Bacon Wrapped Cauliflower with Dark Chocolate

This month I signed up for a new fun project, the Crazy Ingredient Challenge started by Hungry Little Girl. Each month she will pick two ingredients that don't normally go together and us bloggers will come up with a recipe using those ingredients. Hopefully it's good every time!

This month the challenge was Cauliflower and Chocolate. I've seen cauliflower used in cakes before, and I found recipes for roasted cauliflower dusted with cocoa powder, but I wanted to do something different. That's when it occurred to me.....DUH! Cauliflower, chocolate, and bacon!!

I tried it two different ways, wrapping the cauliflower in bacon and baking it, then drizzling them with dark chocolate, and also dipping raw cauliflower in melted dark chocolate and sprinkling with crumbled bacon then put in the fridge to harden (I was thinking dessert cauliflower here). Well, the second one was quite horrible. Did you know that white chocolate doesn't melt the same way dark and milk chocolate do? I didn't, and that's what I intended to use for the dipped cauliflower, but my white chocolate turned into a hard, crumbly ball! I found out white chocolate burns at a lower temperature than the others because it has a higher sugar content. So, I went with the dark chocolate because I thought it would contrast nicely with the white cauliflower. I should have cooked the cauliflower first, because although I like raw cauliflower, it DID NOT go well with hardened dark chocolate!! Luckily, the first way was much better!

Bacon Wrapped Cauliflower with Dark Chocolate 

Note: I used half of a head of cauliflower for this recipe, and the other half for the other recipe. If making for a crowd, use a whole head of cauliflower and 1 pound of bacon.

13 florets uncooked cauliflower, wash and patted dry

Half of a ¾ pound package of bacon, sliced in half

melted good quality dark chocolate ( 86% cacao)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375*F. Cut the cauliflower into large florets. Wrap each floret with half a slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick or skewer. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp.

A few minutes before the cauliflower is done baking, melt the dark chocolate ( I didn't measure how much, because I was using it for both recipes) either in a double boiler or in the microwave. If melting in the microwave, stop it and stir every 30 seconds until fully melted.

Remove bacon wrapped cauliflower from the oven, and  drizzle the melted chocolate carefully over each piece. Serve immediately.

These would make a great appetizer for a party, or even a side dish for a special dinner.

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Plus, check out all of the great recipes everyone made on Hungry Little Girl!