When they decided to re-imagine Pinocchio Village Haus into a Beauty and the Beast themed restaurant, we were a little bit skeptical. It seemed they were doing this just to take advantage of the release of the live-action remake.
Then we saw the Red Rose Taverne menu and we were really intrigued. There were so many wonderful sounding Disney Dishes listed. We knew we had to experience it on our next trip to Disneyland. We were not disappointed.
Our favorite dish we discovered that day, by far, was the Enchanted Cauli-Flower Sandwich. Yes, it’s a vegetarian dish but it is spectacular. It was so good, we ordered it every time we visited.
That was, until last winter, We visited The Happiest Place on Earth with keen anticipation of once again experiencing one our favorite, enchanting Disney Dishes. We arrived at the Red Rose Taverne with excitement only to find…the Enchanted Cauli-Flower Sandwich was no longer on the menu.
Nooooooooooooooooooo!!!!
What a gastronomical disappointment!
I decided, that day, that I needed to figure out how to make this dish at home.
While, this wonderful vegetarian sandwich has returned to Disneyland Park, I wasn’t going to take the chance that we wouldn’t be able to enjoy it again. Now, you’ll be able to enjoy it in your home, as well.
Let’s get this Cauli-Flower blooming!
The Ingredients
As you can see from the picture above, there is plenty of fresh produce involved. This means that, once again, we’ve found a recipe that consists of ingredients that should be easily found in your favorite grocery store.
I chose to use Orange Cauliflower (which, actually, should probably be called “Yellow Cauliflower”) because I wanted to add a little splash of extra color to our sandwich. However, standard white cauliflower or even purple cauliflower will work just fine in this Disney Dish. Use whatever you can easily find and prefer.
The recipe also calls for Ciabatta Rolls which work really well for many sandwiches. However, they are not a necessary element. It’s another ingredient that can be swapped out for whatever you can locate and/or prefer.
Tempura Green Beans
This is an unexpected but amazing element of the Enchanted Cauli-Flower Sandwich. The Tempura Green Bean add an absolutely wonderful texture change to each bite.
- If you’ve ever made a Tempura Batter, you know it traditionally uses a “fizzy” liquid, like club soda, to lighten it. I didn’t happen to have any in the house. Okay, I really just forgot to pick it up at the store. Forgetting important items happens to me way more than I’d like to admit. The good news is, you an make a decent batter without it. So, that’s the recipe I’m sharing today.
Start by cleaning and trimming our fresh Green Beans. Next, add the water to the ice to chill it properly.
Meanwhile, you’ll want to sift the flour into a small bowl to help make sure you avoid lumps in the batter.
Add the egg to another small bowl and beat lightly. Remove the Ice and add the chilled water to the egg. Again, beat the mixture lightly.
Now it’s time to add the sifted flour. Gently mix until the batter just comes together and any lumps have disappeared. Reserve the completed batter in your refrigerator until you’re ready to use.
Fry-Time!
When you’re ready to cook up you’re Tempura Green Beans, you’ll want to start by heating your oil. Add your preferred oil into a medium-sized pan until it is approximately 2 inches deep. Place over medium-high heat until the oil reaches 375ºF.
Meanwhile, dip you’re Green Beans into the batter and carefully drop them individually into the heated oil.
- Be sure not to over-crowd the pan. Placing too many beans in at one time will cause them to stick together and could drop the oil’s heat, causing them to be overly “greasy”.
Fry until the green beans are golden brown and carefully remove them to a pan lined with paper towels. Repeat the same steps for the remaining beans then reserve until it’s sandwich building time.
Trimming our Cauli-Flowers
On to the “meat” of our Enchanted Cauli-Flower Sandwich. Remove the leaves from your Cauliflower Head, being careful to keep the stem as intact as possible. Next, use a sharp knife to cut 1 – 1 1/2″ “steaks” from the center of the head. The result should look similar to the picture above. Reserve any unused florets for another recipe.
- If you have trouble keeping all of the “steaks” whole, that’s okay. You can still group the Cauliflower pieces together and use them in, mostly, the same way within the sandwich.
Next, preheat your oven to 400ºF. Place the Cauliflower “Steaks” on a sheet pan covered with parchment paper. Brush each side of the steaks with oil and season with Salt & Pepper. Place in the oven and roast for 15 minutes. Flip the “steaks” and roast for an additional 15 minutes.
Remove the roasted cauliflower “steaks” and use immediately or reserve for later use.
Spicing it up!
The other item that really makes the Enchanted Cauli-Flower Sandwich shine is the Chili-Lime Aioli. The best thing about it is it’s really easy to create. Just mix together the Mayonnaise, Garlic, Lime Zest, Lime Juice, Paprika, Cayenne Pepper, Sugar and Salt until well blended. Taste and adjust the seasons to your preference.
Boom! Done!
Reserve for your sandwiches.
