Before this, I made cauliflower crust once before and while the taste was pretty darned good, the texture was lacking. I knew I'd make it again for the taste, but I really wanted to combine taste and texture together, to create a crust that I felt had the closest texture to "the real thing". Well, this crust totally makes the cut! It's really easy and simple, and the trick is to make sure you REALLY wring all of the water out of the riced/minced/mashed cauliflower after you cook it.
You can cook the cauliflower any way you'd like, but I prefer to boil it. I see some people prefer microwaving or steaming, but for me boiling is the simplest and easiest way. After the cauliflower has been boiled (I cook it until it's really, really soft), I leave it in the pot and run cool water through, and let it sit and cool for a bit before straining. After that, I mush it all up and put it in a cheesecloth.
That's the secret -- cheesecloth!
It really helps wring out a lot of the excess moisture, which is what's going to make your crust crisp up nicely on the underside and the edges, while keeping the middle and center nice and chewy.
For the crust:
- 1 head of cauliflower
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- black pepper (to taste)
- tsp garlic powder (to taste)
- tsp oregano (to taste)
- tsp parsley (to taste)
- Mozzarella
- Parmesan, garlic powder, and parsley (optional)
- Any other toppings you'd like to add!
After the cauliflower is nice and wrung out, put it into a bowl. Add egg, grated parmesan, pepper, oregano, parsley, and garlic powder. Mix it up! Take your dough and press onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 375F for about 15 minutes, then take it out and off of the parchment paper to bake for another 10 minutes directly on the baking sheet to help the bottom crisp up more. Then add your cheese (and toppings, if adding) and bake until the cheese is melted.
YUM! So easy, so simple, so delicious~
