Pizza Today - September 2019 - 42

to make sense," he says. "That takes a little
bit of work and time and you eliminate
certain toppings from cauliflower crust for
that reason. So, for example, our sausage
which cooks on the spot through the
cooking chamber, I won't recommend it. If
people want it, we'll go through the extra
step of par cooking it before we place it on
the crust to finish it off. It's the same thing
with the vegetables. We pre-roast those
vegetables."
They both warn to do your homework on
the specific cauliflower crust on whether it
meets the many claims that are out there,
such as low-carb or Keto Diet-friendly.
Magriplis says they are in the early stages of
developing a Keto-friendly cauliflower crust.
After much research, we tried our hand
at making a basic cauliflower crust in the
Pizza Today test kitchen. Here's what we
discovered:
* Cauliflower consists of over 90 percent
water. It is very challenging to wring out
enough liquid to get a crispy crust.
* A cauliflower "dough" ball has no elasticity. Instead of stretching, you shape the
mix to form a circle. Be sure not to go too

thin around edges to avoid burning.
* The crust can be prone to sticking so
non-stick surfaces work best.
* We found hard cheeses like Asiago and
Parmesan work better in the mixture than
high moisture cheeses like mozzarella.
* You'll have to test the amount of egg
used to get the right texture. We had to use
less egg in our deck oven.
Here's the basic recipe that we worked
with in the test kitchen:

Margherita on
Cauliflower Crust
2 cups grated cauliflower
½ cup Asiago
1 egg
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ cup fresh mozzarella, torn
Fresh basil leaves
¼ cup San Marzano tomatoes, crushed
by hand
Salt and pepper

After grating or pulsing fresh cauliflower
in a food processor, place into towel and
wring out as much water as you can. In
a skillet on medium-low sauté cauliflower
until soft but not brown. Squeeze out cauliflower again and place into mixing bowl.
Let cool. Add egg, Asiago, Parmesan,
oregano, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Shape mix into a ball. (If it feels
too wet, wring out the mix again then ball.
Place cauliflower ball onto non-stick pan
and spread to create a circle shape. The
"dough" should be no more than ½-inch
thick. Par bake crust for 4 to 7 minutes
until the crust has some color but not
brown. Remove from oven. Spread
tomatoes, leaving 1/8-inch edge. Add
fresh mozzarella and basil. Place back
into the over for 2 to 4 minutes or until
crust is brown and toppings are cooked
through. (Times will vary considerably
depending on oven and temperature).
Remove from oven. Cut and serve. n
DENISE GREER is Executive Editor at Pizza

Today.

http://hotrocksovens.com http://hotrocksovens.com http://utm_source=pizzaandpasta&utm_medium=pubexternes&utm_campaign=pizzatoday http://utm_source=pizzaandpasta&utm_medium=pubexternes&utm_campaign=pizzatoday

Pizza Today - September 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pizza Today - September 2019