Jeni Wright, Eric Treuille, Le Cordon Bleu

Preparing Broccoli and Cauliflower

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top 1000Le Cordon Bleu Complete Cooking Techniques
Le Cordon Bleu Complete Cooking Techniques

By Jeni Wright, Eric Treuille and Le Cordon Bleu

Published 1996

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From left to right: Broccoli; Brussels sprouts; Cauliflower

The delicate florets and bard stalks of broccoli and cauliflower cook at different rates so you need to separate them before cooking. Broccoli is illustrated here.
  1. Holding the vegetable over a colander, cut off the florets leaving only the stalk. Divide the larger florets into smaller ones.

  2. Remove the leaves from the stalk. Peel away the tough, outer layer with a vegetable peeler, then cut the stalk lengthwise in half.

  3. Put the stalk cut-side down and remove the ends. Cut the stalk lengthwise into slices; cut the slices lengthwise into sticks.