Cauliflower Cake

I found this recipe from Smitten Kitchen as soon as I came home from the farmer's market last week. I knew I wanted to prepare it for my mom and sister who were staying with me on the eve of the Rally to Restore Sanity this weekend.

It was delicious but very filling. We have plenty of leftovers so go along with our halloween candy and birthday cupcakes (today was also my roommate's birthday) to eat all week long!

Cauliflower Cake (from Smitten Kitchen)

What You Need
- 1 medium cauliflower
- 1 large red onion, peeled
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
- 10 medium or 8 large eggs
- Handful basil, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 cups finely grated parmesan cheese
- Salt and black pepper
- Butter, for greasing pan
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds (recipe calls for black, but I used white and a bit more than 2 tablespoons)

What You Do
1. Preheat oven to 350°F degrees.
2. Break cauliflower into medium florets.
3. Place floret in a pot with a teaspoon of salt, cover them with water and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until quite soft.
4. Strain and let drip in the colander for a few minutes so they dry and cool.
5. Halve your red onion and cut a few thin rings off the end of one side; set them aside.
6. Coarsely chop the remainder of your onion.
7. Heat all of your olive oil in a saucepan and saute the chopped red onion and rosemary together until soft, about 8 minutes. (This smells so good!)
8. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
9. Whisk eggs and olive oil and onion mixture together. Stir in basil.
10. Whisk flour, baking powder, turmeric, cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and many grinds of black pepper together in a separate bowl.
11. Add to egg mixture, whisking to remove lumps. Stir in cauliflower gently, so most pieces remain intact.
12. Line the bottom of a 9-inch round pan with parchment paper.
13. Butter the sides generously.
14. Put the sesame seeds in the pan and toss them around so that they stick to the sides.
15. Pour in the cauliflower batter, arrange the reserved onion rings on top and bake cake in the center of the oven for 45 minutes, until golden brown and set.

Serve warm or at room temperature. Yum. More on cauliflower to come!