Cauliflower toast, sesame mayonnaise and lemon myrtle

This recipe, inspired by Chinese prawn toast, is a vegetarian version that also uses a little sprinkling of native Australian ground lemon myrtle in the sesame mayonnaise drizzle. This recipe comes from Will Houia.

Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  4

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Series. Cooking. Rated PG.

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Ingredients

• 350 g cauliflower, florets
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 2 egg whites
• 1 spring onion, roughly chopped
• ¼ tsp white pepper
• ¼ tsp salt
• Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• 3 thick slices white bread, crusts trimmed
• 80 g sesame seeds

For the sesame mayonnaise

• 1 egg yolk
• 4 g lemon juice
• ½ tsp Dijon mustard
• 300 ml canola oil
• 20 g water
• A pinch salt
• 2 g ground lemon myrtle
• 25 g toasted sesame seeds

For the gochujang drizzle

• 75 g gochujang
• 25 g confit garlic (see note)
• 15 g honey
• 15 g brown sugar
• 30 g garlic oil
• 15 g rice vinegar

Allow extra time if making confit garlic on the day of making the toasts.

Instructions

1. To make the sesame and lemon myrtle mayonnaise, combine the egg yolk, lemon juice and mustard in a food processor. Blitz until smooth, then while blending, gradually add the oil and blend until thick and emulsified. Add the water to thin out the consistency, then add the remaining ingredients and blitz to combine. Transfer to a piping bag and refrigerate until needed.
2. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to the boil, then boil the cauliflower florets for 15-18 minutes, or until tender. Drain and refresh in iced water, then remove from the water and dry on paper towels.
3. Meanwhile, to make the gochujang drizzle, combine the ingredients in a small food processor and blitz until smooth. Transfer to a piping bag.
4. In a food processor, combine the cooked and dried cauliflower florets, garlic, egg whites, spring onion, white pepper and salt. Blitz until smooth, then set aside.
5. In a medium saucepan, heat enough oil to deep-fry to 160˚C. Cut the bread into rectangular portions. Spread the prepared cauliflower filling onto the bread, then dip into sesame seeds. Deep-fry until golden on both sides (in batches if necessary), then remove from the hot oil with tongs to a wire rack to cool.
6. Once cooled, transfer the cauliflower toasts to serving plates and drizzle with sesame and lemon myrtle mayonnaise and the gochujang drizzle.

Note

For the confit garlic (makes extra): Combine 3 bulbs garlic, cloves separated and peeled, 1½ cups olive oil and 3 thyme sprigs in a small baking dish (ensuring the garlic is submerged), then bake at 120˚C until the cloves are completely soft (the time will depend on the size and age of the garlic bulbs; it may take 40-60 minutes). Remove from the oven, allow to cool and use as required. Keep refrigerated until needed, or freeze for longer storage.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.