Wanna try this amazing GBBO celebrity cook recipe in your American home, but hold the cheese? I got you right here with my Onion & Eggplant Vegan Cheese Tart, inspired by Chetna’s original.
Based off the “Aubergine & Onion Tart” recipe in Chetna Makan’s book, The Cardamom Trail, this tart is originally made with cheddar cheese and the rest is very similar. My partner bought me Chetna’s book for Christmas and it is filled with the brim with savory and sweet recipes! I tried the aubergine tart recipe first and now it’s an instant favorite.
** Note that because this uses store-bought puff pastry, which is made with butter, this recipe is not truly vegan, but instead uses vegan cheese. However, if you’d like a true vegan version of this tart, you can try making your own vegan puff pastry here. Warning, it’s a lot of work though.
For Chetna’s original recipe, you should check out her lovely blog that I’ve recently been geeking over. The original recipe has its own video so you can check it out yourself.
What’s Special About this Tart?
My version is modified for your non-dairy American eater while keeping the integrity of Chetna’s tart. Unfortunately some of the UK-isms just don’t translate due to product differences. I’m not able to find a 325 grams puff pastry, since the most common brand comes in a square-ish 246 grams, from Pepperidge Farms. I also found that the cooking time was shorter for me, and I needed much less onions. (Chetna’s original recipe calls for 3 onions… maybe she is better at slicing thinner than me, but I thought that was overkill.)
As always with this blog, I like to veganize the cheese since I don’t like dairy. Daiya cheese is perfect and it even melts similarly to American cheddar. The end result is delicious, nutritious, savory and sorta reminds me of fancy pizza.
And all you need is vegan cheese, salt, eggplant, tomato paste, and red onion! Let’s get started with making this Vegan Cheese, Eggplant & Onion Tart!
Chetna Makan-Inspired Eggplant & Onion Vegan Tart
Equipment
- 11 x 17 baking pan (must be at least 9" length wise to fit)
- grill pan
- Pastry brush
- shallow dish or small bowl
Ingredients
- ready-rolled puff pastry
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¾ medium aubergine (eggplant)
- 1 red onion, diced or cut into spirals
- 4 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste
- 1 cup Daiya cheddar cheese
- ½ teaspoon salt
- pepper
- cayenne pepper & oregano for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and take your puff pastry out from the freezer. It will need to rest for at least 20 minutes to unthaw and soften so that you can unfold it without breaking.
- Add your olive oil to a shallow bowl and then carefully slice your eggplant into ¼ inch slices. Then, use a pastry brush to brush a thin layer of olive oil over them. You will have some left.
- Grill your eggplants slices on the grill pan on medium-high heat. 4 minutes on each side. Work in batches to get them all done. Then set aside.
- Lower your heat to medium and put the rest of the oil (at least 2 tablespoons) in the pan. Take precaution as it'll be hot. Add your red onions and cover the pan with your biggest lid for 8-10 minutes, tossing every now and then.
- When everything is done, spread your tomato paste over the puff pastry, leaving about half an inch on all sides. Spread the grilled onions evenly and sprinkle with salt. Then, add the eggplant.
- Now take your cheese and sprinkle evenly over the pastry.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until the pastry is golden brown. Sprinkle some cayenne pepper and oregano over the tart and let it cool 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
So what do you think?
Chetna says the Aubergine & Onion Tart is best eaten on the day it is made and I agree! It is still good after, but the delicious crispy flakiness of the puff pastry is best right after it cools. I find that this recipe makes for a delicious afternoon snack that reminds me of ready-baked pizza after school or delicious brunch. It’s good any time and super easy to make. Try it and let me know what you think!
By the way, if you’d like to see other recipes by Bake Off celebrities, check out this Easy Apple Cake recipe by Mary Berry.
I also recommend buying her book, The Cardamom Trail for yourself. It is such a gorgeous and inspiring book and makes for an amazing present.
I can’t wait for more from Cheta and to try more of her recipes. Looking forward to making her cakes and much, much more!
Note, this blog post contains an affiliate link from Amazon. I get a small commission if items are purchased through the link at no cost to the buyer or viewer.
That looks so delicious!