Whole Oven-Roasted Cauliflower with homemade raw tahini

👨‍🍳 Method

To assemble

1. 1
   Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F).

   Oven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
2. 2
   Place the whole cauliflower in a baking pan and brush it all over with the olive oil mixed with the garlic, cumin, coriander seeds, turmeric, lemon juice, salt and black pepper.

   Baking panPastry brush
3. 3
   Roast 50–60 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender inside and browned outside.

   OvenBaking pan

   💡A hot oven and room in the pan: crowded cauliflower steams instead of browning, and the sweet, toasty flavor never comes.
4. 4
   Test with a skewer: the cauliflower is done when the skewer goes in easily to the core.

   Skewers
5. 5
   Grind the sesame seeds in a powerful blender about 3 minutes, until smooth paste forms.

   Blender

   💡At first the sesame looks like dry crumbs: keep grinding, scraping down the sides, and after a few minutes it releases its oil and turns liquid.

   💡In a food processor, grind in short pulses and check between pulses: it's easy to go from coarse to paste. (Sesame for tahini, on the other hand, is ground continuously.)
6. 6
   Taste and adjust the seasoning.
7. 7
   Mix the tahini and lemon juice.
8. 8
   Gradually add cold water while stirring, until the sauce is smooth, pale and pourable.

   💡When you add the first water, the tahini thickens and looks like dough: that's fine. Keep adding water and stirring, and it loosens into a smooth sauce.
9. 9
   Spread the tahini sauce on a plate and set the whole cauliflower on top.
10. 10
    Sprinkle the cilantro on top.