Leek Tart With Oil Cured Olives Food

BRUNCH TART WITH SPINACH, OLIVES AND LEEKS

Steps:

• In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the leeks and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, 5 minutes. Add the garlic, stir and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add the spinach and cook until wilted and tender, 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, taste and season with salt and pepper as needed; let cool.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the ricotta, 2 eggs, the thyme and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Fold the cooled vegetable mixture and the olives into the ricotta mixture.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry until it's 12 inches square. Using a 12-inch plate or just eyeballing it, cut the dough into a circle (knead the scraps into a ball and save for another use-cheddar straws, say). Transfer the dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Spoon the tart filling into the center, leaving a 2-inch border of pastry. Lift the pastry edges and fold over the filling, creasing the dough as needed and leaving the filling exposed in the middle. In a small bowl, whisk the remaining egg with 1 tablespoon water and brush a thin layer of the egg wash on the exposed pastry, taking care not to let egg run down the sides to the pan.
• Bake until the pastry is golden brown, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes before serving.

LEEK TART WITH OIL-CURED OLIVES

Steps:

• To make the ricotta base, preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, combine ricotta with egg yolk and olive oil; whisk until well blended. Stir in sour cream, and season with salt and pepper.
• To make the pastry, cut pastry into six four-inch squares, and lightly score a border about 1/4 inch from the edge. Lightly score a criss-cross pattern in the inside of the square. Place on a baking sheet and bake until puffed and lightly browned, 10 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and poke the center with a fork to allow steam to escape. Cool for 10 minutes.
• To make the topping, place a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Melt butter, add leeks and thyme, and sauté until leeks are soft and lightly caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste; set aside.
• Brush the edge of the puff pastry with beaten egg yolk. Spread scored area of pastry with the ricotta base, and sprinkle evenly with Gruyére. Top with leeks and olives. Bake until the edges are golden brown, and the cheese is bubbling, 10 to 14 minutes. Serve hot.

LEEK TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Line a 9-inch pie pan with dough. Clean and trim leeks, and julienne. Melt the butter, add leeks and season and cook covered over medium to low heat for 20 minutes until softened. Mix the eggs and cream and all but 1/4 cup of the cheese and add the cooled leeks. Pour into pie shell, top with cheese and bake for 40 minutes.
• BRAISED LEEKS
• In an 8-inch skilled saute leeks in butter. Add chicken broth to almost cover. Cover pan, and to cook for about 20 minutes, until tender. Remove leeks to a platter. Reduce cooking liquid, pour over platter of leeks and garnish with fresh thyme.
• FRIZZLED LEEKS
• Heat oil to hot, but not smoking. Toss julienned leeks with some flour in a bowl. Add to hot oil and fry. Can be used as a garnish.

LEEK TART

Steps:

• 1. Line the pie dish of your choice with the pastry and chill in the freezer for 30 minutes.
• 2. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Prick the pastry all over with the tines of a fork or a sharp knife, then line it with aluminum foil and fill it with dry beans or pastry weights to keep it from bubbling up. Bake it in the lower third of the oven until the edges of the pastry are golden, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and reserve.
• 3. Melt the goose fat with the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat and cook until the bacon is slightly golden but not crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the leeks, stir so they are coated with fat and cook, covered, until they are tender, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally so they don't stick to the bottom of the pan. Season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.
• 4. In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the eggs until they are broken up, then whisk in the milk and the cream. Season with salt and pepper.
• 5. Arrange the leeks and the bacon evenly over the pastry. Pour the custard mixture over it. Place the tart tin on a baking sheet and bake it in the bottom third of the oven until the top is golden and puffed and the custard is cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, remove the edge of the tart tin if you've used a removable bottom tart tin, and serve immediately.

LEEK AND OLIVE TART WITH TWO CHEESES

Steps:

• If using baby leeks, halve lengthwise and trim to about 3 inches long. If using regular leeks, cut crosswise into 3-inch pieces; halve each piece lengthwise, then cut into 3/8-inch-thick strips (about 5 cups). Rinse well, and drain; set aside.
• Melt butter with oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add leeks and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are tender but not browned, about 15 minutes. Stir in thyme. Leeks can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1 day; bring to room temperature before assembling tart.
• Cut or roll out pastry to a 6-by-14-inch rectangle; place on a parchment-lined baking sheet (reserve remaining pastry for another use). Score a 3/4-inch border. Brush with egg wash; sprinkle with Parmesan. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake pastry until golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and press center area with a metal spatula. Arrange leeks end to end in rows within border of pastry. Scatter olives over leeks. Bake until crust is golden brown, about 10 minutes. If bottom is soft, bake 3 to 5 minutes more.
• Remove tart from oven, and arrange soft cheese over top. Using an offset spatula, slide tart onto a wire rack; let cool slightly. Cut into pieces; serve warm or at room temperature (tart can stand at room temperature up to 1 hour).