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1
Place the water, salt and butter in a 2-quart saucepan and bring to a boil.
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2
Have a whisk and a wooden spoon ready.
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3
Remove the pan from the heat and dump the flour in all at once, whisking it together.
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4
Return the pan to the burner and start stirring with spoon.
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5
Cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the dough starts to pull easily from the sides of the pan and form a ball.
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6
Remove from the heat and stir until tepid, 6-8 minutes.
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7
Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring in each one completely before adding the next.
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8
Pour the resulting mixture into a mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap, using your fingers to lay the plastic wrap so that it rests directly on the top of the batter.
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9
Set aside at room temperature.
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10
Bring 4 quarts of water to boil and set up an ice bath next to the stove with 3 cups of ice and 4 cups of water.
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11
Plunge the cauliflower into the boiling water and cook until tender, not al dente, about 8-10 minutes.
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12
Remove the cauliflower and refresh in the ice bath.
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13
Drain the cauliflower pieces well, dry on a kitchen towel and set aside in a large bowl.
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14
Remove the plastic from the batter, finely chop the anchovy fillets and add to the batter.
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15
Stir well to distribute evenly.
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16
Preheat the oven to 200F.
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17
Toss the cauliflower into the batter and stir gently.
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18
In a 6- to 8-quart pot, heat the olive oil to 375F.
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19
Set up a baking sheet in the oven with several layers of paper towels to drain the fritters and keep them warm.
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20
Using 2 tablespoons, form fritters by grabbing 1 floret of cauliflower at a time with a generous amount of the batter that adheres to it and carefully dropping them one a time into the hot oil.
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21
Cook 6 or 7 at a time until golden brown, flipping them with a slotted spoon and remove to drain on the paper towels, then place on the sheet pan in oven while the rest are cooking.
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22
Serve hot.
