The rest of the ingredients depend upon what you have left in your fridge. Looking at the bits and bobs hanging out gives me inspiration for new recipes and cleaning out the fridge and pantry at the same time.
I had some sad leftover leeks in my fridge. I always think of leeks as a winter vegetable. Leftover ones depress me so I had no choice but to caramelize them. Who doesn’t love caramel anything? Encasing them in a bright lemon cream inside a healthy spelt crust turned out to be a fantastic idea.
The result was delightful. Perfect for a light dinner or snack. This recipe also makes a great dish to bring to a barbecue or picnic as the tart is just as tasty at room temperature.
Caramelized Leek Lemon Cream Tart in a Spelt Crust
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1+1/2 cups spelt flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick )cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 3-4 tablespoons ice water
For the filling:
- 2 large leeks cleaned and sliced into rings
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon white granulated sugar
- kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 1 lemon, preferably organic
- 1 8oz package cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 eggs
Instructions
Make the crust:
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In a food processor, pulse together the flour and salt until combined.
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Add the cold butter pieces to the processor and pulse until they become pea-sized lumps in the mixture.
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Add the water one tablespoon at a time, pulsing, just until the mixture sticks together in dough form.
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Wrap the dough in plastic cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
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Grease and flour a 9" tart pan.
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Roll out the crust dough into a circle on a floured work surface.
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Transfer to the pan and crimp the edges. Use a fork to poke some holes in the bottom of the crust.
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Place a layer of parchment paper inside the pan on top of the dough. Place pie weights* on top of the pan.
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Place the pan in the oven and blind bake the crust for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
Make the filling:
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Heat the remaining tablespoon of butter with the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
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Add the leeks and stir to coat. Cook the leeks until they soften.
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Sprinkle with sugar and cook, stirring until the leeks caramelize.
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Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
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Remove from heat and let cool.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
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Zest the lemon. Cut in half and squeeze the juice out of one half.
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In a separate bowl, beat together the sour cream and cream cheese. Beat in the eggs. Mix in the lemon zest and lemon juice.
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Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
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Pour the cream mixture into the pre-baked tart shell.
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Arrange the leeks over the top.
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Place the tart in the oven and bake for 3o minutes or until the tart filling solidifies.
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Remove from oven. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Recipe Notes
*TIP: If you do not have pie weights, fit a springform pan inside the tart pan on top of the crust with a layer of parchment paper in between. I have pie weights but I find this method much easier.
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