Call it a quiche or a tart or a pie. No matter, it is all a variation of sweet or savory ingredients baked in a crust. My favorite way to cook is “one-dish”. I have never figured out if that is because I am not a fan of cleaning up lots of pots and pans just to end up with all the food together on a plate, or if I take a somewhat lazy approach to cooking? My “Savory Baby Cauliflower and Broccolini Deep Dish Pie” recipe is full of vegetables, cheeses, eggs all in a crust…one pan, one dish cooking.
Often I make up a meal out of whatever strikes me as interesting in the grocery. A couple of week’s ago I found some fresh clusters of baby cauliflower and very small broccolini, as well as a nice thick wedge of Comte’ on sale at Costco all baked up into this deep dish pie that is quite quick to assemble. Once it’s in the oven you can pretty much ignore it while it’s baking. If you can’t find baby cauliflower or broccolini just use regular, cutting into small clusters.
Trim any larger stems from each of the vegs and set aside. Roast trimmed heads in olive oil at high heat. Save and cook the larger stems in a pan of water while cauliflower and broccolini are roasting. Gather all of your ingredients at this time.
You can use a simple homemade or store-bought crust. Whatever works for you. Grainy mustard smeared over the bottom and sides add a delicious flavor to the crust along with a sprinkling of grated cheese. A good tip is to scatter grated cheese over the bottom of savory pies as it will melt and seal the crust and keep it from getting soggy.
Eggs, cream, spices and cooked stems all pureed in a blender or food processor.
Roasted broccolini and baby cauliflower layered in the crust. Filling poured over and topped with remaining cheese before baking.
Fluffy and light, crust thin and crisp, lightly browned and ready to eat.
Here have a bite….enjoy. Be well. Be kind.
Baby Cauliflower and Broccolini Deep Dish Pie
Ingredients:
- 8 oz Baby Cauliflower, trimmed (save trimmings)
- 8 oz Broccolini, trimmed(save trimmings)
- olive oil
- 1 store-bought pie crust or your favorite homemade
- 1 tablespoon grainy mustard
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Comte Cheese
- 2 oz Goat Cheese
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Mexican Oregano, or whatever you have
- freshly grated nutmeg 1/4 tsp, or jarred
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spread trimmed cauliflower and broccolini out on pan. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil. sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Roast for about 12-15 minutes or just until veggies are just starting to char. Remove pan from oven. Set aside. Lower oven heat to 350 degrees.
- While veggies are roasting, line a 9 inch springform pan with the pie crust. Smear bottom of crust with the grainy mustard and sprinkle 1/2 cup of the Comte cheese over mustard.
- In a small pan quickly boil the cauliflower and broccolini stems/trimmings in a bit of salted water until “fork tender”. Drain.
- To a blender or food processor, add the cooked stems, goat cheese, eggs, heavy cream, oregano to taste, nutmeg, sea salt and black pepper. Blend until smooth and well mixed.
- Spread the roasted baby cauliflower and broccolini over the bottom of the crust. Sprinkle with another 1/2 cup Comte, gently pour blended egg-cream mixture over all. Top with remaining 1/2 Comte.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the pie is set in the middle and golden brown. Test with a toothpick or skewer. Remove from the oven. Set on a wire rack to cool for 10-15 minutes or until ready to serve cut in slices. Great with a simple salad and a glass of crisp white wine.
Notes: I buy Rancho Gordo Mexican Oregano. It has more texture and is more flavorful than most I have found at supermarkets.
I highly recommend getting a nutmeg grater if you do not have one. They are inexpensive and nutmeg freshly grated is so much better than what you find in a jar.
What a beautiful tar! What time did you say brunch was being served? I’ll bring the Prosecco!
Looks like an Edible cover to me! Perfect per usual! kiss kiss.
Love the idea of the mustard and cheese lined crust. It sounds delicious…I added it to a couple of my Pinterest boards and can’t wait to give it a try.