Cauliflower and tomato tart recipe

This tasty vegetarian quiche is made using home-made rough puff pastry which is deliciously buttery and flaky. If you don’t have the time to make your own pastry just use a 375g pack of shop-bought, shortcrust pastry and bake blind in the same way. If you want to make a more traditional quiche Lorraine just fry 1 chopped onion and 6 rashers of snipped bacon until tender and use instead of the broccoli and cauliflower. This tart is delicious to serve hot or cold as a light lunch with a green salad, and great to take on picnics or packed lunches too.

Ingredients

Pastry:

• 225 g plain flour
• 225g butter

Filling:

• 200g mixed broccoli and cauliflower florets
• 125ml double cream
• 125ml milk
• 4 eggs
• 75g mature Cheddar cheese, grated
• 8 cherry tomatoes, halved

Method

1. Sift the flour into a bowl and add a pinch of salt. Add the butter, cut into cubes and rub it into the flour a little to make rough crumbs, do not mix to fine crumbs as the pockets of butter will help form the flakes when the pastry cooks. Add 100ml very cold water and bring the mixture together to make a soft dough. Wrap in cling film and chill for 15 mins.
2. Lightly flour a work surface and shape the dough into a rectangle. Roll it out until 3 times its original length.
3. Fold the top third back into the centre, then bring the bottom third up to meet it, so your dough has three layers. Give the dough a quarter turn and roll out again until three times the length, fold again as before, and chill it for 20 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas Mark 4. Roll out the pastry and use to line a 20cm round, deep flan tin. Prick the base with a fork. Line with baking parchment and fill with baking beans. Bake for 15 mins.
5. Meanwhile, cook the broccoli and cauliflower florets in boiling water for 3-4 mins then drain and cool under running cold water. Drain again. Mix the cream, milk and eggs together and season well.
6. Remove the pastry case from the oven and remove the paper and baking beans. Scatter the broccoli and cauliflower over and pour in the egg mixture. Sprinkle with the cheese and top with the tomatoes. Return to the oven and bake for 20 mins until the custard has set. Serve hot or cold.