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Roasted Caulflower with Bleu Cheese and Buffalo SauceI swear that anything can be “buffaloed”.  And there are recipes galore for Buffalo cauliflower, so I’m not even going to give you a recipe.  We’re just going to talk through the process, because you don’t need a recipe.  Follow your taste buds.

Roasted Cauliflower FloretsPlace the cauliflower florets on a foil-lined cookie sheet or a cast iron skillet.  Drizzle with some olive oil or bacon fat…some sort of fat.  Be careful with butter, because it might burn.  We’re going to quickly roast this mixture in a 450°F oven until it’s as done as you want it, about 10 minutes will probably do it for you.

When it comes out of the oven, pour it into a bowl, and sprinkle with salt.  Now, you have to options (I used option one, this time).

Option One:  Pour hot sauce of your choice into the pan, along with a good squeeze of lemon juice.  Bring that to the boil, whisking away with abandon.  Lower the heat; add butter, by the tablespoon.  I use cold butter and whisk it into the hot sauce mixture so it thickens up a bit.  Then place your cauliflower in a serving bowl; I use a skillet with a pretty blue enamel exterior, pour the hot sauce mixture over and sprinkle very generously with coarsely crumbled bleu cheese.  The amounts are up to you.  Let the whole mess sit for about 5 minutes.  This allows the cheese to soften and become melty—now it’s ready to serve.  Option Two:  You may squeeze a little lemon juice over the cauliflower, then douse the cauliflower with some hot sauce of choice.  However much you want or rather, how hot you want it!  Sprinkle generously with crumbled bleu cheese or Gorgonzola…any bleu-veined cheese is good.  Sometimes I add some coarsely chopped celery leaves…you know the big leaves, not the softer leaves from the heart.  Oh yes, and lots and lots of freshly ground black pepper.

That’s it.  That’s all there is to it.  If I’m feeling in the mood for creaminess, I pour a good quality bleu cheese salad dressing over it.  In the summer, feel free to do the roasting on the grill, if you don’t want to heat up your kitchen.  I just put a triple thickness of foil directly on the grill, toss the cauliflower and fat together in a bowl and then dump it on the foil when the grill is hot.  Screaming heat is the best way to cook cauliflower for something like this.  No heat in the kitchen, so it’s good for a hot summer night.  Roasted Caulflower with Bleu Cheese and Buffalo SauceServe it as a side dish or as a starter.  Life is good and easy, it turns out.