Easy Puff Pastry Tart With Leeks And Gorgonzola Recipes

EASY PUFF PASTRY TART WITH LEEKS AND GORGONZOLA

Steps:

• Roll out the cold puff pastry on a lightly floured surface to form a 12-inch square. Transfer the puff pastry to a 9-inch-diameter glass or ceramic pie dish, lined with parchment paper. Fold the overhanging dough inward and lightly press, so that it is more or less the same thickness around the pie dish and forms a uniform edge. Prick the base of the pastry with a fork and chill in the refrigerator while you make the filling (keeping the dough very cold will help it puff up nicely and prevent it from shrinking when it bakes).
• Make the filling. Clean the leeks well under cold running water. Trim and discard about 2 inches of the green tops, thinly slice the rest, and let drain. In a large, heavy skillet, heat the butter and olive oil. Add the leeks and the onion, season well with salt and pepper, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the leeks and the onions are very soft and caramelized. Set aside to cool.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Make the custard. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the eggs, the cream, the flour, and the salt and pepper. Add the cooled leek and onion mixture to the egg mixture and stir to combine.
• Remove the puff pastry from the refrigerator, then pour the custard and filling mixture over it. Sprinkle the top with the cheese of your choice, the grated parmesan and add the ham (if using). Bake for about 30 minutes, or, until the crust is deep golden and the filling feels firm around the edges. It should look well puffed and lightly browned. Place on a wire rack to cool for about 20 minutes before slicing and serving.

LEEK, MUSHROOM AND GOAT CHEESE TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Trim fennel of green top and root end, reserving fronds, and quarter bulb from top to bottom. Using a mandoline or very sharp knife, cut fennel and leeks into paper-thin slices. Clean and slice mushrooms.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium heat; add fennel and leeks and sauté until just tender but not brown, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Heat remaining teaspoon of oil in skillet over medium-high heat; add mushrooms and sauté until they release all their liquid and most of it boils away, about 5 minutes. Combine fennel mixture with mushrooms and sauté together briefly; season with salt and pepper. Remove pan from heat.
• Unfold puff pastry onto lightly floured surface; cut in half lengthwise to form two long rectangles. Gently roll out each rectangle to approximately 5 by 14 inches and place on cookie sheet (or cut into two circles, if desired). Trim edges by 1/4 inch strips all around; set strips aside. Break one egg into a small bowl; beat slightly. Brush edges of pastry with some egg. Use trimmed strips to make a raised border on each. (Or, fold pastry edges over to form a rim.) Brush entire surface with remaining beaten egg. Prick interior of pastry all over with a fork. Bake until pale gold, about 10 minutes. If pastry has puffed up inside edge, press it down gently. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, combine remaining eggs with 6 ounces goat cheese and blend until smooth. Spread onto pastry. Return to oven and bake just until set, about 4 minutes. Remove from oven and spread with mushroom-leek mixture. Crumble remaining cheese on top. Just before serving, broil tarts on low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until tarts are warm and cheese softens. Garnish with fennel fronds.

EASY PUFF PASTRY TARTS WITH VEGETABLES AND FETA

Steps:

• Defrost the puff pastry in the refrigerator for two hours or for one hour on the counter.
• Prep the vegetables: slice the zucchini and the squash into thin slices and set them aside on paper towels to absorb the extra moisture. Slice the onion into thin rings and set them aside. Slice the tomato thinly and place on paper towels, topped with another layer of paper towels to ensure that most of the moisture is absorbed. When ready to use, slice each tomato slice into quarters.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
• Gently unfold the puff pastry from its package. Sprinkle some flour on a work surface and place a sheet of the puff pastry over the flour. Sprinkle additional flour on top. Using an inverted bowl, cut each sheet of puff pastry into 2 rounds, about 5"-6" (from the remaining puff pastry of each sheet, I also cut out two smaller rectangles). Place the pastry rounds on the prepared sheet pans and refrigerate while you work on the filling.
• Heat a large skillet to medium hot. Add some olive oil to coat and, once heated, add the onions, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and sauté until soft and light brown. Remove the onions from the skillet and set aside.
• To the same heated skillet, add the zucchini slices, season with salt and pepper and sauté on both sides until golden brown. Remove from the skillet and set aside. Repeat this process with the yellow squash, making sure not to overcrowd the skillet. Once done, remove from the skillet and let them cool.
• Remove the puff pastry from the refrigerator and, using a sharp pairing knife, score a border around each round. Prick the area inside the border with a small fork to prevent the inside part from puffing up too much. Top each round with the onion, then the Feta cheese, and the slices of the vegetables in an overlapping pattern. Sprinkle the tops with some oregano and a drizzle of olive oil, then bake on the middle rack for about 25 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Allow the tarts to cool slightly on the pan before removing. Sprinkle with some flaky sea salt and serve warm or at room temperature.