cauliflower, broken into florets, blanched in boiling water 3 minutes, plunged in ice water, and drained
4 eggs, 1/4 cup water, 2 1/2 cups dry, untoasted bread crumbs, 3/4 cup grated Parmesan
18 sage leaves
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
To prepare the cauliflower, whisk the eggs with the water in a bowl. In another bowl combine the breadcrumbs and the parmesan. Dip the cauliflower florets in the egg mixture, allowing extra egg to drip off. Then dredge the florets in the breadcrumb mixture.
Step #4 — Fritti, Fritti, Fritti!
Fill a deep, heavy pan with at least 2 inches of oil and heat to 3750 F. Drain the lemon slices. Dip the lemon slices in the batter and fry a couple minutes turning as necessary until coating is crisp but not browned because the sugar on the lemons will burn easily. Drain the fried lemons on paper towels. Keep warm.
Fry the cauliflower florets until golden and drain on paper towels. Keep warm. Finally, fry the sage leaves in the hot oil until they are crispy. Garnish the fried cauliflower with the fried lemon slices and fried sage leaves. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve with the aioli.
Serves 4 to 6 as an appetizer
