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Jalapeño Havarti Cheese & Cauliflower Crustless Quiche

PARTNER POST – Get creative with any of Castello’s uniquely crafted cheeses. Click here for a $1 off coupon to create your own gourmet masterpiece.

Ingredients for my Castello Havarti cheese project
Cauliflower Jalapeño Havarti Crustless Quiche
Castello Jalapeño Havarti cheeses; Jalapeño Havarti & Cauliflower Crustless Quiche

Castello Cheese is an historical cheese brand that started since 1893 and they create more than 40 different types of delicious cheeses. I’ve recently been selected to be one of Castello’s collaborators to come up with a unique recipe with their jalapeño havarti cheese that’s more than just a grilled cheese sandwich or cheese dip. Havarti cheese is a Danish-style cow’s milk cheese that is a mild, semi-soft and creamy but mine’s has the addition of jalapeño to give it a spicy kick.


After some navel gazing and whittling down the list, I came up with the jalapeño havarti cheese and cauliflower crustless quiche. It’s an adaptation from Yotam Ottolenghi’s cauliflower cake from his recent book, “Plenty More.” I’ve chosen this recipe since most of us Americans have been for the past year, been swooning over the exotic spices and vibrant flavors of Middle Eastern food that Mr. Ottolenghi introduced to us.

I wouldn’t necessarily call this concoction a cake, as I think it’s a huge quiche without any crust, save for the black sesame seeds that line the pan. I thought of taking the page of robust flavors of this quiche and incorporating the creamy, slightly spicy havarti to make it creamier and have some heat and reduced the olive oil a bit since the addition to the creamy havarti.

This quiche is flavorful and densely loaded with vegetables and cheese that it will certainly be a meal in itself, just serve it with a side salad and you’re all set.

Cauliflower Jalapeño Havarti Crustless Quiche

Cauliflower Crustless Quiche
Adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi’s “Plenty More” Cauliflower Cake recipe
Serves about 6 to 8

1 medium cauliflower (1 1/2 pounds, 23 to 24 ounces or 650 to 700grams)
1 large red onion, peeled
7 1/2 tablespoons (100 grams or 3.5 ounces) olive oil (I used 6 tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
8 large eggs
Scant 1 1/2 cups (180 grams or 6.3 ounces) all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 1/2 cups Castello jalapeño havarti cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
Butter, for greasing pan
2 tablespoons black sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) degrees. Break cauliflower into medium florets (this will cause less mess than chopping it). Place floret in a pot with a teaspoon of salt, cover them with water and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until quite soft. Strain and let drip in the colander for a few minutes so they dry and cool.

While the cauliflower is cooling, prepare the batter. Halve the red onion and cut a few thin rings off the end of one side; set them aside. Coarsely chop the remainder of your onion. Heat all of the olive oil in a saucepan and saute the chopped red onion and rosemary together until soft, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Whisk eggs and olive oil and onion mixture together. Whisk flour, baking powder, turmeric, cheese, salt and black pepper together in a separate bowl and add to egg mixture, whisking to remove lumps. Stir in cauliflower gently, so most pieces remain intact.

Line the bottom of a 9-inch (24 cm) round springform pan with parchment paper. Butter the sides generously. Put the sesame seeds in the pan and toss them around so that they stick to the sides. Pour in the cauliflower batter, arrange the reserved onion rings on top and bake cake in the center of the oven for 50 minutes, until golden brown and set.

Serve warm or at room temperature. Before you serve the cake, be sure to run a knife around the pan.

PARTNER POST – Get creative with any of Castello’s uniquely crafted cheeses. Click here for a $1 off coupon to create your own gourmet masterpiece.

Tina

I shoot, eat, and drink. My full time job is a hospital administrator. Moonlighting as a freelance photographer and food and travel writer.