Goats Cheese Shallot And Leek Tart A Bit Of A French Tart Recipes

GOAT'S CHEESE, SHALLOT AND LEEK TART - A BIT OF A FRENCH TART!

Steps:

• You will need a 7½ inch (19 cm) diameter fluted quiche tin with a removable base, 1¼ inches (3 cm) deep, very lightly buttered, and a small, solid baking sheet.
• Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 5, 375°F (190°C) and pop the baking sheet in to pre-heat on the centre shelf.
• Now prepare the leeks. First, take the tough green ends off & discard them; leave some of the lighter green & then make a vertical split about halfway down the centre of each one and clean them by running them under the cold-water tap while you fan out the layers - this will rid them of any hidden dust and grit. Then slice them in half lengthways and chop into ½-inch (1 cm) slices.
• Next, in a medium-sized frying pan, melt the butter over a gentle heat and add the leeks, shallots and some salt. Give it all a good stir and let them cook gently, without a lid, for 10-15 minutes or until the juice runs out of them. Then you need to transfer them to a sieve set over a bowl to drain off the excess juice. Place a saucer with a weight on top of them to press out every drop.
• Roll it out into a circle on a lightly floured surface. As you roll, give it quarter turns to keep the round shape and roll it as thinly as possible. Now transfer it, rolling it over the pin, to the tin. Press it lightly and firmly over the base and sides of the tin, easing any overlapping pastry back down to the sides, as it is important not to stretch it. Now trim the edges and press the pastry up about ¼ inch (5 mm) above the rim of the tin all round, and then prick the base all over with a fork.
• After that, paint some of the beaten egg for the filling over the base and sides. Now place the tin on the baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and golden. Check halfway through the cooking time to make sure that the pastry is not rising up in the centre. If it is, just prick it a couple of times and press it back down with your hands.
• While the pastry case is pre-baking, crumble the goats' cheese with your hands, and then gently combine it with the leeks & shallots in the sieve. Now, in a jug, mix the beaten eggs with the crème fraîche or double cream, seasoning with just a little salt (there is some already in the leeks) and a good grinding of freshly milled black pepper.
• As soon as the pastry case is ready, remove it from the oven; arrange the leeks, shallots and cheese all over the base. Pour the cream and egg mixture over the top of the cheese, shallots & leeks, then put the tart back on the baking sheet with the oven shelf half pulled out, then gently slide the shelf back in and bake the tart for 30-35 minutes, until it's firm in the centre and the surface has turned a lovely golden brown.
• Next, remove it from the oven and allow it to settle for 10 minutes before serving. These 10 minutes is important, as it will be much easier to cut into portions. The best way to remove the tart from the tin is to ease the edges from the sides of the tin with a small knife, then place it on an upturned jar or tin, which will allow you to carefully ease the sides away.
• Next slide a palette knife or wide fish slice underneath and ease the tart on to a plate or board ready to serve, or simply cut it into portions straight from the tin base.
• Serve for picnics, light lunch with mixed salad and baked potatoes or as finger food for a buffet.

GOAT CHEESE TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the crust, put the flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Cut 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) of the butter into large dice, add to the bowl, and pulse until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, add the ice water all at once and process until the dough becomes crumbly. Don't overprocess. Dump the dough out on a floured board, gather it loosely into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Roll the dough on a well-floured board and fit it into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable sides, rolling the pin over the top to cut off the excess dough. Butter 1 side of a square of aluminum foil and fit it, butter side down, into the tart pan. Fill the foil with rice or beans. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the beans and foil from the tart shell, prick the bottom all over with a fork, and bake for another 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of butter in a small pan and saute the shallots over low heat for 5 minutes, or until tender. Place the goat cheese in the bowl of the food processor and process until crumbly. Add the cream, eggs, basil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the pepper and process until blended.
• Scatter the cooked shallots over the bottom of the tart shell. Pour the goat cheese mixture over the shallots to fill the shell (if the shell has shrunk, there may be leftover filling). Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tart is firm when shaken and the top is lightly browned. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and serve hot or at room temperature.

