Cauliflower Purée with Mushroom Compote, Seared King Mushroom and Shitake Bacon

Warning: if you suffer from Mycophobia (fear of mushrooms), you should turn back now or maybe read this nice post on swiss chard. For everyone else, welcome to the mushroom orgy!

I cut the Cauliflower Purée with Mushroom Compote recipe from the LCBO’s Food&Drink magazine back in 2009 and have been lugging it around with me ever since. While it called for a few non-vegan ingredients, its reliance on earthy mushrooms and creamy cauliflower seemed worthy enough to veganize. Still, I never got around to making this until this week, when I came across some fantastic king mushrooms at the farmer’s market. Along with getting a great deal on oyster and shitake mushrooms, I knew it was time to finally try this dish… with my own spin!

Cauliflower Puree with Mushroom Compote, Seared King Mushroom and Shitake Bacon - Vegan & Gluten-Free

The original recipe calls for a slice of bacon to be laid across the dish so I was originally going to leave that part out altogether. But then I had a moment of vegan faith and Googled “mushroom bacon” – and sure enough, I found a shitake mushroom vegan bacon recipe. There is a (vegan) god!

While the main recipe includes 3 components (the purée, the compote, and the bacon), I took it a step further by searing some king mushroom slices and laying them across the purée and compote. King mushrooms are really “meaty” and they add a nice chewy and dense texture to the meal. Feel free to leave out this part because the meal is already pretty fancy as-is, but if you have access to king mushrooms, I do recommend taking this extra step, which will make the meal just that much more decadent.

This dish is really yummy. From the soft earthy mushrooms, the creamy cauliflower purée, the crispy bacon, and the dense king mushroom… well, there is a lot of mushroom sexiness going on here!

Cauliflower Puree with Mushroom Compote, Seared King Mushroom and Shitake Bacon - Vegan & Gluten-Free

Notes

  • The cauliflower purée is awesome! Go ahead and try it on its own as a replacement for mashed potatoes.
  • I messed-up my math when preparing the shitake mushrooms and accidentally doubled the required salt, so they were way too salty! However, they definitely had a chewy/fatty/salty “overcooked bacon” thing going on and will be a nice bacon replacement in the future. They’re a bit on the expensive side since shitakes normally run about $5/100g here in Sydney… but it’s a nice option for special recipes.
  • The original recipe said this serves 6, but I halved it and it really only fed two (even with the additional king mushroom). I’ve therefore updated the serving to 4 for the full recipe below.

Shitake Bacon (Vegan Bacon)

Cauliflower Puree
Mushroom Compote
King Mushrooms
Mushroom Compote

Updates

December 12, 2013 – I just noticed that this recipe made Buzzfeed’s Ultimate Infographic Of Wild Mushrooms. Woohoo!

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Cauliflower Purée with Mushroom Compote, Seared King Mushroom and Shitake Bacon

Mushroom-lovers will enjoy this elegant dish that is also vegan, low-carb and gluten-free

  • Author: Angela @ Vegangela.com
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Main

Ingredients

Scale

Cauliflower Purée Ingredients

  • 1⁄2 cup (125 mL) peeled, diced Yukon gold potatoes
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 3 cups (750 mL) soymilk
  • 1 1⁄2 lbs (750 g) cauliflower, cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) chunks, about 6 cups (1.5 L)
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice

Mushroom Compote Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp (45 mL) olive oil
  • 1⁄4 cup (50 mL) chopped shallots
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) chopped garlic
  • 1 1⁄2 lbs (750 g) mixed mushrooms, halved or quartered if large
  • 2 tsp (10 mL) chopped thyme
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1⁄4 cup (50 mL) red wine
  • 2 cups (500 mL) vegetable stock
  • 1⁄4 cup (50 mL) vegan margarine
  • 2 tbsp (25 mL) chopped parsley
  • 12 pieces of shitake bacon (optional – see recipe below)

King Mushroom Ingredients (optional)

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 king mushrooms, sliced lengthwise so that flat on both sides (you can use unused ends in the mushroom mix, above)

Shitake Bacon (Vegan Bacon) Ingredients

  • 1⁄2 pound shitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
  • 1⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

Shitake Bacon Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. In a bowl combine the mushrooms, oil, and salt.
  3. Spread mushrooms on a parchment-lined baking sheet and place in oven.
  4. Roast mushrooms until dry and crisp, stirring about every 10 minutes, approximately 45 minutes to one hour. (Oven temperatures may vary.)

