Error saving – please try again later!

Crispy cheese and mustard cauliflower bites

Starter Canape / Party food
Serves 4 as a snack
Prep 10 min
Cook 35 min

These are like a mustardy, bite-sized cauliflower cheese. They’re great as they are, but a sprinkle of paprika, a squeeze of lemon and some mayo would do no harm (though that might be construed as cheating).

Ingredients

2 large eggs, plus 2 yolks
2½ tbsp English mustard (Colman’s, ideally), plus 2 tbsp extra to serve
70g panko breadcrumbs
70g parmesan, finely grated, plus extra to serve
flaked sea salt and black pepper
sunflower oil, for frying
1 large cauliflower, trimmed and cut into bite-sized florets (750g net weight)

Method

  1. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, egg yolks and mustard until smooth. In a second medium bowl, combine the panko, parmesan, a small pinch of flaked salt and plenty of pepper.
  2. Pour enough sunflower oil into a medium saute pan to come 5cm up its sides and put on a medium-high heat. Dip each cauliflower floret first in the egg bowl and then in the panko bowl, until well coated. Once the oil is hot, fry the florets in four batches, until cooked through and golden – about five minutes for each batch. Transfer to a tray lined with kitchen paper to drain, and keep warm in a low oven while you fry the remaining batches of cauliflower.
  3. Pile the fried cauliflower on to a large plate and sprinkle generously with flaked salt and a good amount of grated parmesan. Serve warm, with extra mustard for dipping.