Cauliflower is the new star of the vegetable patch. No longer the plain Jane on the crudités platter; it is being grated into tabouleh, rolled into pizza dough and sautéed up for tacos. This recipe is a bit of a throwback to an earlier era for cauliflower – when cheese was its natural partner, not a chiffonade of kale.
This is a rich and decadent tart. I would serve it at a ladies luncheon – dressed up with a Fennel, pea and spinach salad or as an accompaniment to grilled steak instead of the usual potato gratin. It is just as good at room temperature as hot, so it could be an elegant addition to a tailgate party.
The Tart can be made using store bought pastry but it will be so much better if you make your own pâte brisée. Making savoury short crust pastry is really just a matter of cutting butter into flour and binding it with some wet ingredients. It can be made in just a couple of minutes – seriously! So many recipes call for ice cold ingredients and pulling out the food processor. Here is a quick recipe for making by hand on the counter top.
This recipe is adapted from Bon Appetit, March 2007, with a few changes.
Cauliflower tart with caramelised onions
Ingredients
- 1 small cauliflower, about 1 lb (453 g), cut into bite size florets
- 1 recipe for pâte brisée or one refrigerated pie crust
- 2 onions, halved and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 8 ounces (250 g) mascarpone
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) heavy cream
- 3/4 cup (75 g) Parmesan
- 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (80 g) Gruyère cheese grated (or substitute Comte or Emmental)
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- 1 9-Inch (23 cm) tart shell with a removable bottom
Instructions
- Make the pâte brisée according to the instructions in the recipe. (see link above)
- Pre-heat oven to 350 °F (180° C).
- Roll out the pate brisée or store bought crust and line the 9-inch tart pan, pressing the dough into the bottom and sides. Prick with a fork. Line pie crust with parchment paper or foil, fill with pie weights and bake 15 minutes. Remove paper and pie weights and continue baking until tart shell is golden brown, about another 5-10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.
- Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and sprinkle with salt. Cover with a round of parchment paper and gently cook over low until the onions soft and starting to color. This can take anywhere from 25 to 40 minutes. Remove and cool.
- Steam the cauliflower florets for 5-7 minutes or until tender but still having a crunch.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the Marscapone, eggs, cream, white pepper and nutmeg together until smooth. Stir in the Parmesan and half the Gruyere.
- Brush the bottom and sides of the cooked crust with mustard. Spread the onions over the bottom of the crust and arrange the cauliflower on top.
- Set the tart on a rimmed baking sheet covered with parchment paper. (this will make clean up easier if there is leakage). Pour cream mixture over tart filling; sprinkle with the remaining gruyere. Bake until tart is golden and center is set, about 40 minutes. Transfer to a rack; cool 10 minutes before serving.
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https://www.charlottepuckette.com/recipes/first-courses/cauliflower-tart-with-caramelized-onions/
