{"id":25750,"date":"2017-06-30T10:06:43","date_gmt":"2017-06-30T14:06:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev-gordon-food-service-canada.pantheonsite.io\/ideas\/cauliflower-and-carrots-move-to-the-centre-of-the-plate\/"},"modified":"2025-07-01T13:48:41","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T17:48:41","slug":"cauliflower-and-carrots-move-to-the-centre-of-the-plate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/en-ca\/ideas\/cauliflower-and-carrots-move-to-the-centre-of-the-plate\/","title":{"rendered":"Cauliflower and Carrots Move to the Centre of the Plate"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>As veg-centric entr\u00e9es gain momentum on menus, cauliflower and carrots\u2014formerly sidelined as sides\u2014are taking centre stage.<\/h2>\n<p>Cauliflower and carrots are hardy enough and versatile enough to stand up to a variety of cooking methods and applications, and are available year-round.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe trend is for very little processing,\u201d says Gordon Food Service Corporate Consulting Chef Gerry Ludwig, CEC. \u201cThese vegetables will always be less costly than protein counterparts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The question, then, is not whether to menu them; it\u2019s how to menu them. Carrots can become soups, souffl\u00e9s, or even ketchups. Cauliflower can be carved into \u201csteaks\u201d for grilling, mashed like potatoes, or pur\u00e9ed for soups, sauces, and souffl\u00e9s.<\/p>\n<h3>Roasted and Robust<\/h3>\n<p>For both vegetables, the trendiest preparation is whole-roasting\u2014ideally suited to centre-of-the-plate menuing.&nbsp;The large, impressive vegetables create a dramatic appearance on the plate and they convey freshness and quality.&nbsp;Rotisserie-roast whole heads of cauliflower, then top with sauce, breadcrumbs, and crumbled bacon.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Serve roasted cauliflower wedges with chickpeas and fingerling potatoes in a tomato-based sauce spiked with masala and sumac.<\/li>\n<li>Pair roasted cauliflower florets with other roasted vegetables or a classic cheese or b\u00e9arnaise sauce. Sprinkles of cheese, anchovies, or crisped bacon\u2014add craveable umami.<\/li>\n<li>Roast baby carrots with fines herbes (chervil, parsley, tarragon, chives) and olive oil.<\/li>\n<li>Roast heirloom carrots with chilies, cumin, and Marcona almonds Moroccan-style in a tagine.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Cauliflower Callouts<\/h3>\n<p>A substantial part of cauliflower\u2019s appeal is its \u201cbitter\u201d flavour profile, which Technomic Inc. calls a key 2015 flavour trend and \u201cthe new \u2018bold.\u2019\u201d Keep in mind that cauliflower needs help with eye appeal and mouthfeel, so add contrast and crunch.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Char-roast cauliflower to add colour and plate it with colourful vegetables and sauces for visual appeal.<\/li>\n<li>Cauliflower takes well to tempura-frying and deep-frying. Soak florets in buttermilk, deep-fry them, then serve with Sriracha, Buffalo, or Chinese five-spice sauce.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Carrots: Orange is the New Breakout<\/h3>\n<p>Innovative flavours and pairings elevate whole carrots to robust centre-of-the plate star attractions.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Drizzle carrots with top-quality olive oil or infused grapeseed oil, and sprinkle with truffle shavings.<\/li>\n<li>To bring out their sweet flavour, toss roasted or braised carrots with fresh herbs (tarragon, thyme, sorrel).<\/li>\n<li>Asian flavours pair well with carrots. Cook them in lemongrass or ginger-infused broth.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li>Serve whole glazed carrots with a balsamic reduction.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Use the Entire Vegetable<\/h3>\n<p>Carrots are also ripe for \u201croot-to-stem\u201d cooking that reduces waste and cuts food costs while adding eye appeal, texture, and nutrition to the plate.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Mince bright-green, slightly bitter carrot tops. Add them to soups, salads, and chermoulas; use them as plate garnishes.<\/li>\n<li>Leave green stalks attached to cauliflower florets to use as handles for dipping when cauliflower is served as a sharing-plates dish.<\/li>\n<li>Shave cauliflower stems and add to salads.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Choose the Best Vegetables<\/h3>\n<p>Choose cauliflower that\u2019s bright white; black spots indicate rot.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Remove plastic wrapping from cauliflower. Plastic traps moisture and causes spots.<\/li>\n<li>Use carrots within a few weeks of purchase. Centre-of-the-plate carrots must be supremely fresh and crisp, free of any \u201cwoody\u201d appearance, texture, or flavour.