Servings: 8
Ingredients
- Ingredients for the tart shell
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick of butter 1/2 cup
- 1/4 cup leaf lard or substitute with additional butter
- 1/2 cup ice cold water
- Ingredients for the Filling
- 1 large leek
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3/4 cup cooked greens of choice moisture drained
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly-grated nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup freshly-grated parmesan
- 1/4 cup grated gruyère or swiss cheese
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and the salt. Measure the water and set aside. Cut the butter and the leaf lard into 1/4-inch cubes and set aside. Now chill all of your ingredients in the freezer for 30 minutes, including the flour.
- After 30 minutes, put the flour, salt, butter, and lard into the food processor and pulse 10-12 times until nice and crumbly. Add half of the chilled water and pulse a few more times. Add the rest of the water and pulse until the dough begins to come together. You want your dough to be on the slightly crumbly side rather than the sticky side. If it still seems too crumbly to gather into a ball, add water a tablespoon at a time until just right. (I have never had to add more than a couple of extra tablespoons—don’t let it get too sticky!)
- Dump the dough onto a large square of parchment paper and gather it into a lump. Press the dough into a disk and fold in half, then fold in half again, into a wedge shape. Shape the dough into a rough 8-inch disk. Wrap the parchment paper around the disk. If you are baking your tart shell immediately, chill in the freezer for 30 minutes. If you are making your tart shell ahead of time, put it in a plastic bag and store it in the freezer until ready to use.
- When you are ready to par-bake your crust, take the dough out of the freezer and defrost for about 10-15 minutes. If you are baking the same day and have just done the chilling step, only defrost for 5 minutes. Using a rolling pin, begin pounding the dough out until it is approximately a 10-inch round, then roll it out to roughly 13 inches in diameter. Place the dough in a 9-inch deep dish pie pan or cast iron skillet. Flute the edges of the crust and place in the freezer to chill for another 15 minutes.
- Heat oven to 400ºF (204ºC). After 15 minutes, remove the pie crust from the freezer and par-bake it in the preheated oven. To par-bake, cut a round of parchment paper the same size as your tart pan. Set the parchment paper on top of the pie crust and place pie weights or dried beans on top to weigh the crust down and help it maintain its shape. Cook your pie crust for 10-15 minutes until it just starts to brown, then remove from the oven and let cool. Reduce oven temperature to 350ºF (177ºC).
- Cut the leek into quarters lengthwise, then chop the lengths into 1/2-inch strips and soak them in a large bowl of water for 5 minutes. Swish the leek slices in the water to dislodge any remaining dirt and then let drain.
- In a medium saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the drained leeks to the saucepan. Stir well to coat the leeks with butter and salt lightly. Place the lid on and lower the temperature to medium heat to sweat the leeks. Let cook with the lid on for 5 minutes. Take the lid off of the pan and stir, reduce heat to low, and repeat. When leeks are nice and tender, set them aside to cool.
- If you are using fresh greens, add more butter or oil to your saucepan and add as many greens as you can fit. Stir until wilted. Continue adding greens until you have cooked them all down. You should have about 3/4 cup of cooked greens when you’re finished. Be sure to drain or squeeze out any excess water. If you are using frozen greens, defrost, chop, and drain any excess water before using.
- Mix the eggs, cream, nutmeg, tarragon, and salt in a bowl. Spread the leeks and greens over the bottom of the par-baked tart shell. Sprinkle the mixture with half the Parmesan. Pour the egg mixture over the greens, careful not to pour so much that the tart shell overflows. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake in the oven at 350ºF (177ºC) for 30 minutes. The tart can be served immediately, but it also keeps well at room temperature for a couple hours.
Notes
The key to a yummy tart shell is to keep the ingredients cold. This means we will work the ingredients quickly and as little as possible. I recommend using a food processor, so I will give instructions for that version, although you can also make this by hand using a pastry cutter.
Tried this recipe?Mention @homesteadlivingmagazine or tag #homesteadlivingmagazine!