Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Sage & Hazelnuts recipe add your recipe to finecooking.com
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Cauliflower with Brown Butter, Pears, Sage & Hazelnuts

by Andrew Carmellini
One Star Two Stars Three Stars Four Stars Five Stars read reviews (6)
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This dish has the advantage of cooking on the stovetop, freeing up valuable oven space for other dishes.Serves eight to ten.

ingredient discovery
Ingredients flat-leaf parsley
3 oz. (6 Tbs.) unsalted butter
1 medium head cauliflower, cut into small florets about 3/4 inch wide
1/2 cup toasted, skinned, chopped hazelnuts (see tip right)
8 fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced crosswise
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large ripe pears, cored and thinly sliced
2 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Tip: To toast hazelnuts, spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a 350°F oven for 14 to 18 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until lightly browned. While still warm, rub them against each other in a clean dishtowel to remove the papery skins.

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 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is browned and crisp-tender, 6 to 7 minutes more.

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.

Make Ahead Tips

You can prep all the ingredients several hours ahead except for the pears, which will brown if cut too far in advance.
nutrition information (per serving):
Calories (kcal): 140; Fat (kcal): 11; Fat Calories (g): 90; Saturated Fat (g): 4.5; Protein (g): 2; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 4.5; Carbohydrates (g): 11; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 1; Sodium (mg): 125; Cholesterol (mg): 20; Fiber (g): 3;
photo: Scott Phillips
From Fine Cooking 95, pp. 48
September 1, 2008

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Star Star Star Star Star by IlonaK, 1/1/2010Not sure what I did wrong, but this recipe did not go over well at all with my guests. Perhaps I didn't cut the florets small enough, but it took a lot longer to cook, and was pretty flavorless. Definitely the low point of my New Years Eve dinner.
Star Star Star Star Star by RickyBobby89, 12/29/2009Awesome! I hate cauliflower & I had 2 servings! The nuts & pears really make this recipe. I toasted the hazelnuts the night before. I also used only 4 leaves of sage. This was really tasty & easy to make.
Star Star Star Star Star by szatlanta, 11/30/2008This was excellent! Followed the recipe exactly.
Star Star Star Star Star by martx, 10/27/2008This was fabulous. Made it for a dinner party and got raves. Peeling the filberts was the most time consuming part of the recipe. Next time I'll try walnuts. SEveral friends are not eating potatoes these days and this is a great substitute dish. Although it is so easy to prepare and so tasty, it will be a dish I prepare weekday also.
Star Star Star Star Star by CookFromCanada, 10/14/2008I made this on the weekend for our Canadian Thanksgiving and it was great. I really loved the nutty flavor and the pear added a nice texture. I'll be making this again at Christmas, if not before then.
Star Star Star Star Star by janelovestocook, 10/12/2008My girls age 11 and 14 love cauliflower, so when I saw this recipe I just had to try it. This weekend I bought a beautiful large head of cauliflower at the farmers market and I ended up making it two days in a row. I had forgotten to buy hazelnuts at the market, so decided to substiture almonds. The dish was terrific. I used a little less sage ( 4 leaves) - again due to my younger daughters not liking to be overwhelmed by some flavors. This is a definite for my 2008 Thanksgiving menu !