- This is a simple form “aioli”. If you really want to create a traditional aioli, you’ll need to replace the mayonnaise with a whipped combination of egg yolks and oil. It does add another dimension but is a labor intensive and time consuming process. Also, unless you use pasteurized eggs, there is a small food poisoning concern. It’s completely up to you but, but ease (and the desire not to accidentally poison my friends and family) led me to go the simpler route.
It’s all simple sandwich building from here
Time to put together our Enchanted Cauli-Flower Sandwich. Start by separating the Ciabatta Rolls then, if desired, lightly toast each half. Next, spread a light amount of the Chili-Lime Aioli on both the top and bottom halves of the rolls.
Then, start building from the base up. Place a leaf or two of Lettuce on the bottom half of the roll. Follow with the Tomato Slices, Roasted Cauliflower “Steak” (reheat in a pan or oven, if necessary) and Tempura Green Beans. Add the top part of the roll and serve with (Fancy French Term Alert) Pommes Frites (French Fries) or a simple Side Salad.
Voila!
Our Conclusion
Look, here’s the deal. We are not vegetarians. While we tend to lean toward healthier food, we also like our meat. Having the ability to make this Enchanted Cauli-Flower Sandwich at home, however, may sway us toward that “Veggie Life”.
This sandwich just strikes all the right notes. The Cauliflower itself substitutes well for any meat with a vibrant, roasted flavor. The Chili-Lime Aioli provides richness with the perfect amount of heat from the Cayenne Pepper and a subtle amount of brightness from the Lime. You also get the nice texture change from the crunch from the Tempura Green Beans.
It’s just about as well a balanced bite as you’ll find anywhere.
You have to make this Disney Dish! It’s delicious! Don’t believe me?…Well, you know how it goes.
If you have any questions about this or any of our recipes, just hit us up below in the comments. You can also reach us through our Contact Us page or through email.
Enchanted Cauli-Flower Sandwich from Red Rose Taverne
Makes 3 – 4 Sandwiches
For Tempura Green Beans
- 16 – 20 – Fresh Green Beans – Trimmed & Cleaned
- 1 cup – All Purpose Flour – Sifted
- Ice Cubes
- 1 cup – Cold Water
- Large Egg
- Vegetable Oil
For Roasted Cauliflower
- Cauliflower Head – Sliced Vertically to Create 3 – 4 “Steaks”
- 1 tbls – Vegetable Oil
- Kosher or Sea Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper – To Taste
For Chili – Lime Aioli
- 1 1/2 cup – Mayonnaise
- 3 cloves – Garlic – Minced
- 1/2 tsp – Sweet Paprika
- 1/4 tsp – Cayenne Pepper
- Lime – Zested & Juiced
- 1/4 tsp – Sugar
- 1/4 tsp – Kosher or Sea Salt
For Sandwich
- 3 – 4 – Ciabatta Rolls – Halved
- Large Fresh Tomato – Sliced
- Fresh Green Lettuce Leaves
Directions
For the Tempura Green Beans
- Add the Ice to the Water and chill
- Sift the All Purpose Flour into a small bowl
- Add the Egg to a small bowl and beat lightly
- Remove the Ice and add the Chilled Water to the beaten Egg. Combine gently
- Gently add the All Purpose Flour to the Egg mixture and mix lightly until just combined and there are no more lumps. Use immediately or refrigerate until ready to use
- Add the Vegetable Oil to a pan until approximately 2″ deep. Heat over medium-high heat until the oil reaches 375ºF
- Add the Green Beans to the Tempura Batter and coat. Drop into the heated oil a few at a time and fry until golden brown
- Carefully remove onto a pan lined with paper towels and reserve for use
For the Roasted Cauliflower
- Preheat oven to 400ºF
- Place the sliced Cauliflower “Steaks” on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
- Brush the Cauliflower “Steaks” with Vegetable Oil and season with Salt & Pepper
- Roast for 15 minutes at 400ºF the turn the “steaks” over and roast for an additional 15 minutes
- Use immediately or reserve for later (Reheat in a pan or in the oven)
For the Chili-Lime Aioli
- Add all ingredients to a small bowl and mix to combine
- Adjust seasoning to taste and reserve
For the Sandwiches
- Slice the Ciabatta Rolls and lightly toast
- Spread desired amount of Chili-Lime Aioli on to both halves of the Ciabatta Rolls
- From the bottom up place 1 or 2 Fresh Green Lettuce Leaves on top of the bottom half of the Ciabatta Rolls; followed by 1 or 2 Fresh Tomato Slices, warm Cauliflower Steak, 4 or 5 Tempura Green Beans and the top half of the Ciabatta Rols
- Serve immediately with your choice of side
Be sure to check out our other Disney Dishes
Wild Mushroom Risotto from Palo
Cheeseburger Pods from Satu’li Canteen
Lobster Nachos from Lamplight Lounge
Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter
S.E.A. Shu Mai from Jungle Navigation Company LTD Skipper Canteen
Hoisin Sticky Spare Ribs from Morimoto Asia