Holiday Tastes: Vegetarian Entree

photo by smajee

By now most people have had to feed or at least dine with a vegetarian. There are varying degrees of veg-status, your pescatarains, vegans and the committed vegetarian who will still eat bacon. No judgement here. For my purposes today I am talking about the most common form of vegetarian, the ovo-lacto which means they eat eggs and dairy but no meat, poultry or fish. (“Nothing with a face.” says Phoebe from Friends.)

Most people eat vegetarian fairly regularly without realizing they are doing it. (Pasta and red sauce…hold the meatballs.) But when faced with the idea of finding a dish that serves as a proper entree many lose confidence and hence the Torfurky phenomena. Actually I have no problem with the Tofurkey, go for it. But I’m generally in favor of homemade over prefab for a special meal. The pasta world is your friend here. The meatless lasagne options are many and they have anchored many a vegetarian dinner well.

However, should you want to elevate your game a bit and produce something a bit more unexpected that all your guests will not only eat but enjoy? Then I suggest the tart. A savory tart, not quiche or we have veered too far into brunch land.

The tart can do several things. One, they look impressive as a center piece which is important for a holiday meal. Two, they offer the slice and share ritual which can be missing out when you leave the animals happily grazing in the pen.

Three? The make ahead factor. Most tarts can be prepped and left in the fridge until it’s time to bake. In fact they generally improve with a bit of a rest anyway so they can be a boon for the host/ess with a busy holiday oven.

While there are many meatless tarts out there, and a quick Google will lead you to many recipes, I’d like to share one I have had success with recently. Since I nearly always am feeding meat eaters I like to go out of my way to impress with my vegetarian repasts. The goal is always to feed them so well they forget there wasn’t meat on the table.

This carmelized onion and cauliflower tart appeared in Bon Appetit a few years ago and I have seen it make the rounds of some of my favorite food blogs. I have prepared it a few times, always to great appreciation. The combination of mustard with some Gruyere elevates the humble and often neglected cauliflower into rock star status. It’s not difficult and if you use premade crust it’s actually easy. And it’s not  too expensive…well okay if you go with trufffle oil than yes we are talking a bit of money…but what the heck it’s the holidays!

Cauliflower and Caramelized Onion Tart
courtesy of Bon Appetit/Epicurious.

• small head of cauliflower (about 1 pound), cored, cut into 1-inch florets
• 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon truffle oil (optional)
• 1 refrigerated pie crust (Or Make your own!)
• 1 large onion, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 large eggs
• 1 (7- to 8-ounce) container mascarpone cheese
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• 1 cup grated Gruyère cheese
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 425°F. Toss cauliflower with 1 tablespoon olive oil in large bowl. Spread on large rimmed baking sheet, spacing apart. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast 15 minutes; turn florets over. Continue roasting until tender, about 25 minutes longer. Cool cauliflower, then thinly slice. Drizzle with truffle oil; toss. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.

Press pie crust onto bottom and up sides of 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Line pie crust with foil; fill with pie weights. Bake crust 20 minutes. Remove foil and pie weights; bake until crust is golden, about 5 minutes, pressing crust with back of fork if bubbles form. Cool crust. Maintain oven temperature.

Heat remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until onion is deep golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes. Cool slightly. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Store crust at room temperature. Cover and chill cauliflower and onion separately.

Brush bottom and sides of crust with mustard. Spread onion in crust. Arrange cauliflower evenly over. Set tart on rimmed baking sheet. Whisk eggs and next 4 ingredients in medium bowl. Stir in Gruyère. Pour mixture over filling in tart pan; sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake until tart is golden and center is set, about 40 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool 15 minutes before serving.