Each time I pick an ingredient of the week, there is usually one dish I become obsessed with trying. For leek week that dish is leek tart. As I scanned the internet and my cookbooks for a recipe, my obsession was fueled by pictures of flaky pastry topped with buttery leeks and melted cheese. With great difficulty, I chose Gill’s Poached Leek and Blue Cheese Tart from River Cottage Every Day. For starters, the picture of the recipe in the book (taken by Simon Wheeler) completely seduced me. I also thought the idea of poaching the leeks, then using the poaching liquid to flavor the custard in this quichey tart, was very clever. For years I’ve been a big fan of everything River Cottage, and come to rely on Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s books for solid recipes that come together with ease. His recipes are easy to adapt as the ingredient list is usually short and the instructions rely on basic cooking techniques to encourage intuitive cooking. If you’re not into blue cheese, maybe try Gruyére, goat cheese, or even a white cheddar. I went with Roth Kase Buttermilk Blue, a creamy and tangy raw milk cheese made in Wisconsin. I always taste blue cheese at the store counter, because I want to make sure to pick one that’s not too salty for cooking with.

Another reason I picked this recipe is I had faith the short-crust pastry recipe would be a success, and I was not disappointed. The dough came together without any fuss and baked up light and flaky. Hugh suggests making two batches of dough at the same time, blind baking both, then storing one crust in the freezer so your next leek tart is already half-done when you want it.

The tart is tasty served warm or at room temperature. I think it makes a lovely winter lunch or a hearty, savory breakfast that will keep you fueled through most of the day. Serve Gill’s Poached Leek and Blue Cheese Tart for supper with a salad of winter greens and a crisp glass of white wine.

Gill’s Poached Leek and Blue Cheese Tart

Recipe from River Cottage Every Day by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

makes 1 tart, serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

For the short-crust pastry

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
a pinch of sea salt
1 egg yolk
2 to 3 tablespoons cold milk

For the tart filling

2 or 3 medium leeks (about 1 pound), white part only, washed and sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup crumbled good blue cheese
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 1/3 cups heavy cream

First make the pastry. Put the flour, butter, and salt in a food processor and pulse until the mixture looks like bread crumbs. I don’t have a food processor, so I do this by hand with a pastry blender. The butter should be fresh from the fridge and cold. If you’re going to blend the butter and flour by hand, cut the butter into 1/4 inch cubes first. Once the mixture is blended add the egg yolk, then pour in the milk in a gradual stream. As soon as the dough starts coming together, stop adding the milk. Turn out and knead lightly a couple of times, then wrap the dough in plastic and chill in the fridge for half an hour.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry out quite thinly and use it to line a 10-inch two-part tart pan, letting the excess pastry hang over the edges. Line the pastry with parchment paper, fill with dried beans, and blind bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Take the tart out of the oven and remove the paper and beans. Lightly prick the bottom all over with a fork, and return to the oven for 5 minutes, until the bottom is dry but not too colored. Carefully trim off the excess pastry with a small, sharp knife. Turn the oven temperature up to 350 degrees.

To make the filling, put the leeks into a saucepan with 1/2 cup water, the butter, and some salt and pepper. Bring to a low simmer, then cover and cook gently, stirring once or twice, for about 10 minutes, until just tender. Drain the leeks, reserving the cooking liquid. Spread the cooked leeks on the baked tart shell and cover with the crumbled cheese.

Give the leek liquid a chance to cool, then put it in a bowl with the eggs, egg yolks, and cream. Beat the mixture with a whisk until smooth, then season with salt and pepper. Pour the custard over the cheese and leeks. Put the tart back into the oven and bake for about 30 minutes- the custard should be just set when you gently shake the pan. Serve warm or cold.

Note: I live at an altitude of 5,280 feet, and therefore made some adjustments to baking time and temperature. With a quiche-like baked good it’s best to bake hot and fast so the mixture puffs up nicely and doesn’t take forever to cook. I increased the temperature of the oven while baking the filled tart by about 15 degrees Fahrenheit. It took about 35 minutes to cook.