Cauliflower tart

[skyep]

I went for a meal last weekend & had a cauliflower tart. I have found 1 recipe online, but it is a vegan recipe using vegan ingredients. Has anybody got a recipe for me please?

[nickmo]

I'll presume a degree of know-how:

Make pastry case by blind baking and set to one side. (or use a ready made version)

Meanwhile - make a cauliflower cheese.

Put in pastry case. Grill for couple of mins to brown the top.

Eat.......

Thats a simplified option.

Dress it up with- caramalised onions in the base of the case.
Add a little grated nutmeg to the c/cheese.
Include a some mascarpone cheese in the c/cheese mix. Include some blanched and chopped asparagus.
Spread dijon mustard over the base of the case before adding the c/cheese.
Roast some seasoned c/flower in good olive oil with one teaspoon of truffle oil for 10 mins before adding to the cheese sauce.
Grate a good strong cheese over the top of the c/cheese and grill to brown.
Add beaten egg white - only one though - to make the filling a bit lighter.

Top the tart with a pesto oil - lots of olive oil with a good green pesto wizzed through - use this as a 'dressing' for a plate and sit the tart on top for a real cheffy effect.....

Make individual tarts, not one larger one.

Use orange cauliflower, not a white one...

Cauliflower marries well with some other stronger flavours - add a little celery salt; or cumin; or a touch of curry powder; or sesame seeds; or garlic salt....

Hope this helps..

[skyep]

Nickmo - Thank's for your very comprehensive answer! I presumed it would be a kind of cauliflower cheese base, but your optional extra's are clever additions to a final result that will be full of flavour! Thank's so much!

[nickmo]

Hi S - glad to help. Hope the tart turns out ok!

Just another idea - make several small tarts using the different types of cauliflower - white, orange, blue and green - which will also look nice of you entertain.

And using different cheeses like cheddar, fontina. grueyre or a goats cheese etc. will give nice results. Note cheddar can go a bit 'dry' when baked so you may need to increase the amount of liquid in the c/cheese sauce to compensate.

Use a springform tin (as for cakes) as this will let you make a slightly deeper tart case - so more fillings!!!

And last suggestions to add to further show off - include some finely diced smoked bacon pieces, or crumbled cooked sausage - a nice spicy Italian one would be good - or some roasted peppers, or shredded fried leeks, or green onions or green tomatoes - in fact you can add anything that you could add to t quiche - as this is really a quiche in all but name.

Bon appetit....

[skyep]

nickmo - Thanks for your idea's. I think I will make a wholemeal pastry base & keep it simple. I like the idea of using the dijon mustard in the base! i didn't really want to add too many extra's as I want to differentiate between a quiche filling. Celery salt, cumin , curry powder ect.. interests me as a subtle addition to the taste. I think a 'cauliflower tart ' needs to remain pretty pure in it's ingredients to be labelled as such. The one I ate when I went for a meal had a different consistency to a quiche, not runny but not set. It will be interesting to experiment with different cheese's as you suggest. Willexperiment over weekend!

[nickmo]

Hi S - hope it all turns out fine - the one you've eaten probably had a blend of cheeses - no harm in asking for their recipe by the way! - so it is a tart rather than quiche with a custard filling as you say.

Just one point - cauliflower (in the UK) is just about out of season now until December, so enjoy this veg now and look forward to the new crop!

Bon appetit!

[leonieclarke]

There is a nice recipe for cauliflower tart in the Delicious magazine this month I am going to have ago myself!