Cauliflower cheese

Oh Cauliflower, you prince of vegetables! Embraced tenderly with green tendrilly love by your gently   encircling leaves. How is it possible for a vegetable to taste so much like cheese? How is it possible for a vegetable that tastes like cheese to taste so good with cheese? Cauliflower cheese, cauliflower soup with cheese, cauliflower risotto....with cheese. Here I have paired this classic match with another likely couple, caulflower and almond. The almond meal crust recipe was borrowed from one of my favourite blogs of the moment, Roost - a simple life. It's super fragile but so worth it for the nutty crunch, and great if you are gluten intolerant. I served it with a simple herb salad dressed with a zesty red wine vinegar.

Roast cauliflower, goats cheese and sage tarts with an almond crust

1 1/2 cups almond meal

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp chopped sage

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1 tbsp water

1 cauliflower, finely chopped

2 whole garlic cloves

olive oil

salt and pepper

10 sage leaves

3 eggs

1/4 cup goat yoghurt

1/4 cup grated parmesan

salt and pepper

40 g Meredith dairy goat cheese

In a bowl, combine first six ingredients and mix thoroughly. Press into 5 well-oiled mini tartlet pans. Place on an oven tray and bake at 180°C for about 20 mins or until lightly browned. Cool in the fridge for 20 mins then gently remove from cases, placing on a baking paper lined oven tray. 

Meanwhile, place cauliflower, sage and garlic in an oven tray. Drizzle over enough olive oil to coat lightly and season with salt and pepper. Mix well, spread out evenly and bake for about 30 mins or until  soft and beginning to colour. Remove from oven and cool slightly.

In a bowl, whisk together eggs, yoghurt, parmesan and salt and pepper to taste. Squeeze roasted garlic from skins and mash with the back of a fork. Add to egg mix with cooled cauliflower and mix well. Spoon into tart cases, mounding cauliflower up. Break feta into small pieces and scatter over tops of tarts. Return tarts to oven and bake at 160°C for about 15 mins or until egg is just set. Cool for about 15 mins to allow almond crust to firm-up. Serve at room temperature.