Roasted cauliflower tart with walnut crust and creamy lemon filling
POSTED ON April 24, 2013
roasted cauliflower tart
A couple of weeks ago I was asked to contribute a cauliflower recipe for the Guardian‘s Life and Style section.
This is what I made. It was part of the 10 best cauliflower recipes, you can see more recipes here.
I love roasting large trays of cauliflower florets until deeply golden and crisp. They make a great snack eaten on their own and add lovely texture and taste when served alongside salads and whole grains. This tart turns my favorite simple roasted cauliflower into a complete meal; the addition of lemon in the filling gives it a nice lift and compliments the buttery flavor of toasted walnuts too. Serve it slightly warm or room temperature with a salad for a perfect light meal.
tart
assembling tart
Roasted cauliflower tart with walnut crust and creamy lemon filling
Roasted cauliflower;
1 medium-large (2 pounds; 907 g)) cauliflower
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or extra virgin coconut oil
½ teaspoon sea salt
Crust:
½ cup (1 ¾ oz; 50 g) toasted walnuts
½ cup (1 ½ oz; 42 g) regular rolled oats
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
Large pinch black pepper
1 cup (4 ¼ oz; 120 g) whole spelt flour
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more to oil the pan
2 tablespoons plain soy milk or unsweetened almond milk
Filling:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 medium onion, quartered and cut in ¼ inch slices
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ teaspoon sea salt
1/8th teaspoon turmeric powder
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup plain soymilk or plain almond milk
Freshly ground black pepper
To garnish;
Lemon zest
Chopped parsley
To roast the cauliflower:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Add cauliflower, olive oil, and salt, and toss to combine. Arrange cauliflower florets evenly over tray and roast for 30 minutes. Turn each floret over and return to the oven for another 10 minutes or until florets are browning. Remove from oven and set aside to cool while you make the crust.
To make the crust:
Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Lightly oil a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom and set aside.
Place walnuts, oats, baking powder, salt and pepper in a food processor and blend until coarsely ground. Transfer to a bowl, add spelt flour and mix well. Drizzle in olive oil and mix until evenly distributed. Add soy milk and mix again. Mixture should hold together when squeezed but not stick to your hands. Add a little more soy milk if it’s too dry. Press evenly into prepared tart pan, trimming excess pastry from the edges. Prick with a fork and bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
To make the filling:
Warm olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for 5 minutes or until lightly browning. Add garlic and cook for another 5 minutes. Lower heat to low, add salt and continue cooking for 10 minutes more or until caramelized. Stir in turmeric, remove from heat and transfer into a food processor. Add ¼ of the roasted cauliflower, lemon juice, soy milk and a large pinch of black pepper. Blend until smooth and creamy, scraping the sides as necessary. Spread into pre-baked tart shell and arrange remaining cauliflower over the top.
Bake tart for 30 minutes, remove from oven and allow to cool 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with lemon zest and parsley and serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
POSTED IN Mains
tweet it
pin it
Looks amazing! I’ve been eating all manner of cauliflower dishes lately.. must try this as well.
OMG! Best recipe i believe I have ever seen for cauliflower! Roasting it is the most delicious way to cook it, & I love that you have put some of the roasted cauliflower into the filling – layers of flavour!
Well done, you – first time I have posted, by the way – I do love your approach to cooking & ingredients & have enjoyed trying quite a few of your recipes – this one is a must thanks.
Amy, this sounds perfect on every level. I can’t wait to try your walnut crust, whether in this lovely tart or with another savoury treat. So pretty and delicious sounding. Congrats on The Guardian feature too 🙂
Also, somehow the first comment automatically inputted my name as Amy? Not sure how that happened..!
I love roasted cauliflower too, but I’ve never had it in a tart like this! Sounds amazing–I must try it. 🙂
This sounds divine! I love roasted vegetables of any kind, and this strikes me as a perfect way to use cauliflower!
Yummy!! I never had a walnut crust but I will definitely try it! I love everything with roasted cauliflower! BEautiful Post 🙂
This looks AWESOME, thanks! Wondering if you think there are any complimentary ingredients that can be added to the top along with the cauliflower to break it up a bit so it’s not as cauliflower-intense? Peas maybe? Broccoli? Wilted spinach?
You could do any of the above….if you’re serving with a dark leafy salad it compliments the caulflower well and I don’t think too intense, especially with the lemon.
Hope you try it!
Who said tarts had to be unhealthy? What a gorgeous recipe. I adore roasted cauliflower and added to a tart crust? Beautiful.
Oh Good!!! Been waiting for this one!
YUM
omg yum!
there’s just nothing like roasted cauliflower, i imagine it’s incredible in tart form.
I love this recipe – tried it a few days ago and it was so YUM!
Beautiful! I always think of cauliflower as a wintery vegetable so I’ve bookmarked this to try then. I’m intrigued by your use of spelt flour; can you tell me more about it?
Hi Thanks for your comment! I use spelt everywhere whole wheat flour can be used. It doesn’t have as much gluten, but tastes delicious!
Just made this for dinner and it was DELICIOUS! Loved the lemony filling. Just lovely. The husband and I will both be having this again soon!
thats a great one!! great idea! you have awesome recipes, like your blog and am following you now via bloglovin!
The Fashion Menue
This looks and sounds amazing!
could you substitute almond or oat flour for the spelt in the crust??
i am not gluten intolerant or anything, just trying to cut down and not buy too many new ingredients!
Yes, you could use oat flour, although it won’t stay together as well –will be more crumbly. You could try substituting spelt with a combination of oat and brown rice flour.
Let me know how it goes!
Amy x
Hi Amy 🙂
Could this be done in a pie shell?
Can’t wait to try it.
Amy Webster
Yes, but if you use the walnut crust re up it may crumble a little when serving from a pie dish.
Let me know how it goes!
Amy x
Can you make the crust beforehand and freeze to use at smother home.
Hi Jessie,
Yes you could. I would freeze it unbaked and then bake it frozen…it will take a few minutes longer but will taste fresher.
Enjoy!
Amy
Thank you love your recipes
I can’t wait to try this!
I made a Persian-inspired cauliflower “rice” the other day – the cauli was flavoured with goats feta, pomegranate, dukkah and pistachio. Now I’m wondering if I could incorporate these flavours in the tart – rub the cauli in dukkah before roasting and then arrange the goats cheese, pomegranate and pistachio in between the cauli florets before baking.
That would work, yeah?
Hi Clair,
Yes I think that sounds delicious.Love the sound of those flavors!
Amy x