Savory pie with cauliflower and crescenza or cauliflower quiche is a rustic dish ideal for lunch and dinner, tasty and easy to prepare. Savory pies are always a winning idea to solve meals in a tasty and practical way, whether we use ready-made puff pastry or brisée, or when we want to make the brisée dough at home as shown in this recipe. It is a very simple base obtained by simply mixing flour, water, oil, and yeast in a bowl. A few minutes of kneading by hand, without stand mixers or other tools, and our dough is ready. It is also an egg-free and butter-free base, so perfect for those who are lactose intolerant and practical for use in vegetarian savory pies or even vegan if we use all plant-based ingredients. For the filling, we used green cauliflower, which is considered the green cousin of the more well-known white cauliflower due to its bright green color. Naturally, you can replace it with classic cauliflower or purple, yellow cauliflower, or even broccoli.

The preparation is very simple: prepare the pie base by mixing flour with lukewarm water, olive oil, salt, and savory pie yeast. Blanch the florets of the green cauliflower and sauté them in a pan with oil and garlic, then let them cool slightly. In a bowl, mix the egg with crescenza, grated Parmesan, salt, and pepper. Roll out the brisée dough, line an oiled and floured tart pan with it, place the cauliflower florets on the bottom of the pie, and pour over the crescenza cream. 40 minutes in the oven at 356°F, and the savory pie with cauliflower and crescenza is ready.

This savory pie with cauliflower is perfect for lunch and dinner, and it’s also a great idea for appetizers, aperitifs, for brunch in company or for meals outside. Additionally, we can personalize it, for example, by substituting crescenza with another creamy cheese or adding other ingredients to the filling like cherry tomatoes, olives, cooked ham, speck, mozzarella, etc. Don’t wait any longer to try the savory pie with cauliflower!

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Difficulty: Very Easy
Cost: Economical
Preparation time: 15 Minutes
Portions: 8
Cooking methods: Oven
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: Autumn, Winter

Ingredients for Preparing the Savory Pie with Cauliflower

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup water (lukewarm)
3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp instant yeast for savory preparations
salt
7 oz green cauliflower (florets)
7 oz crescenza cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 clove garlic
extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper

Tools for Preparing the Savory Pie with Cauliflower

1 Pot
1 Pan
1 Stove
1 Bowl
1 Spatula
1 Work surface
1 Rolling pin
1 Tart pan
1 Oven

Steps for Preparing the Savory Pie with Cauliflower

To prepare the savory pie with cauliflower, first prepare the brisée dough: pour the flour into a bowl along with the water, oil, and salt.
Add the yeast for savory pies and mix first with a spatula to combine the ingredients.
Then knead with your hands until you obtain a smooth and compact dough. Wrap it in cling film and set aside.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling: blanch the cauliflower florets in lightly salted water for 5-6 minutes. Drain and set aside. Sauté the chopped garlic in a pan with oil for a few minutes, add the cauliflower florets, and let them flavor for a couple of minutes. Turn off the heat and let it cool slightly.
Crack the egg into a bowl and add the crescenza, Parmesan, salt, and pepper, and mix all the ingredients together.
Roll out the brisée dough on a floured work surface into a disc about 1/10 inch thick and line an oiled and floured tart pan or one lined with parchment paper. Prick the dough with the tines of a fork.
Place the cauliflower on the bottom of the pie and pour the crescenza cream inside.
Bake the savory pie with cauliflower in the preheated oven at 356°F for about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool slightly, then remove from the pan and transfer the pie to a serving plate.