Cauliflower Cheese Tart
A puff pastry tart layered with roasted cauliflower purée and a whole steamed cauliflower, finished with cheddar custard.
Source
Recipe Info
Servings: 6
Prep: 40m
Cook: 1h20m
Total: 2h
Ingredients
- 1 medium cauliflower (about 1.5kg)
- 1 small cauliflower (about 1kg)
- 100g butter, melted
- 3 eggs
- 300g mature cheddar, grated
- 150ml double cream
- 1 sheet good-quality puff pastry
- Finely grated pecorino, to serve
- 400ml milk, divided
- 250g mature cheddar, grated
- 5 eggs
- Sherry vinegar, to season
Instructions
- For the cheddar custard, place 200ml of the milk, the cheddar and eggs in a blender, season with salt and pulse until smooth. Transfer to a saucepan and bring to the boil, whisking continuously — the mixture will scramble and look lumpy, but don’t worry. Pour into a tray and refrigerate until completely cold (about 4 hours).
- Steam the whole medium cauliflower until the florets are just tender (15 minutes). Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Roughly chop the small cauliflower, place on a baking tray, season with salt, drizzle with 1 tbsp of the melted butter, and roast until golden brown (20 minutes). Cool slightly, then transfer to a blender with the eggs, cheddar and cream, and pulse to a coarse purée. Season well.
- Place an 18cm tart ring on a baking tray and line the base and sides with the puff pastry. Spread the roasted cauliflower mixture over the base of the tart shell, then place the whole steamed cauliflower in the centre. Brush liberally with the remaining melted butter. Roast until the pastry base is crisp and the cauliflower is dark golden on top (20-25 minutes). Cool slightly, then remove the tart ring.
- Warm the remaining milk in a small saucepan over a low heat. Remove the cheddar custard from the fridge, transfer to a blender and pulse until smooth, gradually adding the warm milk. Season to taste with pepper and a few drops of sherry vinegar.
- To serve, place the tart on a serving plate, spoon over the custard and top with pecorino. Don’t reheat the cheddar custard, as it will set and become lumpy — it’s best made fresh before serving.