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Rick Stein's leek tart from Picardy
Serves 6-8 Starters and mains
For the shortcrust pastry
- 200g plain white flour,plus extra for rolling
- 1⁄2tsp salt
- 60g cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 40g cold lard or vegetable shortening, cubed
For the filling
- 75g butter
- 1.25kg leeks, cut in half lengthways, washed and cut into 1cm slices
- 300g full-fat crème fraîche
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- generous pinch freshly grated nutmeg
You will need
- 25cm loose-bottomed fluted tart tin
Method
For 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 up to 2tbsp ice-cold water, to make a smooth but not sticky dough.
Put the dough on a floured work
surface and roll it out to a circle of
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 chill 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-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 fraîche and beaten eggs, then season well with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Preheat the oven to 200C/ 180C Fan/Gas 6. Retrieve the chilled pastry case, line it with baking parchment and fill it with baking beans. Bake it for around 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 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5.
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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