Recipe Instructions

  1. Place potatoes, garlic and soymilk in a pot over medium-high heat. Bring to boil and add cauliflower. Boil for 10 to 15 minutes or until potatoes and cauliflower are very tender. Drain liquid and reserve separately.
  2. Place vegetables in a food processor with 1⁄2 cup (125 mL) drained liquid and purée until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and lemon juice. Add more cooking liquid if needed to make a soft purée that holds its shape. Return to saucepan at lowest possible heat.
  3. Place oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add shallots and garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add mushrooms and thyme and sauté for 4 minutes or until mushrooms lose their juices. Season with salt and pepper. Remove mushrooms from skillet and reserve skillet with any remaining liquid.
  4. Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium-low heat and fry king mushrooms on both sides until golden brown. Lower to lowest heat setting.
  5. Add wine and bring to boil. Add stock and any more mushroom juices and reduce for 5 minutes or until stock thickens slightly. Reduce heat to low and stir in margarine. Sauce will thicken a bit more. Stir in reserved mushrooms and simmer for 2 minutes or until mushrooms are coated in sauce. Adjust seasoning if necessary and stir in parsley.
  6. Place a full ladle of cauliflower purée in a soup bowl. Top with mushrooms and some sauce. Garnish each dish with 2 king mushroom slices and a couple pieces of shitake bacon.

Notes

Adapted from LCBO Magazine

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Cauliflower Puree with Mushroom Compote, Seared King Mushroom and Shitake Bacon - Vegan & Gluten-Free

Q: Do you love or hate mushrooms?

35 thoughts on “Cauliflower Purée with Mushroom Compote, Seared King Mushroom and Shitake Bacon”

  1. I’m looking to diversify my diet but quinoa and couscous make me feel like I’m eating sand. My question is: Is this freezable? I’m looking to create meals in advance but due to the water content in vegetables such as mushies I’ve had poor experience with reheating and it being the ruin of the meal.

    I’d like to weed out the higher carb meals immediately so macros would be good too but I guess I can work those out.

    Reply
  2. This went over very well in my vegan/gluten free household. As a documentary filmmaker I am on the road most days, eating quick bites here and there. I made this as a meal to represent really being home and having a dinner worth savoring. I used liquid smoke in the shitake’s as well and it was delicious!

    Reply
  3. I made this tonight and it was fantastic! We didn’t go out for Valentines Day so this was our fancy dinner at home. We enjoyed this a lot more than we would have going out. Thanks for sharing this!

    Reply
  4. WOW!!!
    This was delicious the first time around, and great on the reheat. It was fun to make, and was really pleasing to the eye too.
    Thank you so much for sharing. My husband loved it, and so did I!

    …just wondering, where might I find some king mushrooms? I tried the grocery stores close by and nobody had them. It was great with seared portabellas, but I’d love to try the king.

    Thanks again!

    Reply
    • Congrats for taking-on this recipe. I think all the steps scare most folks away, but you’re right, it’s fun to make and the results are pretty amazing.

      Where do you live? In Sydney, I was only able to find king mushrooms at the larger farmer’s markets. I recently saw organic king mushrooms at Loblaws in Ottawa, Canada. If you’re in the US, then you may need to check out a local farmer’s market or even a Whole Foods. Portabellas will definitely work in a pinch, but king mushrooms are so “meaty” and chewy – they add a great texture to this dish. Good luck!

      Reply
      • I’m in Pennsylvania and I will absolutely look for them at market, thanks! I really want to try them, and I really must make this again, it’s so good.

        But since it’s one hundred million degrees today, I’m going to have a go at your broccoli, red pepper, and chickpea salad. I love your site!

        Reply
  5. This was amazing!! I’ve just started to add vegan meals to my overall diet (and by just started, I mean yesterday) and this was fantastic.

    I made the mushroom bacon with the shitake mushrooms and alderwood-smoked sea salt. I almost ate all of them I made before I could finish the rest of the dish!

    Reply
    • Good for you for taking-on this ambitious recipe. I think most people get scared-off by all the steps! I need to make this again, and especially the shitake bacon – you’re right, it’s pretty amazing! Thanks for taking the time to comment – take care!

