Belgian Leek Tart
I have the honor of being the recipient of a set of Belgian cookbooks once belonging to my husband’s paternal grandmother. She was known as “Grandmere” to all of her grandchildren, born and raised in Belgium, she loved her home country and shared many stories and her love of food.
We have had the chance to stay in touch with and visit family over the years and love Belgium and Belgian cuisine, and especially Belgian beer!
The recipes for this year’s Belgian GP are both from one of the cookbooks in her collection, the “Everyone Eats Well in Belgium Cookbook” by Ruth van Waerebeek. There are a few sweet notes in there by Grandmere about best recipes and alterations she would make.
This leek tart was perfect for the gorgeous leeks we got this week in our produce box from Imperfect Foods. If you are in a U.S. city, I highly recommend checking them out. We get a box of produce and groceries that are surplus or “ugly” delivered to our door every week. This week we got huuuge leeks and they were perfect for this tart.
We served the tart with a Vineyard Salad and a perfect glass of Chimay.
Leek Tart
1 recipe Basic Flemish Pie Crust (recipe follows)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 large leeks, white and light green parts, rinsed well and slices into 1 inch thick rings
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons white wine
3 large eggs
1 cup half and half
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1 ounce Gruyere cheese, grated
1. Line a 10 inch pie plate with the dough. Lay the dough over the pie plate, without stretching the dough too much. Pat gently into place with your fingers. Trim away the excess dough around the edges of the tart pan and then crimp the edges of the crust. Prick the bottom and sides all over with a fork. Line with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights. Chill for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 400°F
3. Bake the pastry for 10 minutes. Remove the pie weights and foil and bake the pastry for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool while you prepare the filling.
4. Reduce oven to 350°F
5. Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the leeks, salt, pepper, and wine. Cook the leeks, covered, over medium heat for 15 minutes. Do not let them brown.
6. In a mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs, half and half, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
7. Drain the leeks (if needed), spread over the bottom of the pie crust. Pour the egg mixture over the leeks and sprinkle the grated cheese over the top.
8. Bake until the custard is set, 20-30 minutes. Let the tart cool and set for 10-15 more minutes. Cut into wedges and serve. Best served while still warm.
Basic Flemish Pie Crust
2 cups all-purpose flour
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup ice-cold water
1. Measure the flour into the bowl of a food processor and pulse on and off a few times.
2. Add the butter, egg, and salt and pulse the processor 3-4 times, until the mixture is coarse and the butter pieces are the size of small peas.
3. With the food processor running add the cold water through the feed tube a little at a time until the dough just holds together. (Do not let it form a ball as this would be over-worked.)
4. Shape the dough into a thick disk and wrap in plastic wrap, refrigerate for at least one hour.
5. When the dough is chilled, roll it out on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch thickness. Use in recipe of your choice.
From Everyone Eats Well in Belgium Cookbook by Ruth van Waerebeek
