A croustade is a molded or hollowed bowl-like crust. It’s often made of pastry, but you can also make it using bread or rice. It’s usually used as a serving container for another food. This recipe makes a beautiful presentation as an appetizer or side dish or as a vegetarian main dish, because the tofu adds a boost of protein. Roast the vegetables while you’re preparing the tofu cream filling.
Watch the video demonstration:
Roast the vegetables:
1 cup olive oil, divided
3 red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
2 yellow squash, sliced into ½ inch thick slices
10 Brussels sprouts, halved
4 green onions, root ends removed
1 large carrot, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 small celery root, peeled, trimmed and cut into ½ inch pieces
1 large head of garlic, separated into cloves, smashed and peeled
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon stevia or sugar
Preheat the oven to 400 °F. Pour ½ cup of the olive oil on a large sheet pan, or a jelly roll pan, 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 1 inch, coating the pan with the oil. Place the pan in the oven to heat for 5 minutes, watching carefully to make sure it doesn’t overheat.
In a large bowl, mix the remaining ½ cup of the oil, the potatoes, squash, Brussels sprouts, green onions, carrots, celery root, the garlic cloves, salt, pepper, the Italian seasoning and the stevia or sugar together until the vegetables are coated. Carefully place the vegetables on the heated pan and roast for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring the vegetables once after 10 minutes. Allow the vegetables to cool before mixing with the tofu cream filling.
Tofu cream filling:
1 container (4 oz.) whipped, or light cream cheese
4 ounces soft, silken tofu, drained
½ cup Parmesan cheese
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Using a large bowl, mix together the whipped cream cheese, the tofu, the Parmesan cheese, the mayonnaise, the Italian seasoning, the salt and the pepper together until smooth. Refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes to blend the seasonings. Mix the cooled, roasted vegetables with the tofu cream filling until well blended.
Croustade:
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
Thaw pastry sheet at room temperature for 40 minutes. The oven should already be heated to 400 °F, if the vegetables were previously roasted in it, or preheat the oven as needed.
Unfold the puff pastry on a lightly-floured surface. Roll the pastry into a 16″ x 12″ rectangle. Using a butter or olive-flavored cooking oil spray, lightly spray a shallow, round casserole dish or a round baking dish. Place sheets of parchment paper or pieces of foil inside the bowl with strips overlapping the edges to make the croustade easier to remove. Lightly spray the parchment or foil.
Place the pastry in the casserole dish or baking dish with the edges of the pastry overlapping the sides of the dish. Mound the vegetable cream cheese mixture in the center of the pastry. Leaving an opening in the center, fold the edges of the pastry around the filling, crimping the edges of the pastry under to form a bowl.
In a small bowl, mix together the egg and the water to make an egg wash. Brush the pastry with the egg mixture. Bake the croustade 20 to 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. To serve, allow the croustade to cool for 10 minutes. Using a spatula, gently loosen the croustade from the baking dish or pan using the sheets of parchment or foil to help move it onto a serving dish. Serve warm or at room temperature.