Tempura-Fried Cauliflower Tossed In Housemade Burger Seasoning, Topped With Scallion, Served With a Lemon Wedge and Housemade Herb Ranch
Recipe courtesy of Chelsea Ballard, Chef de Cuisine, Sea Pines Country Club (Hilton Head Island, S.C.)
“Ode to my first mentor, Chef Kathleen Blake, this herb ranch was one of the first recipes I wrote down," says Ballard. "Over time, I've evolved it just a bit, but I love to always incorporate it somewhere.”
Ingredients
- Ingredients for tempura:
- all-purpose flour - 1 cup
- corn starch - 1 cup
- ice-cold water - 2 1/2 cups
- salt - 1 Tbsp.
- burger seasoning - 1 tsp. (any spice blend will do)
- Ingredients for herb ranch:
- sour cream - 1 cup
- mayonnaise - 1 cup
- yellow onion - 1/2 ea., small, grated
- roasted garlic purée - 1 Tbsp. (granulated garlic is an okay substitute)
- Worcestershire sauce - 2 Tbsps.
- lemon zest and juice - 1 ea.
- red wine vinegar - 1 tsp.
- parsley - 2 Tbsps., chopped
- chives - 1 Tbsp., finely cut
- salt - to taste
- black pepper - to taste
Instructions
- Mix dry ingredients together first.
- Then whisk in cold water (should be pancake-batter consistency).
- Gently toss and coat florets in tempura. Slowly drop into frying oil at 350°F using a slotted spoon. Be careful to avoid splash-back.
- Fry for approximately 3 minutes.
- Let the fried florets drain slightly, then place back into the fryer oil for another minute. (This insures lasting crispiness.)
