Chef Graziella
Cannelloni Ricotta e Spinaci
Hand-rolled pasta sheets wrapped around a filling of ricotta and spinach, covered in besciamella and baked until golden. This is the Sunday cooking of Emilia-Romagna, made without shortcuts.
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Sformato di Cavolfiore
Created by
The refined vegetable custard of Northern Italy, where cauliflower is cooked to softness, bound with besciamella and eggs, then baked until it sets into something between a flan and a savory pudding.
Main Dishes
Italian
Dinner Party
Special Occasion
35 min
Active Time
50 min cook•1 hr 25 min total
Yield6 servings
Asformato is not a soufflé, and you must understand this before you begin. A soufflé rises dramatically and collapses the moment you look at it improperly. A sformato sits lower in the mold, bakes gently in a water bath, and unmolds with dignity. It waits for you. It holds its shape at the table while you serve your guests. This is food for civilized people who wish to have a conversation over dinner.
The sformato belongs to Northern Italy, particularly Piedmont and Lombardy, where the influence of French technique met Italian pragmatism. It is a first course, served warm, often with a spoonful of sauce alongside: a light tomato, a butter and sage, sometimes nothing at all. The vegetable speaks.
Cauliflower takes to this treatment beautifully. Cooked until completely tender (this is not the time for al dente vegetables), pureed until silky, bound with a thick besciamella and enriched with eggs and Parmigiano. The result is simultaneously delicate and substantial. It looks impressive when unmolded, golden and trembling slightly. But the real accomplishment is textural: that first spoonful, yielding and creamy, tasting of cauliflower more intensely than cauliflower ever tastes when simply boiled.
Sformati emerged in the aristocratic kitchens of 18th-century Piedmont, where French-trained cooks adapted the techniques of terrines and timbales for Italian vegetables. The term derives from sformare, to unmold, which remains the defining moment of the dish. By the 19th century, sformati had spread throughout Northern Italy as an elegant first course for formal dinners.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
cauliflower
Quantity
1 medium head (about 2 pounds)
trimmed into florets
unsalted butter
Quantity
4 tablespoons, plus more for the mold
all-purpose flour
Quantity
3 tablespoons
whole milk
Quantity
1 1/2 cups
warmed
large eggs
Quantity
4
Parmigiano-Reggiano
Quantity
3/4 cup
freshly grated
nutmeg
Quantity
1/4 teaspoon
freshly grated
fine sea salt
Quantity
to taste
white pepper
Quantity
to taste
freshly ground
fine dry breadcrumbs
Quantity
2 tablespoons
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| cauliflowertrimmed into florets | 1 medium head (about 2 pounds) |
| unsalted butter | 4 tablespoons, plus more for the mold |
| all-purpose flour | 3 tablespoons |
| whole milkwarmed | 1 1/2 cups |
| large eggs | 4 |
| Parmigiano-Reggianofreshly grated | 3/4 cup |
| nutmegfreshly grated | 1/4 teaspoon |
| fine sea salt | to taste |
| white pepperfreshly ground | to taste |
| fine dry breadcrumbs | 2 tablespoons |
Equipment Needed
- •6-cup ring mold or 9-inch round cake pan
- •Food processor
- •Heavy-bottomed saucepan for besciamella
- •Roasting pan for water bath
- •Whisk
Instructions
- 1
Cook the cauliflower
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the cauliflower florets and cook until completely tender when pierced with a knife, 12 to 15 minutes. The cauliflower must be soft throughout. Undercooked cauliflower will not puree smoothly and your sformato will be grainy. Drain thoroughly and let the florets steam dry in the colander for five minutes.
Excess water is the enemy of a proper sformato. Press the drained cauliflower gently with a clean towel to remove as much moisture as possible. - 2
Prepare the mold
Generously butter a 6-cup ring mold or a 9-inch round cake pan. Coat the interior completely with the breadcrumbs, tilting and rotating to cover all surfaces. Tap out the excess. The breadcrumbs create a delicate crust that helps the sformato release cleanly.
- 3
Make the besciamella
Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. When the foam subsides, add the flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon for two minutes. The roux should be pale and smell faintly of toasted grain. Remove from heat and add the warm milk in a steady stream, whisking constantly. Return to medium heat and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon heavily, about 5 minutes. It should be quite thick, thicker than a typical besciamella. Season with the nutmeg, salt, and white pepper. Remove from heat.
White pepper is traditional because it does not leave black specks in the pale custard. This is aesthetics, not flavor. Use black pepper if that is what you have. - 4
Puree the cauliflower
Transfer the drained cauliflower to a food processor. Process until completely smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. No lumps should remain. Add the warm besciamella and pulse to combine. The mixture should be silky and uniform.
- 5
Add eggs and cheese
Transfer the cauliflower mixture to a large bowl. Let it cool for five minutes. Beat the eggs lightly in a small bowl. Stir them into the cauliflower mixture along with the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Taste and adjust the seasoning. The mixture should be well-seasoned now; the eggs and cheese will mute the flavors slightly during baking.
- 6
Prepare the water bath
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350°F. Bring a kettle of water to a boil. Pour the cauliflower mixture into the prepared mold, smoothing the top. Place the mold in a roasting pan and transfer to the oven. Carefully pour boiling water into the roasting pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the mold.
The water bath, what the French call bain-marie, insulates the custard from direct heat. Without it, the eggs will curdle at the edges before the center sets. - 7
Bake the sformato
Bake until the sformato is golden on top, slightly puffed, and set when you shake the pan gently, 40 to 45 minutes. A knife inserted near the center should come out clean. The sformato will have pulled away slightly from the sides of the mold. Remove from the water bath and let rest on a rack for 10 minutes. This resting is essential. The custard firms as it cools.
- 8
Unmold and serve
Run a thin knife around the edge of the mold. Place a serving plate over the mold and invert them together with a quick, confident motion. Lift off the mold. The sformato should release cleanly, revealing its golden breadcrumb crust. If it resists, press a warm damp towel against the outside of the mold for 30 seconds and try again. Serve immediately, cutting into wedges at the table.
Chef Tips
- •Select cauliflower with tightly packed, creamy white florets and fresh-looking leaves. Yellow spots indicate age. The cauliflower should smell clean and faintly sweet, never sulfurous.
- •The besciamella must be thick, thicker than you would make for lasagne. Thin besciamella produces a watery sformato that weeps on the plate. If in doubt, cook it longer.
- •A ring mold produces the most elegant presentation and cooks more evenly due to the central opening. If using a solid cake pan, add five minutes to the baking time and check the center carefully.
- •The sformato can be served with a simple butter sauce with sage, or a light tomato coulis spooned around (not over) each portion. Many prefer it unadorned, letting the cauliflower remain the focus.
Advance Preparation
- •The cauliflower can be cooked and pureed up to one day ahead. Refrigerate in an airtight container. Bring to room temperature before combining with the warm besciamella.
- •The assembled mixture can be poured into the prepared mold, covered, and refrigerated for up to 4 hours before baking. Add 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time if starting cold.
- •Once baked, the sformato can be kept warm in its mold for up to 30 minutes before unmolding. Cover loosely with foil and place in a turned-off oven with the door ajar.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 225g)
Calories
285 calories
Total Fat
19 g
Saturated Fat
11 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
6 g
Cholesterol
165 mg
Sodium
480 mg
Total Carbohydrates
16 g
Dietary Fiber
3 g
Sugars
6 g
Protein
15 g
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