The first time I tasted Leek Tart was during our holiday in France when my mom-in-law made it for us. I love it and it’s one of my husband’s favorite foods. So when we came back from our holidays, I tried to make it at home. And this recipe is inspired by mom-in-law.
Savory French Leek Tart
To be honest, I hadn’t tried leeks since my childhood until I met my husband. But now I am loving it together with my family simply because it has a distinct rich flavor and it’s luscious. Plus, we love the sweet smell of leeks while it’s cooking especially when it started to caramelize. My husband usually used leeks in soup, and now I’m using it in tarts.
In my recipe, I prefer to use homemade pie crust (from scratch), homemade béchamel/white sauce, and for the fillings sometimes I added bacon with the leeks or just leeks. I don’t use eggs.
Leek tart without bacon
Leek tart with bacon
This leek tart recipe is quite easy. It makes a great brunch or lunch with side green salad. You can eat it as an appetizer or main course. For us, it is best served with a good white Sauvignon Blanc or Champagne and enjoy it with your loved ones.
What you will need for the fillings:
- 8 leeks
- 8 stripes bacon, slightly cooked (optional)
- salt to taste
- freshly crashed red Kampot pepper to taste
- Emmentel cheese, grated
What you will need for the béchamel sauce:
- 20 grams salted butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 cup milk
What you will need for the pie crust:
- 2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour
- 4 tbsp white refined sugar
- 1 large egg
- 20 grams salted butter at room temperature
- ¼ cup of cold water
Leek tart
Preparation:
- Make pie crust.
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- In a mixing bowl put the flour, butter and sugar. Mix well.
- In a separate small bowl, cracked the egg to make sure that it’s a good one and to remove some eggshells. Then put in into the mixture. Mix well.
- Add the cold water little by little until you get the desired consistency. Mix well.
- Form into a big ball.
- Wrap it with a plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate it while you are preparing the béchamel sauce and the fillings.
- After you refrigerate it, flour the surface of the working area.
- Roll it out to your desired thickness. Make sure the edges extend a couple of inches beyond the 9-inch pie plate.
homemade pie crust
2. Make béchamel sauce.
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- In a small bowl, put 1 tbsp of all-purpose flour. Add some water. Stir it thoroughly.
- In a small cooking pot, put the butter, the milk and flour mixture. Keep stirring for about 5 minutes.
- Set aside.
3. Make the fillings.
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- Thoroughly clean the leeks because some sands and other dirt often caught between the layers.
- Cut the leeks. When you cut the leeks you can smell their acidity and it is burning your eyes.
- Cut the bacon into small stripes or cubes. Then in a small frying pan, put the bacon and cooked it for 5 minutes.
- Put the leeks in a cooking pan. Stir.
- When the leeks have been caramelized, add bacon. Mix well.
- Seasoned with salt and freshly crashed red Kampot pepper according to your taste. (You can use whatever pepper you like. My family and I prefer red Kampot pepper – it’s tasty and fruity.)
- Let it cook for 5 minutes. Set aside.
leeks
leeks
4. Putting together.
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- Preheat your oven to 200⁰C.
- Put the pastry and press it into a pie plate. Fix up any tears. Finish off the ragged ends into a neat edge.
- Pour the filings into the pastry.
- Bake it for 35 minutes.
- Top it with grated Emmentel cheese, 15 minutes before the timer stops.
- Allow the tart to cool off for 30 minutes after you take it out from the oven so that the cheese and leeks set and also to keep its shape.
ready to be shoved into the oven
5. Slice, serve, share and enjoy!
Little Lilly Meets the World 