Cauliflower croquetas with black garlic mayonnaise

  • medium
  • 10
  • 1 hour 30 minutes plus 24 overnight to freeze
Not yet rated

Take cauliflower cheese to another level with these crisp and creamy croquettes. Served with a moorish black garlic mayonnaise, this is a great vegetarian starter to impress. The mixture needs freezing, so ensure you leave enough time when preparing this recipe.

First published in 2022

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Black garlic mayonnaise

Cheese sauce

Caramelised cauliflower pureé

  • 300g of cauliflower, pulse blitzed in the blender
  • 25g of unsalted butter
  • 5g of rapeseed oil
  • 12g of Parmesan
  • 30g of double cream
  • 7.5g of Cabernet Sauvignon vinegar
  • salt, to taste
  • whole milk, to adjust thickness

Caramelised cauliflower pieces

Pané and Frying

  • 3 eggs
  • 200g of flour, seasoned
  • 500g of Panko breadcrumbs
  • vegetable oil, for frying

To finish

Equipment

  • Blender

Method

1

To make the Black Garlic Mayo, melt the butter and add the chopped garlic cloves. Cook gently on a very low heat until it turns sweet in flavour and is lightly caramelised, then place into a blender with the black garlic cloves and blitz until as smooth as possible (add a few drops of water if it becomes too thick to blend). Leave to cool

2

Place the egg yolks, cold garlic mix, mustard and lemon juice into the blender and blitz, gradually adding the oil until thick and emulsified. Taste and adjust to your liking with salt, vinegar and more lemon juice if you wish. Store in the fridge for up to a week

3

To make the cheese sauce, melt the butter in a pan and stir in the flour to create a roux. Cook out for 5 minutes until a sandy texture has formed then add the milk bit by bit to ensure a smooth white sauce. Keep adding the milk until the desired consistency is achieved– you want a thick sauce to ensure the croquetas hold 

4

Remove the sauce from the heat, add the cheese and mustard and beat well until all the cheese is melted. Then add the garlic and egg yolk and beat again to fully incorporate. Finally season to taste with lemon juice, salt and pepper

5

For the pureé, melt the butter and oil in a large pan and when hot, add the blitzed cauliflower. Cook the cauliflower, stirring regularly until a deep golden colour is achieved, then add the cream to the cauliflower and warm through. Transfer to a blender with the parmesan, salt and vinegar and blitz until smooth, adding a dash of milk if needed to blend (but keep it as thick as possible)

  • 25g of unsalted butter
  • 300g of cauliflower, pulse blitzed in the blender
  • 5g of rapeseed oil
  • 12g of Parmesan
  • 30g of double cream
  • 7.5g of Cabernet Sauvignon vinegar
  • salt, to taste
  • whole milk, to adjust thickness
6

For the caramelised cauliflower pieces, melt the butter and oil in a large pan, place the cauliflower into the pan and cook on a high heat until lightly caramelised all over, stirring regularly. You want the cauliflower to still have a slight bite to it

7

To finish, place the cheese sauce back onto the heat to warm through slightly, then mix in the caramelised cauliflower pureé, ensuring it is fully incorporated. Finally, gently fold in the cauliflower pieces and taste the final mix for seasoning and acidity

8

Transfer the mixture to piping bags and pipe out 3cm logs into a greaseproof lined tray. Place in the freezer for at least 24 hours

9

Once frozen, slice into 5cm portions, then dust in flour, followed by the egg, followed by the panko breadcrumbs 

  • 200g of flour, seasoned
  • 3 eggs
  • 500g of Panko breadcrumbs
10

Heat a deep fat fryer or pan of oil to 190ºC, then deep fry the croquetas in batches until golden, ensuring you don't overcrowd the pan

  • vegetable oil, for frying
11

Drain on kitchen paper then deep-fry the cauliflower leaves until crisp

12

To plate, squeeze dots of the black garlic mayonnaise over the plates and top with 2 croquettes. Balance the crisp leaves on top and finish with the grated cheese

  • 300g of hard cheese, grated, (chef uses Bermondsey hard press)
First published in 2022

Jack Croft and Will Murray struck up a friendship while working at Dinner by Heston and in 2019 launched their own restaurant concept called Fallow. Together they now cook some of London’s most exciting, sustainability-focused food.

Get in touch

Please sign in or register to send a comment to Great British Chefs.