Day 265: Cauliflower with Nuts & Dried Fruits

Oh, so festive looking!

Beyond pretty, however, this cauliflower, nut and fruit combination just didn't work.

I've had my eye on the recipe for a long while. I've bought cauliflower for it twice and then used it oh so deliciously here and also wonderfully here. I planned it for Christmas dinner and then ran out of burners.

The trouble is: there's no delivery mechanism between the nuts and fruit and the cauliflower. Sure, cutting the butter from four to one tablespoon might have made a difference. But I don't think so.

So the result was big chunks of cauliflower (good, of course) with buttery nuts and fruit (how can buttery nuts and fruit be anything but good?) on top and clustered underneath -- but not in the least bit blended together.

Too bad -- pretty AND delicious would have made it worth the calories!

CAULIFLOWER with NUTS & DRIED FRUIT
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Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 30 minutes
Serves 5

Water to cover
1 tablespoon white vinegar (there was no explanation on what this added and it didn't seem to affect the taste so ...)
1 medium head cauliflower, cored, trimmed and cut into florets (tonight's weighed 1 3/4 pounds untrimmed, 1 1/4 pounds cored and trimmed)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter (reduced from 4 tablespoons)
1/2 cup mixed nuts
1/2 cup mixed dried fruits, chopped
Salt and pepper

Bring water to cover to boil in a large pot. Add the vinegar and cauliflower, cook until the cauliflower is al dente, tonight about 12 minutes. Drain and return to the hot pan.

While the water comes to a boil, melt the butter in a small saucepan or skillet over MEDIUM. Add the nuts and let toast until just starting to get fragrant, then add the fruit. (Since the nuts/fruits I had on hand were a blend, they just went in together.) Let bubble a bit but be careful not to burn the butter or nuts. Toss the nuts and fruit with the cooked cauliflower, then season with salt and pepper to taste.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Serving: 171 Cal (53% from Fat, 10% from Protein, 38% from Carb); 4 g Protein; 11 g Tot Fat; 3 g Sat Fat; 18 g Carb; 5 g Fiber; NetCarb 13; 35 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 110 mg Sodium; 6 mg Cholesterol, Weight Watchers 4 points

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT'S DUE
Laura Calder's French Cooking at Home

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