GOAT CHEESE-LEEK TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F, with rack on lowest shelf. In a bowl, toss leeks with oil, and season with salt and pepper.
• Whisk together goat cheese, cream cheese, milk, 2 egg yolks, and thyme; season with salt and pepper. In another bowl, lightly beat remaining egg yolk with the water, for egg wash.
• Roll out dough to a 13-inch round, about 1/8 inch thick, on a lightly floured work surface. (Or unfold store-bought dough.) Place on a baking sheet. Spread goat-cheese mixture on crust, leaving a 2-inch border. Sprinkle leeks evenly on top. Fold edge of dough over filling, pinching folds together to seal. Brush dough with egg wash.
• Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until crust is golden brown and filling is browned in spots, about 1 hour. Let cool completely on a wire rack. To serve, cut into wedges.
• Preparing Leeks
• Trim root end and dark green tops. Halve leeks lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise into half-moons. Wash well in several changes of cold water, swishing leeks to release any grit, until water is clear. Drain, and dry on paper towels.

LEEK & GOAT'S CHEESE TRAYBAKE TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200/180C fan/gas 6. Line a non-stick tin (24cm x 20cm x 3cm deep) with baking parchment. Unravel the pastry and use it to line the tin. It should fit almost perfectly except for a slight overhang at the ends. If there are any cracks in the pastry, gently press them together with your fingers, then prick the base. Line with more baking parchment, fill with baking beans and bake for 15 mins. Remove the paper and beans and bake 5 mins more to dry the base.
• Meanwhile, in a large non-stick frying pan, fry the leeks in the butter with most of the thyme until soft - about 8 mins. Tip into a bowl and pour in the milk, then add the nutmeg, some seasoning and the eggs. Beat until well mixed, then stir in the chopped goat's cheese.
• When the pastry case comes out of the oven, tip in the leek mixture, arrange the sliced cheese on top and scatter over the hazelnuts and the remaining thyme. Return to the oven for 25-30 mins until the filling is set. Trim away the excess pastry at the ends if you like and serve warm or at room temperature with a tomato salad.

GOAT CHEESE TARTLETS WITH CARAMELIZED SHALLOTS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Set twelve 4-inch bottomless tartlet (flan) rings or twelve 4-inch tartlet pans with removable bottoms on two parchment-lined baking sheets. Lightly flour a clean working surface. Roll pate brisee to an 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out twelve 5-inch diameter circles, and fit into tartlet rings. Using a fork, prick pastry all over; chill until firm, at least 15 minutes.
• Line shells with aluminum foil; fill with dry beans or pie weights. Transfer baking sheets to oven; bake shells 12 minutes, rotating once during baking. Remove beans and foil. Continue baking until shells are slightly golden, 7 to 9 minutes. Remove baking sheets from oven; transfer to a wire rack. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.
• In a medium skillet over medium-low heat, melt butter. Add shallots and sugar, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until shallots are very tender and have deeply caramelized, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from heat; set aside.
• Place goat cheese in bowl of a food processor; puree until very smooth. Add heavy cream and sour cream; process until well combined. Transfer to a medium bowl.
• Stir in thyme and parsley; season with pepper. Spoon filling into each shell to within 1/8 inch from top, about 2 to 3 tablespoons per shell. Arrange 1 heaping teaspoon reserved shallots on top of each tartlet.
• Transfer baking sheets to oven; bake tartlets until filling has set, 13 to 15 minutes, rotating once. Transfer sheets to a wire rack to cool slightly, about 10 minutes. Remove rings. Sprinkle remaining parsley over tartlets. To serve, place tartlets on plates. Garnish each plate with frisee.

GOAT-CHEESE LEEK TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack on lowest shelf. In a medium bowl, toss leeks with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together goat cheese, cream cheese, milk, 2 egg yolks, and thyme. Lightly season with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, beat remaining egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash.
• Place pie crust on a rimmed baking sheet. Spread goat-cheese mixture on crust, leaving a 2-inch border. Top with leeks. Fold edge of dough over filling, pinching folds together to seal. Brush dough with egg wash.
• Bake until crust is golden brown, about 1 hour. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into wedges; serve.

LEEK & GOAT'S CHEESE TARTLETS

Steps:

• Wash the leeks in a colander but don't worry about drying them as you want a bit of water clinging on. Heat the butter in a wide saucepan until sizzling, then add the wet leeks and thyme leaves plus salt and pepper. Sweat the leeks really gently for 20-25 mins until they have practically melted but not coloured, adding a little more butter if needed. Set aside and allow to cool.
• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Roll the pastry out to the thickness of a £1 coin. Cut out 4 saucer-size circles and place on a baking sheet. Spread the leeks over the circles leaving a slight border around the edge. Put a slice of goat's cheese in the middle of each tart and top with a thyme sprig. Pinch the pastry edge together to slightly encase the leeks, then bake the tarts for 25 mins until puffed up and golden. Serve hot and drizzled with flavoured oil if you have it.