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Buffalo Cauliflower Bites with Ranch Dressing

Source of Recipe

From "One-Hour Comfort" by America's Test Kitchen


Recipe Introduction

"Arguably, you can never have enough fried cauliflower, so here's another rendition. Buffalo cauliflower may have been created as a vegetarian-friendly stand-in for Buffalo chicken, but now it more than holds its own as a fully legit bar snack. The florets just have so many nooks and crannies to highlight the crackly batter and trap pockets of the tangy-spicy sauce. The key to these poppable bites is the flavorful, crunchy coating that holds up so well under its Buffalo blanket. A mixture of cornstarch and cornmeal creates the ultra-crisp exterior, and canned coconut milk has just the right viscosity to make the mixture stick. An herby ranch dressing is a cooling foil to the spicy kick. We're fans of Frank's RedHot Original Sauce for this dish, but you can use your favorite. If your can of coconut milk has separated, with a more solid mass above the watery liquid, be sure to mix it together before measuring. Use a Dutch oven that holds six quarts or more."

List of Ingredients

Ranch Dressing:
â—¦ ½ cup mayonnaise
â—¦ 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
â—¦ 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
â—¦ 1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh chives
â—¦ 1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh dill
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
â—¦ â…› teaspoon salt
â—¦ â…› teaspoon pepper

Buffalo Sauce:
â—¦ 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
â—¦ ½ cup hot sauce
â—¦ 1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
â—¦ 2 teaspoons cider vinegar

Cauliflower:
â—¦ 2 quarts peanut or vegetable oil for frying
â—¦ ¾ cup cornstarch
â—¦ ¼ cup cornmeal
â—¦ ½ teaspoon salt
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon pepper
â—¦ â…” cup canned coconut milk
â—¦ 1 tablespoon hot sauce
â—¦ 1 pound (1 ½-inch) cauliflower florets (4 cups)


Recipe

For the dressing:
Whisk all ingredients in bowl until smooth and refrigerate until ready to serve.

For the sauce:
Melt butter in small saucepan over low heat. Whisk in hot sauce, sugar, and vinegar until combined. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm; set aside.

For the cauliflower:
Line platter with triple layer of paper towels. Add oil to large Dutch oven until it measures about 1 ½ inches deep and heat over medium-high heat to 400 degrees. While oil heats, combine cornstarch, cornmeal, salt, and pepper in small bowl. Whisk coconut milk and hot sauce together in large bowl. Add cauliflower; toss to coat well. Sprinkle cornstarch mixture over cauliflower; fold with rubber spatula until thoroughly coated.

Fry half of cauliflower, adding one or two pieces to oil at a time, until golden and crisp, gently stirring as needed to prevent pieces from sticking together, about 3 minutes. Using spider skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer fried cauliflower to prepared platter.

Return oil to 400 degrees and repeat with remaining cauliflower. Transfer ½ cup sauce to clean large bowl, add fried cauliflower and gently toss to coat. Serve immediately with ranch dressing and remaining sauce.

Serves 4