A traditional dish reimagined with a simple, flavourful and nutritious cauliflower white sauce.

Ingredients

For the crust
1 cup heaping of hard wheat flour
1/2t of coarse sea salt
1/2 cup of warm water
1/2T of yeast
1t of sugar (1)
3T of olive oil, divided 2/1

For the white sauce
2T of cooking oil
1/4t of coarse sea salt
1T of garlic, minced
2 cups heaping of cauliflower florets
1t of white vinegar
1/2 cup of vegetable stock
1/2 cup of soy milk
2T of nutritional yeast
2T of arrowroot powder whisked with 2T of water
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the toppings
1 cup of chopped kale
3 medium cremini mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced, 1/8″ or smaller
1 small red onion thinly sliced, 1/8″ or smaller
2T of olive oil
2t of whole wheat flour
1/2t of coarse sea salt

Directions
Start the dough, then sauce and then the toppings.

Combine salt and flour in a bowl.
Combine the water, yeast and sugar according to your yeast’s instructions.
Once the yeast proofs, whisk in 2T of oil.
Combine the wet and dry ingredients.
Kneed for 10 minutes on a floured board.
Let rise at least 1 hour in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, covered with a damp clean kitchen towel.
Punch down from time to time.
While the dough is rising, bring the oil to heat on medium high.
Add the garlic and sea salt and saute for 1 minute.
Add the cauliflower and saute for 5-7 minutes.
Add the vinegar, the stock and the soy milk.
Cover and simmer 10 minutes on medium low or until the cauliflower is cooked but not mushy.
Puree the mixture.
Return to a simmer.
Reduce till you have 1 and 1/2 to 2 cups of liquid.
Add the nutritional yeast.
Whisk the arrowroot and the water.
Add the arrowroot mixture, stirring continuously until thickened.
Season to taste.
Remove from heat and set aside.
Season to taste.
Let cool about 10 minutes while you roll out the dough.
Preheat the oven to 450F.
Roll out well flour board for a 9″x13″ oven pan with an extra inch for the sides. (3)
Oil the pan with the remaining 1T of olive oil. (4)
Add the dough and pinch down the sides.
Let rise 5 minutes.
Spoon the cauliflower sauced onto the tart, and then prepare the toppings.
Whisk the olive oil, sea salt and flour until well combined.
Toss the kale, red onion and mushrooms in a bowl and dress with the oil.
Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the top of the tarte.
Reduce the oven heat to 375F.
Bake for 35 – 45 minutes on the middle oven rack or until the crust and the vegetables are nicely browned. Ovens vary; use the colour as your guide.
Remove from the oven and let stand 10 minutes.
Remove from the pan carefully and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
Season to taste and serve.

(1) A growing number of white table sugars are produced without using animal bone charcoal. Beet sugar, organic sugar and unrefined sugars are typically fine.

(2) If you have a pizza stone, use that instead (don’t oil the stone). Tarte flambée, the basis for this variation, is traditionally made in a wood burning oven.

(3) It shouldn’t be necessarily in a well-oiled pan, but I usually sprinkle about 1/4t of coarse yellow corn meal in the bottom of the pan to absorb moisture and make it easier to remove.