The Sergeant Pepper

Grilled sourdough bread is layered with cauliflower, batter-fried onions, pepper jack cheese and cheddar cheese.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 head cauliflower, cut into small pieces
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup rice flour
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup cold seltzer water (club soda)
• Vegetable oil for frying
• 2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
• 8 slices sourdough bread
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 slices Wisconsin pepper jack cheese
• 4 slices Wisconsin cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. Heat a large sauté pan over high heat. Add butter and cauliflower; sauté until brown, stirring so cauliflower doesn’t burn. Season with salt and pepper; remove to a plate lined with paper towels; drain.
2. For batter: Whisk together flours, cornstarch, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk in cold seltzer water until smooth. (Water MUST be cold for tempura-type batter.) Store batter in the refrigerator until ready to fry.
3. Heat 3 to 4 inches vegetable oil to 350 degrees F in fryer or deep pan. Dip onion slices into the batter to cover and fry until golden brown. Drain on paper-towel-lined plates and season with salt and pepper.
4. Heat grill over medium. Drizzle one side of each slice of bread with a 1/2 tablespoon olive oil; place 4 slices, oil-side down, on grill (or use panini press). Top each slice with pepper jack, cauliflower, fried onions, and a slice of cheddar, in that order. Place remaining 4 bread slices on top of sandwiches, oil-side up.
5. Grill, turning once, until the bread is golden and the cheese is melted.

Attribution

Recipe and photo used with permission from: Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin