By Mia De Cesare
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
200g plain flour
2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
100g butter (plus 1 tbsp extra for frying)
2 tbsp cold water
1 tbsp olive oil
1 brown onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp brown sugar
1 small cauliflower, cut into small florets
200ml full cream milk
150g cheddar cheese, grated
3 eggs
Method
For the pastry, pulse together the flour, 1 tsp thyme, a pinch of salt, butter and cold water in a food processor until the mixture comes together and resembles a dough. If too dry, add more water.
Remove dough from food processor and shape into a ball. Cover in cling wrap and place in fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 170°C. Grease a medium baking tray and a 23cm fluted tart tin. Place cauliflower on baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes until golden and crispy on top.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and butter in a small fry pan on a low heat. Add sliced onions to pan and sauté on a low heat for 10 minutes, or until softened. Add brown sugar and continue to cook for a further 10 minutes until caramelised. Set aside.
Remove cauliflower from oven and set aside.
Roll out the chilled pastry on a sheet of baking paper to roughly 2mm thickness and carefully lift and place over tart tin. Line the base and sides of tin with pastry, trim any excess with a knife.
Prick the base a few times with a fork, and line baking paper sheet over the pastry. Fill with baking beans or uncooked rice.
Bake the tart shell for 20 minutes, then remove baking paper and beans/rice and return to oven for a further 10 minutes, until slightly golden.
Spoon caramelised onions over base of tart shell and sprinkle over ½ the grated cheese and all of the roasted cauliflower. Whisk together milk and eggs and pour into tart. Scatter over remaining cheese and thyme and bake for 30 minutes until golden and the filling has set. Serve warm.