Cauliflower Cheese and Smoked Bacon tart

In this dish the classic combination of cauliflower and cheese is taken up a notch with the addition of smoky bacon and a pastry crust.

The intense taste and creaminess of Godminster Cheddar works beautifully, adding a richness and depth of flavour that makes this an impressive picnic or supper dish.

Serves: 6

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 45 minutes

You’ll need:

plain flour, for dusting

1 pack readymade short crust pastry

greaseproof paper

dried beans or ceramic beans to weigh down the pastry

1 small cauliflower, broken into small florets

4 rashers smoked bacon, roughly chopped

1 onion, diced

3 eggs, beaten

500ml crème fraiche

small bunch chives, chopped

100g grated Godminster Classic Cheddar

salt and pepper

What to do:

Preheat to oven to 170°C, 325°F or gas mark 3.

On a floured surface roll the pastry to the thickness of a pound coin and line a 23cm loose bottomed flan tin, gently pushing the pastry into the corners and trimming off the excess.

Line the pastry with greaseproof paper and weight it down with dried beans or ceramic beans, cook for 15 minutes then remove the beans and greaseproof and cook for a further 8 minutes or until the pastry is pale golden.

In a pan of boiling water simmer the cauliflower for 5 minutes until it starts to soften, then drain and set aside.

In a frying pan cook the bacon until brown and crisp, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Turn the heat down and gently cook the onion in the same pan for 3 to 4 minutes until soft.

Tip the cauliflower, bacon and onion into the pastry shell so they are fairly evenly distributed.

In a bowl combine the eggs, crème fraiche, chives and half the cheese and season to taste.

Pour the egg mixture into the pastry case and top with the remaining cheese. Cook in the oven for 30 minutes until the top is golden brown and it’s cooked through with just a slight wobble in the centre. Serve warm or cold.

NB. To make this a vegetarian option, miss out the bacon and add ½ tsp nutmeg to the egg mixture at the start of step 5.

Recipe by: www.godminster.com

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Sally - Silversurfer's Editor

Mother of three grown-up daughters and a proud grandma too, I am the ultimate multi-tasker and am passionate about my role as Silversurfers Website Editor and Social Media Manager. Always on the lookout for all things that will interest and entertain our community. Fueling fun for the young at heart!

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