Delicious roasted cauliflower tart with kale, caramelized onions, and roasted tomatoes all baked in a cheddar cheese crust.
Jump to Recipe
I think we're fitting the rain of one season into one month here in the Bay Area. To be fair, it's not that we're getting a lot of hard, driving, flooding rain. It's more drizzle, light rain, heavy raindrops falling from overladen leaves kind of weather. And we had such a dry winter until now, it doesn't feel PC to complain.
The kale in my garden is just thrilled.
This is the best time of year for kale. Lots of young, sweeter leaves to pick. Unfortunately, I find that the central stem, which is uber-tough, needs to be removed before cooking - even with the younger leaves.
I've been playing with a kale tart for months now and got a few versions I liked, but they were all heavy in fat from all the ricotta, parmesan, or goat cheese I was adding. I eliminated most of the cheese from the tart filling, added some to the tart shell, and added squash and apples to the filling. Great idea, but it didn't quite work. I tried adding sausage, and although I loved it, I wanted to go vegetarian with this. Back to the drawing board. And then I landed on this combination that was so good, my husband and I argued over who deserved the last piece more. We ultimately split it right down the middle. This will be my "go-to" kale tart for a long time to come.
Cook's Notes
Go here to see my step-by-step instructions with photos for making a fool-proof crust.
When weighing my flour, the ratio of ounces to cups that I use is 4.5 ounces = 1 cup of flour.
The Cheddar Crust Recipe, below, makes two tart or pie crusts. Or you can use one-half of the recipe for a crust, and the other half for cheddar crackers. For crackers, just roll out the crust and use a pizza wheel or sharp knife to slice the dough into the shape of crackers you want. Lightly salt and bake at 375° F for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned and puffed.
Kale and Cauliflower Tart with a Cheddar Crust
Ingredients
Cheddar Crust
- 10 ounces all-purpose flour (2 ¼ cups)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne
- 1 ½ ounces cheddar cheese grated
- 8 ounces unsalted butter very cold, sliced into ¼″ sections
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons ice water or more for the dough to come together
Tart Filling
- 1 cauliflower cut with florets separated
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 medium tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 ½ red onions peeled, quartered, thinly sliced
- 4 cups sliced Dinosaur or lacinato kale leaves with the central stem removed
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne
- ¼ cup cheddar cheese
Instructions
Cheddar Crust
- Place the flour, salt, cayenne and cheddar cheese into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to distribute all the ingredients into the flour.
- Add the butter all at once and pulse about 10 times until the butter is the size of small peas.
- Add the vinegar and 2 tablespoons of water and pulse a few times. Test the dough by pinching it. If it sticks together well when pinched, you’ve added enough water. If not, add additional water. For me in making this crust, it took three tablespoons, but sometimes it’s taken four.
- Dump the dough mixture, including loose flour, onto a work area. Heap the dough and flour together, and smear the dough (and loose flour) away from you, using the palm of your hand. Repeat 2 more times, and incorporate all the loose flour into the dough.Pro-tip: This technique is called fraisage, and is a classic French technique to create layers of a buttery crust. See photos and a more detailed explanation in my post on making a fool-proof crust.
- Form into two disks of equal size using your fingers (this crust recipe is enough for two tarts or pies). Wrap in wax paper or plastic, and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Roll out to ⅛″ thickness between two pieces of wax paper. Place in a tart shell or pie plate, and peel off the wax paper. Chill until you’re ready to bake.Pro-tip: Rolling dough between sheets of wax paper making rolling out a dough so much faster and easier. It also requires add much less flour to the dough and rolling pin while you roll it out. All of this contributes greatly to a tender crust.
Tart Filling
- Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Add one tablespoon of olive oil to a heavy sauté pan with the butter over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the red onions and sauté until very limp. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook until caramelized, stirring periodically. This will take around 40 minutes, and is well worth the extra time to do. Remove onions and set aside.
- While the onions caramelize, toss the cauliflower florets in 1 tablespoon olive oil and lightly sprinkle with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Arrange on the first prepared baking sheet. Slice tomatoes in thick slices, horizontally. Toss in the remaining tablespoon olive oil, and lightly season with salt and pepper. Place on the second baking sheet.Roast until the cauliflower is tender and the tomatoes are slightly dried and puckered (about 15 - 20 minutes). (Alternatively, roast the cauliflower in the air fryer set at 400˚F for 7 - 10 minutes.)Remove from the oven and reduce heat to 375° F.
- Add the orange juice to the sauté pan, and scrape up the bits of caramelized onion. Add the kale, and a light sprinkling of cayenne, salt and pepper. When the kale becomes limp, add the caramelized onions and roasted cauliflower. Toss to combine.
- Remove the unbaked pie crust from the refrigerator, and place it on a baking sheet. Fill the shell with the kale mixture. Arrange the tomatoes on top, and finish with the cheddar cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes in the 375˚F oven, or until the crust is a golden brown and the cheese on top is melted. Serve warm.
