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Leek & Cheese Tart Recipe
Melt in the mouth cheese pastry case filled with a creamy custard, gently sautéed leeks with delicious little chunks of cheese.
Equipment
- Food Processor (optional)
- 23 cm tart tin
- baking beans
- Sharp knife
- chopping board
- colander
- large frying pan or saute pan
- bowl or jug
- whisk
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 225 grams plain flour all purpose
- 65 grams butter cut into pieces
- 65 grams vegetable fat cut into pieces
- 100 grams grated cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 medium egg
- 1 tablespoon cold water
For the Leek & Cheese Filling
- 75 grams butter
- 1.25 kg leeks
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 300 millilitres Crème Fraiche
- 100 grams Caerphilly or Lancashire cheese see notes
- 1 large egg
- 3 large egg yolks
- ¼ teaspoon fresh nutmeg
Instructions
For the Cheese Pastry
- Put the flour, butter, vegetable fat and cheese into a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- Add the egg and the water and pulse until the mixture starts to come together, add a little more water if it is too dry.
- Press the mixture into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes minimum.
- Pre -heat the oven to 200C
- Roll out the pastry thinly in a circle and line the tart tin. Trim the pastry around the edge of the tin but leave enough to allow for a little shrinkage.
- Place a piece of baking parchment onto the pastry and top with baking beans or dried peas, beans or rice.
- Bake blind for 15-20 minutes, then remove the paper and beans and bake for another 5 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
For the Leek & Cheese filling
- Slice the leeks into rounds about 1/2 cm thick and clean in cold water. Drain in a colander.
- Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan or saute pan add the leeks and cook gently until they are soft but not coloured.
- Beat the egg and egg yolks together and gently stir in the creme fraiche. Add the salt and grated nutmeg. Crumble the cheese into cubes approximately 1 cm square.
- Spoon the soft leeks into the blind-baked pastry case, top with the crumbled cheese.
- Finally, pour over the egg and cream mixture and bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes until golden brown and set.
- Remove from the oven and leave for 10 minutes. Take out of the tin and serve.
Notes
To make the pastry without a food processor
Chop the fats into the flour with a blunt knife, then use your finger to rub the fats into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg and water as per the recipe and bring the pastry together with a blunt knife and your hands.Cheese
If you can't source Caerphilly or Lancashire Cheese, then you can substitute any hard cheese.To freeze
Cool the finished tart, then wrap in baking parchment and foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature and warm in a medium oven for 20 minutes.Nutrition
Calories: 661kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 15gFat: 48gSaturated Fat: 28gCholesterol: 212mgSodium: 582mgPotassium: 387mgFiber: 4gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 4088IUVitamin C: 19mgCalcium: 321mgIron: 5mg