      Reply
  6. I just made this on a cool, drizzly evening, and WOW!!!! We will definitely make this again. We’re already talking about a cold winter’s night, friends, some good red wine, salad, bread, and this amazing creation. Thank you, thank you!

    BTW, I couldn’t find king mushrooms so used portabellas. The compote was a mix of oyster and white mushrooms. I also sliced white mushrooms for the “bacon” and tossed in a splash of liquid smoke and a sprinkling of smoked Spanish paprika to really up the bacon-type taste. Yummy!!!!

    Reply
    • I love your modifications, especially the liquid smoke. So glad you liked the dish – it’s pretty fancy, but well-worth the effort in my opinion. I look forward to making it again once it gets cold here again 🙂

      Reply
  7. Okay, so I became vegan January 1st, 2012. Needless to say it’s tough going from being a meat eater to being vegan, but I’m doing it. I’ve scoured the internet for recipes that might fill me up-I feel like I’m always starving-still adjusting… In any case, I found this site with the cauliflower puree mushroom compote recipe- I made it tonight and OMGmy husband and I flipped over the entire dish especially the shitake mushroom bacon. The whole dish was delicious and I’m considering trying to make some sort of shitake BLT with the leftover mushrooms-can’t wait! Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe, the next one I’ll be trying is the mushroom soup. VIVA LA MUSHROOM! 🙂

    Reply
    • CONGRATULATIONS on going vegan! I’m so honored that you would try one of “my” recipes on your inaugural voyage 🙂 I love this recipe – seems like something you’d have at fancy restaurant. The shitake bacon is pretty cool too! The mushroom soup is one of my faves – definitely let me know if you make it. Good luck with everything and let me know if you have any questions!

      Reply
    • Follow up to the previous post. I did use the leftover shitake “bacon” to make a BLT using veganaise, heirloom tomato’s & what sourdough bread and it was delicious. It really did the trick for me, it was like eating a really smokey BLT. Wonderful vegan alternative to heart stopping
      , unhealthy and not animal friendly bacon. 🙂

      Reply
  8. OMG!!! This looks amazing! I looooove mushrooms, even more so now that I’m vegan. There’s always some kind of mushrooms in our fridge =) Can’t wait to make this! My go-to “bacon” recipe is from http://www.dietdessertndogs.com (made with tempeh), but I don’t see how “mushroom bacon” can be a bad idea. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Hi Debbie – thanks for your comment. I hear you, mushrooms are a big staple in my diet too. So earthy and dense… mmm! I will have to try that tempeh bacon recipe – thanks for sharing… oh, and please let me know what you think of this when you make it 🙂

      Reply
      • I made this recipe a while back and forgot to write a comment. It’s a great recipe! I tried it with a mix of dried mushrooms, and a particular kind in the mix just tasted a little bit off (not sure which kind it is though….) so I’m really looking forward to making it again with fresh mushrooms only. I feel I can’t give an honest review since the mushrooms I used just didn’t quite do your recipe justice. On a different note, you forever changed the way I make cauliflower purée, or any other purée for that matter!! I always cooked it in water first and then added (soy or almond) milk, but cooking it in the milk just makes it so much creamier and so much more delicious! I can’t believe it never occured to me to try that before.. Genius!!

        Reply
        • Hi Debbie – Oh no, I’m sorry to hear about those wonky mushrooms! I hate when stuff like that happens. Hope it’s much better for you the next time! Glad to hear about the cauliflower puree. I haven’t made this recipe in a long time, so I think it’s time to make it again. Thanks so much for your comments and feedback!! 🙂

          Reply
  9. I am an insane mushroom lover and can’t wait to try this recipe. I have never seen King mushrooms before, but I will look for them. I will be the only person in my house that eats this, but I don’t care – that’s MORE leftovers for me! Thanks!!!

    Reply
    • Hi Tricia, thanks for your comment. Aren’t mushrooms awesome? So much variety in taste and texture – I can’t imagine being vegan without them! You can easily half this recipe (I did). I’ll actually update the servings now to 4 instead of 6 because a halved recipe really only fed 2 of us. Oh, and the king mushroom on top is optional… feel free to leave it out if you can’t find them. Let me know what you think of the recipe though!

      Reply

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