Goat cheese and leek tart adapted from Alice Water’s The Chez Panisse Menu Cookbook with my dough recipe:
Recommended serving ware: rectangular platter
Dough:
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
pinch of kosher salt
8 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 tablespoons orange juice (add a bit more if dough is too dry)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Place the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. With a fork, pastry cutter, or one’s own hands, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until well dispersed and the mixture is crumbly. Pour in the orange juice to bring together the dough together into a ball. It should not be wet or sticky and a bit more flour can always be added. On the other hand, if the dough is too dry, add more orange juice a bit at a time. Do not over work. Place dough in a large sheet of wax paper and place in the freezer for a few minutes while the fruit is prepared.
For the filling:
3-4 pounds leeks (about 12 – 14 small leeks)
8 tab. Butter
salt and pepper
1 egg
½ cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Pinch of curry powder
¼ pound goat cheese
1/3 cup fresh bread crumbs
Trim the green stems and the roots from the leeks. Julienne the leeks, rinse them well in cold water, drain them and cook them in 6 tab. butter over gentle heat for 20 – 30 minutes. Season with salt ad pepper, then cover the pan after 10 minutes and let the leeks sweat.
To make the custard, beat the egg lightly in a large bowl and stir in the ½ cup heavy cream, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard and the pinch of curry powder. Crumble half of the med cheese into the custard.
When the leeks are cool, stir them into the custard. Roll out the tart into an rectangle to fit the shape of the platter.
Refrigerate for 10 – 15 minutes. To bake the tart, fill the shell with the cool leek custard mixture. Crumble the remaining goat cheese over the filling. Sprinkle the tart with the 1/3 cup fresh bread crumbs and 2 tablespoons melted butter.
Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 10 – 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350, leaving the oven ajar to ensure rapid temperature change, and bake for another 30 to 40 minutes until the pastry is a beautiful brown.