<br \/>\n\t&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As veg-centric entr\u00e9es gain momentum on menus, cauliflower and carrots\u2014formerly sidelined as sides\u2014are taking centre stage. Cauliflower and carrots are hardy enough and versatile enough to stand up to a variety of cooking methods and applications, and are available year-round. \u201cThe trend is for very little processing,\u201d says Gordon Food Service Corporate Consulting Chef Gerry [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":4282,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[122,68,123,112,69,111,113],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25750","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-catering-small-business","category-culinary-ideas","category-hotels-hospitality","category-restaurant-bars","category-running-your-business","category-healthcare","category-university"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.9 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Cauliflower and Carrots Move to the Centre of the Plate | Gordon Food Service<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/en-ca\/ideas\/cauliflower-and-carrots-move-to-the-centre-of-the-plate\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cauliflower and Carrots Move to the Centre of the Plate\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As veg-centric entr\u00e9es gain momentum on menus, cauliflower and carrots\u2014formerly sidelined as sides\u2014are taking centre stage. Cauliflower and carrots are hardy enough and versatile enough to stand up to a variety of cooking methods and applications, and are available year-round. \u201cThe trend is for very little processing,\u201d says Gordon Food Service Corporate Consulting Chef Gerry [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/en-ca\/ideas\/cauliflower-and-carrots-move-to-the-centre-of-the-plate\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gordon Food Service\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/GordonFoodService\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-06-30T14:06:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-01T17:48:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Cauliflower-and-Carrots.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"760\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Cody Rivers\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@cody.rivers@gfs.com\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@GFSDelivers\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Cody Rivers\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Cauliflower and Carrots Move to the Centre of the Plate | Gordon Food Service","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/en-ca\/ideas\/cauliflower-and-carrots-move-to-the-centre-of-the-plate\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Cauliflower and Carrots Move to the Centre of the Plate","og_description":"As veg-centric entr\u00e9es gain momentum on menus, cauliflower and carrots\u2014formerly sidelined as sides\u2014are taking centre stage. Cauliflower and carrots are hardy enough and versatile enough to stand up to a variety of cooking methods and applications, and are available year-round. \u201cThe trend is for very little processing,\u201d says Gordon Food Service Corporate Consulting Chef Gerry [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/en-ca\/ideas\/cauliflower-and-carrots-move-to-the-centre-of-the-plate\/","og_site_name":"Gordon Food Service","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/GordonFoodService\/","article_published_time":"2017-06-30T14:06:43+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-07-01T17:48:41+00:00","og_image":[{"width":760,"height":400,"url":"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Cauliflower-and-Carrots.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Cody Rivers","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@cody.rivers@gfs.com","twitter_site":"@GFSDelivers","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Cody Rivers","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/en-ca\/ideas\/cauliflower-and-carrots-move-to-the-centre-of-the-plate\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/en-ca\/ideas\/cauliflower-and-carrots-move-to-the-centre-of-the-plate\/"},"author":{"name":"Cody Rivers","@id":"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/en-ca\/#\/schema\/person\/ac2dd585b10d08ce15daca230d897374"},"headline":"Cauliflower and Carrots Move to the Centre of the Plate","datePublished":"2017-06-30T14:06:43+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-01T17:48:41+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/en-ca\/ideas\/cauliflower-and-carrots-move-to-the-centre-of-the-plate\/"},"wordCount":520,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/en-ca\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/en-ca\/ideas\/cauliflower-and-carrots-move-to-the-centre-of-the-plate\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Cauliflower-and-Carrots.jpg","articleSection":["Catering &amp; 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