I've been waiting for a good night to make the tart to share with friends, and last night turned out to be the perfect night. I had some of my girlfriends over to celebrate a birthday and an engagement, and we drank wine, nibbled on appetizers and enjoyed some much needed girl time. The tart was definitely a hit and will be a make-again for sure. It'll be fun to mess with it and change it up with different cheeses.
The Crust
1 1/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, diced
1 egg
In a large bowl, mixer or food processor, combine the flour, cornstarch and one-fourth teaspoon salt. Cut the butter in until it is in very tiny bits. Add one egg and mix until a dough forms. (use a fork if you're doing by hand). The dough can be tough, so put some muscle into it when kneading it into a ball.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a 12-inch circle. Place the dough in your tart pan and press to remove any air bubbles, crimp the edges, and refrigerate for 30 minutes until you're ready to fill it up.
Tart Filling
1 small head of cauliflower cut into 1-inch flowerets
1 tablespoon truffle oil (optional, i'm not a fan! gasp!)
1 refrigerated pie crust or a homemade tart shell (recipe above)
1 large onion, halved lenghtwise and thinly sliced
1 tbl. Dijon mustard
2 large eggs
1 8-ounce container mascarpone cheese (see below for substitute options)
1/2 cup whipping cream (I'm using 1/2 and 1/2 or a low-fat milk per usual)
1/4 teaspoon ground white or black pepper (ah ha! see the white v. black post)
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1 cup grated Gruyère cheese (can sub swiss)
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 425°F. First we roast the cauliflower: Toss cauliflower with 2 tablespoons olive oil in large bowl. Spread on rimmed baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast 15 minutes before turning florets over and roasting until brown and tender, 15-20 minutes depending on your oven. Remove the cauliflower and allow to cool, and either thinly slice or leave as florets. Drizzle with truffle oil if you're using it (I'm not).
Reduce temperature to 350°F and prepare the filling.
If using store bought pie crust, go ahead and blind bake it...this will help it hold shape while you pre-cook it so it doesn't get soggy. Place it in your tart pan, line crust with foil or baking paper, fill with beans and bake 20 minutes. Remove beans and foil, then bake 5 more minutes until crust is golden. Remove crust and allow to cool.
Now we caramelize those onions! Heat remaining 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion, sprinkle with S&P and cook until onion is a deep golden brown, stirring occasionally. Should take 30-40 minutes, then allow to cool slightly.
Whisk together the eggs, mascarpone, whipping cream, pepper and nutmeg, then stir in the Gruyere.
Brush the bottom of the tart with the dijon mustard.
Spread the onion all over the crust.
Then layer the cauliflower on top of the onions.
Pour the cheese mixture over the cauliflower and onions in tart pan, and sprinkle with Parmesan.
Set the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake until tart is golden and center is set, about 40 minutes.
Transfer to rack and cool 15 minutes before serving.
Savor every single bite of this savory tart. It's a winner.
Mascarpone substitute:
8 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 1/2 tbl sour cream
If you can find mascarpone (mas-car-POH-neh), I don't recommend going the substitute route, because the real stuff is so delicious and rich. It has a high cream/fat content, resulting in a thick creamy, spreadable texture with a very delicate flavor. It's most commonly known to people as the cream in tiramisu. If you can't find it, the substitute will work well for our tart purposes.
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