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Sticky Habañero Cauliflower Bites

I seem to have gained a reputation as the neighbor who will happily take your excess food. Did an online grocery order mishap leave you with 12 dozen clams instead of 12 clams? Call Chef Laura. She’ll know what to do with them. Did India’s spice markets intoxicate you with their aromas? Laura will take some of those souvenirs off your hands. Did your pepper plants react like a pot full of gremlins in the summer rain? Chef Laura knows just the sauce, hot sauce. In fact, I get so many bundles of my friends’ excess chili peppers, I really should give up on my pitiful gardening.

This fall, a neighbor gifted me about a bushel of red chili peppers in two unknown varieties. One was very similar to habañero peppers, so I used them to make a batch of Mango Habañero Hot Sauce. I love a vegetarian version of spicy tangy bar snacks, so I whipped up these simple 3-step cauliflower bites, which only require a few ingredients when you have the hot sauce already prepared by the jug. Any variety of your favorite hot sauce will do here. Just make sure it is a heat level you can tolerate!

Yield: 6 servings as an appetizer or snack

What You Need:

  • 1 head cauliflower

  • ¼ cup all purpose flour

  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder

  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1-2 tablespoons canola oil

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

  • 3 tablespoons of you favorite hot sauce

  • 2 teaspoons honey

What You Do:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

  2. Remove the root end and leaves of the cauliflower and discard. With your hands or a knife, separate the head into large evenly sized florets.

  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, garlic powder and salt. Toss the cauliflower florets in the flour mixture to coat.

  4. Spread the cauliflower florets out in a single layer on the parchment lined sheet pan and drizzle with canola oil on both sides.

  5. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cauliflower is tender and just starting to brown.

  6. While the cauliflower is baking, prepare the sauce. In a large bowl (I use the same bowl from the flour, wiped out), combine melted butter, hot sauce and honey. Whisk until smooth.

  7. Toss the lightly browned cauliflower florets in the sauce. Return to the parchment lined sheet pan and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until browned and crispy.

  8. Serve with a yogurt or buttermilk dipping sauce or dressing.