Recipe: Sous Vide Cauliflower Steaks
July 9, 2020
For many, Cauliflower is the king of the modern kitchen. It's a versatile vegetable and one that can be intimidating to work with solely by virtue of options. One of our favourites are cauliflower steaks paired with a smoky, bright marinade and a rich tahini sauce.
- Prep: 15 mins
- Cook: 1 hr 10 mins
- Yields: Generally 1 steak is 1 serving, but portions vary depending on the size of your head of cauliflower
Ingredients
1 large head of cauliflower, cut into 1-inch thick steaks
1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp of roughly chopped cilantro, can subsitute with an equal amount of parsley if desired (we encourage you to experiment with using both or either in different quantities - this is really to personal taste)
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp of lime juice
2 finely minced cloves of garlic
kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Thinly sliced chives to garnish
1 tbsp of vegetable oil for searing
Dipping Sauce
1/3 cup tahini
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp table salt
Directions
1Set water bath to 185 degrees Fahrenheit
2Combine tahini, water, lemon juice, garlic clovess, cumin, cayenne and table spot together in a blender while the bath is coming up to temperature
3Pulse until smooth - make sure to taste for flavouring during the process and adjust your trinity of acids (lemon juice), richness (tahini), and savoury heat (cumin and cayenne) and adjust to your preference
4In small bowl mix together the extra virgin olive oil, roughly chopped cilantro and/or parsley, smoked paprika, chili powder, lime juice, and finely minced cloves of garlic
5At this stage you can adjust the thickness of your marinade by adding more olive oil, to make it thinner, or more herbs, to thicken
6In a vacuum sealable bag combine the marinade and cauliflower steaks - try to get them in a single layer if possible., if not use multiple bags with clips
7Cook the cauliflower for minimum 1 hour, but up to 3 for deeper flavour
8When cooking is done, remove the cauliflower from the bag and keep the cooking liquid
9Add a drizzle of vegetable oil to a pan set to medium-high heat
10Add the cauliflower steaks to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes per side or until golden brown
11After the second flip add the contents of the bag back to the pan and spoon overtop of the steaks for 60s on high heat (expect some sizzling)
12Finally, plate with a smear of your homemade tahini and garnish with thinly sliced chives
As usual sous vide recipes are as much about a range of possible cooking times. For first time diners we suggest starting with the 1 hr cooking option. This is a good baseline for trying out the recipe as is before beginning to tweak and adjust.
Doreen T
March 4, 2021
This is just what I’m looking for! I decided to go vegetarian for a bit for health reasons. I can cook this up while the hubby makes his steak.