Hello hungry readers!
The Woman in Cabin 10 was a thriller that I found very similar in the beginning to The Woman in the Window. Hey, they even have similar titles. Of course, the twists and turns were much different, but if you go read my post where I review this book, you can read more about why the beginning of The Woman in Cabin 10 felt so familiar. Not to worry though, I did end up enjoying this book once I got into it. A female travel journalist who gets to go on the maiden voyage of a small luxury ocean liner but who a few nights in witnesses not only something suspicious but something that can only be described as murder? I mean, a book like that has to be interesting. While I did think that some of the middle moved kind of slow for a thriller, the last third of the book had me so hooked that I looked for every available second to devote to finding out what would happen next. So what happened next? If you read the book, then you already know. If you haven’t yet, then you’ll just have to read to find out!
In the book, there are several instances when Lo, the main character, attends dinners or cocktail parties with the other guests on the ship, the Aurora. They dine on decadent hors d’oeuvres and dinners all while the mystery takes place. This is what inspired the Perfect Pairing for The Woman in Cabin 10. I wanted to create a delicious hors d’oeuvre worthy of the Aurora, but also something that would go over if someone like Lo made it for a dinner party at home with her friends.
What I came up with is a Cauliflower and Shiitake Crustini. This appetizer is super easy to make, just don’t forget your bread in the oven as I did, or you’ll end up with super burnt toast. Other than that, this is a quick, easy appetizer that pairs perfectly with The Woman in Cabin 10.
All you need for this recipe is:
Cauliflower
A baguette
Shiitake mushrooms
Garlic
Flat-leaf parsley
Olive Oil
Salt
Ground White Pepper
First, I started on the cauliflower because it takes a few minutes to cook. I sliced it all off the stalk. It doesn’t have to look pretty or be uniform or anything because you’re just going to mush it up later. Then I rinsed it off and put it in a pot with water. You want the water to cover all the cauliflower in the pot. Then I salted that baby well and let it come to a boil. While that was boiling, I turned my attention to the garlic and mushrooms. I got a nonstick pan heating and pealed my 4 cloves of garlic. I know that seems like a lot, but when you mix it with the cauliflower later, that much garlic perfect. I put some olive oil in the pan and then add my garlic. It only took a few minutes for it to brown. I used tongs to turn them over and let them brown on all sides. My kitchen smelled like a garlicky paradise. Trust me, you don’t want to skip the browning step. It gives extra flavor to the garlic that tastes so yummy with the cauliflower.
When the garlic was done, I took it out and put it to the side, and added my mushrooms. I actually did two batches of my mushrooms because as Julia Child said, “Don’t crowd the mushrooms for Shiitake’s shake!” or you know, something like that. Let the mushrooms get nice and browned, hit them with some salt, and then set aside.
While they were browning, I stepped over to my cutting board and sliced up my baguette. I like to slide at a little bit of an angle just to make it look a little nicer. Then I put my bread on a cookie sheet, sprinkled it lightly with olive oil, and put it under the broiler. Unfortunately for me, I completely forgot it was in there and my smoke detector told me it was done. So at least I know my smoke detectors are working correctly. Luckily for me, I didn’t put all the bread in at once, so I had a little more to try again.
Once my cauliflower was done (I just checked my stabbing it with a fork), I drained the water and put the cauliflower in a bowl. I sliced up my beautiful browned garlic and added that to my bowl with my cauliflower and used my immersion blender to puree it all up. I added my salt and white pepper toward the end of the pureeing process so that I could taste as I added. It shouldn’t be overly salty and the white pepper should give it a little bite. I do suggest letting the cauliflower cool slightly before pureeing it. And you can use whatever instrument you want for pureeing. Whatever it takes to get the job done. I like the immersion blender because it gets those pieces of garlic nice and pureed in there too, it’s nice and quick, and I don’t have to dirty up another bowl.
Quickly I just chopped up a handful of my flatleaf parsley and then I was ready to assemble after that. I took my bread (the non-burned version) and put a good helping of the puree on and smoothed it out. Then I put some of my gorgeous shitake mushrooms on top of that. Over the mushrooms, I sprinkled the parsley, then it was time to dig in!
I hope you enjoy this Perfect Pairing! And I hope you enjoyed The Woman in Cabin 10. Head over to the Book of the Month tab to check out our new Book of the Month, and let me know in the comments, Facebook, or Instagram what you think of the book or this dish!
Happy eating and reading!
Cauliflower and Shiitake Crustini
Ingredients:
1 head Cauliflower
1 Ciabatta baguette
5 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
4 cloves garlic
Italian Flat Leaf Parsley
Olive Oil
Salt
Ground White Pepper
Directions:
Cut cauliflower off the stalk. Rinse. Put in a pot and add water until the water covers the cauliflower. Add a generous amount of salt and bring to a boil. Boil until soft but not mushy. Peel garlic. In a nonstick pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic. Brown on all sides then remove. Add mushrooms. Don’t crowd the mushrooms. Brown the mushrooms, salt, then remove and set aside. Meanwhile, slice the bread. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and toast under the broiler. Set aside. When cauliflower is done cooking, drain water and let cool slightly. Slice up garlic and add to the cauliflower in a bowl. Puree cauliflower and garlic together until smooth. Add salt and white pepper to taste. Chop parsley. Assemble Crustini by putting puree on the toast, then the browned mushrooms, then the parsley. Serve immediately.
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