Isn’t it beautiful?

Romanesco looks like it’s been sculpted by an artist. It’s a member of the cruciferous vegetables family (Brassicaceae) that includes broccoli and cauliflower, among others. If it seems exotic, that’s because we rarely find it in U.S. markets. But romanesco grown in California is in season now.

In the U.S., it’s also called broccoflower, Roman broccoli, romanesco broccoli, romanesque cabbage and romanesque cauliflower. So is it broccoli or cauliflower? Actually, it’s neither.

Remember high school botany taxonomy: kingdom, order, family, genus, species and sometimes, subspecies?

 
So the answer is: romanesco is neither broccoli nor cauliflower; it is its own cultivar. While you’ll see it called broccoli or cauliflower, you now know better.

Botanists believe that Italian farmers in the 16th century developed romanesco through cross-breeding. It was initially called broccolo romanesco.

As with cauliflower or broccoli, the pointy “florets” (often called fractals after fractal art) that comprise the head are of varying sizes. They are actually individual buds of the plant’s flower.

Romanesco tastes more like cauliflower, with a nutty, earthy flavor nuance and a crunchier texture.

It is about the same size of a regular head of cauliflower. There is also a smaller variety, which is about half the size. The pale green shade keeps its color through cooking.

[2] Cooked romanesco florets (photo © Grub Market).

Romanesco can be served raw, lightly cooked, or cooked through, and can be substituted in any recipe calling for cauliflower or broccoli.

It’s a shame to destroy the architecture by dicing or puréeing.

We wouldn’t want to turn it into soup, for example, when we could use regular cauliflower.

Instead, consider:

This recipe is from Mariquita Farm of Watsonville, California (alas, now closed), which grew romanesco for many years.
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. LIGHTLY STEAM the florets to desired consistency. While you can use them raw, a blanching or light steaming makes the texture more uniform with the other ingredients.

2. TOSS with the other ingredients and the vinaigrette, taking care not to damage the pointy “fractals.” Serve chilled or at room temperature.
 
 
RECIPE #2: LEMON VINAIGRETTE

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. WHISK together the lemon juice, zest, mustard, sugar and salt in a small bowl. Add the olive oil in a slow stream, whisking constantly until the dressing is well blended.

2. TASTE and season with additional salt and pepper as desired. Drizzle over the salad and toss to coat thoroughly.
 
 
WHY ARE CRUCIFEROUS VEGETABLES SO GOOD FOR YOU?

The Brassicaceae family of vegetables contains powerful antioxidants that prevent the build-up of free radicals, atoms with unpaired electrons in the body that are destructive, engendering disease.

Along with their nutritional elements, cruciferous vegetables aid with alkalinization (making the body less acidic), bone health, cancer prevention, cholesterol reduction and detoxification (neutralization and elimination of unwanted contaminants).

The high fiber content aids in digestion, heart health, lowering blood sugar, reducing allergy reactions and inflammation, and more.
 
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*Other members of Brassicaceae belong to a different genus. These include arugula, bok choy, Chinese cabbage, cress, daikon, horseradish, mizuna, radish, rutabaga, tatsoi and wasabi.
  

Alas, the company discontinued the product, and it took until 2014 for another commercial brand to come our way.

World Waters debuted its WTRMLN WTR (someone’s idea—not ours—of a clever way to spell “Watermelon Water”). The product was named “Best Juice” at the recent BevNET Best of 2014 Awards.

WTRMLN WTR is an all natural cold-pressed watermelon water that is more than refreshing: It’s packed with electrolytes (the same amount as coconut water and six times the electrolytes of sports drinks) and L-citrulline, a powerful amino acid that aids in workout performance and muscle recovery. Vitamin C and lycopene contribute antioxidant and anti-inflammatory health benefits.

There’s no added sugar. The product is certified kosher by OU.

WTRMLN WTR is a pleasant departure from the never-ending stream of coconut waters we are pitched.

The line debuted New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Los Angeles, expanding to San Francisco and other areas this year.

So is it as heavenly as Sundia’s version? Not to us: It tastes more “green,” which may or may not be due to the varying sweetness levels of watermelon, or the fact that watermelon rind is pressed along with the flesh.

But it’s still grab-and-go watermelon juice. If your only other option is to juice your own, WTRMLN WTR is a great choice.

Discover more at WTRMLNWTR.com.
  

[2] How about some dessert? Just pour cream over any sliced fruit or berries—or on cooked fruit like baked apples and compote (photo © Spache The Spatula).

[3] Butter + Milk = Heavy Cream (photo © Siberkorn | Dreamstime).

[4] Whip it into a dessert topping (photo © King Arthur Baking).

[5] Salted caramel hot chocolate with lots of whipped cream (photo © Starbucks).

Here’s a fun kitchen trick. Say you need some heavy cream for a recipe (or even a cup of coffee), but have none.

If you have whole milk and unsalted butter, you can combine them to make cream. The difference between milk and cream is the amount of butterfat. The butter, which is at least butterfat, supplies what the milk lacks.

This recipe makes heavy cream, approximately 36% butterfat.

> The butterfat content of all dairy products is below.

> The history of cream and the different types of cream: a photo glossary.

> The year’s 16+ milk and cream holidays.
 
 
HOW TO MAKE HEAVY CREAM AT HOME

Ingredients For 1 Cup

 
Preparation

1. MELT the butter in the microwave or on the stove top.

2. PLACE in a mixing bowl with the milk.

3. BLEND with electric beaters or an immersion blender.

It’s that simple!
 
 
BUTTERFAT CONTENT

Butterfat, also called milkfat, is the fatty portion of milk. The components of milk include:

 
The USDA imposes federal standards for the minimum butterfat content of commercial dairy products. Here are the standards:
 
 
BUTTERFAT CONTENT OF BUTTER

 
BUTTERFAT CONTENT OF CREAM

 
BUTTERFAT CONTENT OF MILK

 
BUTTERFAT CONTENT OF CHEESE

 
BUTTERFAT CONTENT OF FROZEN DESSERTS

 
 
 
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*For whipped cream, the higher the fat content, the thicker the cream is, and the easier it is to whip into stiff peaks. Higher fat cream is also more resistant to curdling, and thus a better choice for soups and sauces.
 

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