Laura @ The Art of Cooking Real Food
I so can't wait to make this! It's going on the menu for this upcoming week. Gorgeous!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
It's honestly the best thing I've made lately. I think you'll really like it. I'd love to hear how it goes!
Lynda - TasteFood
Beautiful tart and photo, Susan. This is perfect for the rain today.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Lynda!! And yes, it's the perfect dinner for a rainy evening. Hope you're having a great weekend.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks Suzanne!! Hope you're having a great, relaxing weekend. I'm harvesting more kale tomorrow, so there might be a rush of kale recipes....:-)
LiztheChef
If only I had crust-making skills - have all the stuff in my kitchen to make this. Such a perfect "Susan" recipe !!! Ok, maybe I will be brave.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
You can totally do it, Liz!! Next time we get together, we'll make crusts 🙂 It's especially easy if you have wax paper like in the photos.
Renee
This looks so good. I love cauliflower and kale. Plus the cheddar crust - yummy!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks Renee! I'm making it again tonight, it was such a hit here. I hope you have a chance to try it 🙂
[email protected]
What a lovely looking tart. I'm not a big fan of kale, but I think I will give this a go. Lovely pictures.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Simone! And welcome to my blog. My husband is lukewarm at best when it comes to kale, but this is one recipe he loved. I hope you have a chance to try it!
Rosemary
This is definitely a recipe to try! Great photo, I want a piece right now! Wish I had kale in my garden. I just finished eating your Endive and Apple soup (I added leeks because I have so many from my CSA) -- yummy!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks Rosemary! I'm really excited you tried the endive and apple soup - it's a little off the beaten path with the apple in it, but it's so good. I'd love to know what you think of the kale tart if you make it. Happy Sunday to you and your family!
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche
Just a quick message to say that I'm giving you the Versatila Blogger award - just my way of showing that I read (and love!) your blog 🙂 Check out my blog if you want more information - http://www.amuse-your-bouche.blogspot.com
Also, this tart looks fantastic. Anything covered in cheese is good in my book 🙂
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Becca!!! I'm really excited that you're enjoying my blog so much that you thought of me for an award! I'll definitely hop over to your blog!!
molly oneill
This is so fabulous.
if you want a massaged recipe, there is a very good one on OBT from last January or febrauary. remind me and I'll try to send link during class. m
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Molly!! And thanks for stopping by. I'll definitely remind you on Thursday about the massaged one. In the meantime I'll try to find it on your site. I'm always looking for good kale recipes. I have a massaged salad I do, and think it's a great, great technique with kale. Talk to you on Thursday!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Oh! and in case you see this comment, I'm still working on that piece for you. It's very, very close now :-). Thanks so much for your help!!
lapadia
Oh!! What a beautiful and delicious tart and I love the cheddar crust, must try it soon. Thanks so much for this wonderful recipe. Love them all with your stories, too 🙂
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Oh this is so your kind of recipe Linda!! You would love it. And I'm sure you would have some wonderful ways to change it up too. Thanks so much for your comments - really appreciate them!
Karen @ My Pantry Shelf
Susan,
Your tart looks delicious. Kale, cauliflower, and cheddar sound like a pleasing combination. I think my family would love it. It is on the list. Thank you for the link!
Karen
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks Karen, I love your tart too!! When I want sausage with my kale, your tart is at the top of my list 🙂
Hannah
What a stunning tart, Susan! Kale and cauliflower are huge favorites in my house so I know we will love every delicious bite.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Hannah! I think you'd really like it. It really feels like your kind of dish to me 🙂
Ian K.
I see that the crust recipe makes two tart crusts. Does the filling recipe make enough for two tarts as well?
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I sent you back an email, but wanted to respond her as well. First, thanks so much for wanting to make this. We love this tart. The crust recipe makes two crusts, as you mention, but the filling makes one tart. The extra crust provides either an extra crust when you want to make it again (it will keep in the freezer for a couple of months), or a margin of error if needed when making the first tart. I hope you like it!
Becky
Looks AMAZING! I want to make it for Thanksgiving, but am traveling. Do you think I could make the crust and filling two days ahead and combine before baking....? Or would if get soggy? Thank you for your help!
Dolores E Leeson
Diod you ever get an answwr. I want to make ahead for Thanksgiving also and refrigerate
Michelle
I made this for Thanksgiving this weekend - I became a bit concerned while making the filling that nobody would like it, but it turned out to be much more flavourful than expected. Even my boyfriend, who claims to hate kale, had a 2nd piece.
Definitely making this again.
Thank you for the excellent recipe!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Oh yay! I'm so glad it worked for you (and your boyfriend)! Thanks so much for letting me know!!
kelly
Nice writing ! Coincidentally , if anyone are searching for a service to merge two PDF files , I found a service here "http://www.altomerge.com/"