Leek tart

This leek tart is creamy, cheesy and really rich. When you are craving something warm and comforting on cold days, this is the tart for you.

this recipe

The crust is flaky and buttery but the addition of lard really takes it to another extra-savory-melt-in-your-mouth level! And don’t get me started on the luscious béchamel-based filling. The pieces of salty ham in the sauce perfectly complement the sweetness of the tender leeks. I usually don’t praise my recipes too much but, this, is a good leek tart.

NOT A QUICHE

If you’re looking for a quiche recipe, this is not the recipe for you because this leek tart is simply not a quiche. Controversial opinion ahead: I freaking hate quiches. I hate the texture of eggs and cream baked together to act as a binder for whatever the filling ingredients of the quiche are. God forbid any ingredient of the filling releases water and make the savory custard of the quiche split and the texture even weirder. I also hate flans-based desserts and every summer I had to sit there and eat my grandma’s cherry clafoutis and pretend I was enjoying it. I’ll say it’s on me for never working up the courage to tell her I found the flabby eggy jiggly texture absolutely revolting. Everyone seems to looooove quiches, here’s a salmon quiche, what about an asparagus one, what would brunch be without a quiche, blablabla… But I know someone out there must loathe that eggy texture as much as me! Anyway, I’m done with my rant. I got it out on my system, so thanks for indulging me.

Here’s my answer to disgusting leek quiches, a deliciously creamy leek tart made with bechamel sauce as a binder. I’ve honestly converted every person who has tasted this leek tart. It’s creamy instead of eggy and the cheese combines with the sauce much more beautifully. Sure it takes a bit more time to make bechamel sauce than quiche batter but it tastes so good! You’ll be licking your pan and wooden spoon.

CRUST MADE WITH LARD

Lard brings on a delicious mild-pork flavor to the crust which goes really well with the diced ham. It also makes for a crumblier and more tender tart crust. I use a 50:50 split of butter and lard because as much as I enjoy the flavor and texture of a crust made entirely with lard, I don’t find it sturdy enough to hold the rich filling of this leek tart. I’ve made it before with just lard, and I wouldn’t call it a mess but it definitely struggles to support the weight of the filling. With a 50:50 split, you get the taste, the flakes, the tenderness and the ability to actually hold a slice of leek tart in your hands.

MAKE COMPONENTS IN ADVANCE

I’m not going to lie, making a leek tart from scratch is not a quick improvised dinner kind of deal. You have to make the tart dough, chill it, make the filling, roll out the dough, let it chill again, blind bake the tart crust and then bake the leek tart with the filling spread in the tart shell. All these steps are easy to follow but they take time. Probably around 1h15 of hands-on time. If you are going to serve this leek tart for brunch or some such, don’t wake up at dawn.

↬ Make your life easier by preparing the filling in advance. Once it has cooled down to room temperature, scrape the leek and bechamel sauce mixture into an airtight container. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly on the surface of the filling (to avoid skin forming on top) and put the lid on. You can keep the filling in the fridge for up to 2 days.

↬ You could also make the savory tart dough in advance. Store it in the fridge tightly covered with plastic wrap for up to 3 days. However, remember to take it out of the fridge to bring it to room temperature before it’s time to roll it out because it will be rock solid.

↬ If you are short on time, skip the tart dough altogether and use a ready-to-bake pie crust! There is no shame in it, everyone does it! You should see the French supermarket aisles dedicated to ready-to-bake pie crusts, puff pastry, filo pastry, pizza crusts, etc…

WALKTHROUGH

Okay bear with me, there are a few steps BUT it’s all worth it for a meltingly tender and creamy leek tart.

STEP 1: MAKE THE SAVORY TART DOUGH

1. Place the flour in a mixing bowl and whisk in the salt. Add the cubed butter and lard.
2. Rub them in lightly with your fingertips until the mixture resembles big, mostly even, breadcrumbs.
3. Add most of the water and stir with your fingertips, trying to gather all the flour. Add the rest of the water, and more if necessary, and stir again until there is no more flour left in the mixing bowl.
4. When the dough mostly sticks together, gently press it into a smooth ball. Flatten the ball slightly into a disk. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for 45 min.

STEP 2: MAKE THE FILLING

1. Heat the milk in a small saucepan over medium-high heat just until a few bubbles start to appear. Melt the butter in a separate saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook for 2 min, stirring constantly.
2. Remove from the heat and slowly add the hot milk a little at a time, whisking continuously to stop lumps from forming.
3. Place the bechamel sauce over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly until the mixture has thickened nicely. Stir in most of the grated cheese.
4. Slice the leeks in half lengthwise. Place the halves cut side down and slice them in half lengthwise again. Then cut the leeks into thin slices.
5. Melt butter over medium heat in a non-stick frying pan. Add the chopped leeks, give them a good stir and cover the pan. Cook the leeks until completely tender, about 10 min.
6. Pour the bechamel sauce into the frying pan and stir until well incorporated. Stir in the diced ham. Taste the filling and adjust the seasoning accordingly.

STEP 3: PREPARE THE CRUST

1. Roll out the dough on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin into a round slightly bigger than the pan.
2. Fold the dough in half and then fold it one more time. Pick it up and brush off any excess flour.
3. Line the pan with the rolled dough by placing it in the pan and unfolding it. Ease the dough across the bottom and sides of the pan with your fingers. Leave a little excess dough hanging over the edge.
4. Fold the excess pastry over into the pan to make double-thick walls.
5. Press the dough along the seam and fluted sides of the pan with your index fingers side by side to create indents.
6. Place the pan in the freezer (or the fridge) for 20 min. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 200°C (390°F). Then, line the dough with a piece of parchment paper big enough to cover the dough entirely, even the sides. Fill the pan with pie weights or dried beans/lentils/rice.

STEP 4: BLIND BAKE THE CRUST AND BAKE THE LEEK TART

1. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet. Bake the crust for 15 min. Remove the pie weights and parchment paper from the tart pan. Return the crust to the oven and continue baking for 10 min.
2. Scrape the filling into the blind-baked crust. Sprinkle the reserved cheese evenly over it. Bake the leek tart for 25 to 30 min. The edges of the crust should be golden brown.

VEGETARIAN VERSION

For a vegetarian leek tart:

• replace the lard with an equal amount of butter, so use 110g of butter in total for the savory tart dough (the whole stick)
• you will have to replace the diced ham with an equal amount of something as equally salty to counterbalance the natural sweetness of cooked leeks (I would suggest some crumbled feta, halloumi or pecorino cheeses)

When making the leek tart for dinner, I serve it with a leafy green salad drizzled with vinaigrette. If I make the leek tart for brunch I usually cut thinner slices because there are other things to eat and a small slice goes a long way.

Looking for other French tarts/pies? Here are some of my favorite recipes:

• Spinach and cheese pie
• French apple tart

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❗ If you don’t want to discard the leek tops you can save the leek tops for stocks. Place them in a freezer bag and then add them to your pot, still frozen, alongside the rest of the vegetables or cut of meat of your choosing. I usually place them in a large freezer bag because I always add stuff to the bag; carrots I can’t find a use for, parsley sprigs that have seen better days, branches of celery I don’t need, etc… This way I don’t throw anything and I always have something in reserve to enhance the flavor of my stocks.