Rick Stein’s Leek Tart from Picardy
Rick Stein's leek tart is a sophisticated and classic take on this French favourite, made with buttery pastry and a rich, sweet leek filling.
From the book
Rick Stein’s Secret France
A culinary journey across France with Rick Stein
All of your favourite recipes from the BBC series
Secret French recipes alongside authentic classics
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Introduction
Many versions of this leek tart or pie from Picardy exist, some with a top of puff pastry or brioche or with added ingredients like cheese or lardons. Being something of a purist I prefer just a case of really short shortcrust pastry, my mother’s recipe, with plenty of leeks sweated down in butter, then bound with an egg and cream mixture and baked. Delicious.
Ingredients
| For the shortcrust pastry: | |
| 200g | plain white flour, plus extra for rolling |
| ½ tsp | salt |
| 60g | cold unsalted butter, cubed |
| 40g | cold lard or vegetable shortening, cubed |
| 2 tbsp | ice-cold water |
| For the filling: | |
| 75g | butter |
| 1.25kg | leeks, cut in half lengthways, washed and cut into 1cm slices |
| 300g | full-fat crème fraiche |
| 2 | large eggs, lightly beaten |
| a few rasps freshly grated nutmeg | |
| salt and black pepper |
Essential kit
You will need: a 25cm loose-bottomed fluted tart tin.
Method
First make the pastry. Put the flour, salt, butter and lard in a food processor and process until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Transfer it to a bowl and add enough of the water to make a smooth but not sticky dough.
Put the dough on a floured work surface and roll it out to a circle about 28cm in diameter. Place the pastry in a 25cm loose-bottomed fluted tart tin, then trim the edges and prick the base with a fork. Cover with cling film and refrigerate or freeze for at least 30 minutes.
For the filling, melt the butter in a large shallow pan, add the leeks and leave them to sweat, uncovered, over a medium to low heat for 20–30 minutes until soft, stirring occasionally. If the leeks seem very watery after this time, cook until the liquid has reduced. Stir in the crème fraiche and beaten eggs, then season well with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C. Remove the pastry case from the fridge or freezer, line it with baking parchment and fill with baking beans. Bake it for about 10 minutes, then remove the paper and beans and continue to cook for another 4–5 minutes to allow the pastry base to dry out a little. Turn the oven down to 190°C/Fan 170°C.
Fill the pastry case with the leek mixture and season with a little black pepper. Bake the tart for 25–30 minutes, then serve warm or at room temperature.
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