Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts

This recipe for Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts is a but the pear portion ahead of time (the pears will brown so can’t be done in advance). I have been specifically avoiding vegetarian side dishes that bury the vegetable side in cream and cheese- I think I already used my Thanksgiving side allotment of that all on the Butternut Squash Lasagna in Béchamel sauce recipe I covered previously.

Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts

So gratins and casseroles were out. I love roasting cauliflower (well, really roasting any vegetable), and I’ve also made cauliflower into a mash – you can make faux mashed potatoes that way. But I was still looking for something different… and then I found this. This recipe is another preparation of cauliflower which is done on the stovetop  in just 10-15 minutes, and really seems to embody autumn! Bosc pears work well, but you could really use any pear you’d like.

Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts

The original Fine Cooking recipe calls for 8 fresh sage leaves, but since I already used sage in the  Butternut Squash Lasagna and in the Harvest Quinoa with Apples and Walnuts recipe, I decided to season this with  a different herb and used a mix of rosemary and tarragon. Rather than parsley, I had these spicy radish sprouts from Nightlight Farm instead, which I like better than parsley. Yum, microgreens beats parsley any day.

This dish serves 8-10 as a side along with your main protein- be it turkey or whatever you are having for dinner!

Ingredients:
Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts

  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • 1 large head cauliflower, cut into small florets about 3/4 inch wide – about 4 cups worth of florets
  • 1/2 cup toasted and chopped hazelnuts – you can use other nuts also, such as almonds or walnuts
  • 8 fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced crosswise, or I used about 4 springs of tarragon and a teaspoon of rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon salt + to taste
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper + to taste
  • 2 large ripe pears, cored and thinly sliced (I know I show 3 pears- but I only used 2, the third was for a few slices for garnish)
  • 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, or I used about a cup of spicy radish sprouts

Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts

Directions:

    1. In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter until light brown and bubbly. Add the cauliflower, hazelnuts, and sage. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with 1 teaspoon each of the salt and freshly ground pepper and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is browned and crisp-tender, 6 to 7 minutes more.
      Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts
    2. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the pear slices and parsley. Gently toss to combine and warm the pears. Season to taste with more salt. Serve hot or at room temperature.
      Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts

Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts
This is the fourth of a series of posts of recipes covering dishes to consider for Thanksgiving. All the recipes in this series will be vegetarian, so you might consider it for a side dish or if you have a vegetarian at your table like I do, be a way to provide something more hearty than the usual sides of rolls, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Check out my Recipes Index page for other dishes that I have covered in the past.

Summary of the Vegetarian Thanksgiving Sides Series 2013:

Vegetarian Recipe: Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts

As a side note check out that star plate that I first bought after college,  mostly because it was on sale and seemed pretty fancy. It also is not dishwasher safe but it would still be several years before I rented my first apartment with a dishwasher. Also not microwave safe but since everything I nuked came in a package from the freezer or in a restaurant leftovers container that wasn’t an issue.  Amazingly I still have the whole set including teacups and saucers,  which is more than I can say about my everyday dining set of stoneware that actually came from Facebook.  When we got married we looked at half a dozen places but could not agree on china so we continue to use a mish mash of dishware.

Do you have fine china or a full set of dishes or are you eclectic like me?

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Comments

  1. Way to be creative! Seriously this looks awesome and I think it will be on my table. Thanks! Yum.

    • Thanks Bonnie, though I don’t know if it was really creativeness or just being really stubborn about continuing to browse through Thanksgiving sides recipes everyday this month!

  2. Brown butter + anything = delicious. We have made brown butter cauliflower before and it is always a hit in our house, but I never tried with pears. Can’t wait to try this out!

  3. That looks like stuffing! Anything that looks like stuffing is okay in my book – cauliflower or no.

  4. Renée ♥ What's for Dinner, Mama? says

    This is combination I would have never thought of trying! Thanks! As for china, I’m finding myself gravitating toward local handmade pottery items more and more, so my dishes are getting increasingly unique. I do have a very old Ivy set of china that I got from my mom. It’s the same set that Lucy and Ricky Richardo had on I Love Lucy, so I love it for that.

Trackbacks

  1. […] Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, and Hazelnuts recipe […]

  2. […] Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, and Hazelnuts recipe […]

  3. […] on during December, and am not sure if I will do many recipes until after Christmas. Similar to the Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, and Hazelnuts recipe in my last post (as well as the Harvest Quinoa with Apples and Walnuts recipe) for this series, […]

  4. How to Feed Vegetarians: A Holiday Guide {Part 3} - What's For Dinner, Mama? says:

    […] […]

  5. […] For another veggie side choice, consider broccoli or cauliflower via St. Norbert College’s Cheese Broccoli or skip the cheese and go with Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Hazelnuts […]

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