As featured in Condé Nast Traveler Magazine “How to Build the Ultimate Picnic Basket, According to Chefs Around the World.” (France)
Leeks are a staple in my springtime kitchen. They are one of my favorite seasonal ingredients for their gentle fragrance. I add them to soups, mashed potatoes, braise them in wine with pasta, and make this Savory French Leek Tart – though you’d be most accurate to call this a pie, as the crust has changed over the years, but the name has stayed the same
The French have elevated leeks to an almost noble ranking. The leek, le poireau, is harvested in France throughout most of the year, and recipes abound and vary by region and family. I first tasted this particular dish during a brief stay in France and, unlike most savory pies, it doesn’t require eggs. How it manages to stay together must be the result of some gorgeous French culinary magic.
Getting started: Leeks are dirty! So it’s important to thoroughly clean out the sandy dirt that often gets caught between the layers. Here’s a helpful video tutorial from Gourmet Magazine.
For this Savory French Leek Tart, you’ll only need 2-3 leeks, quality Gruyère or Comte cheese, light cream, and salt and pepper. If you have a ready-made pie crust then you are all set. If you prefer to make your crust from scratch, like I do, I will provide you a buttery and flaky crust recipe below.
One note though, don’t cut into this dish straight away. Remember, there are no eggs in this recipe to help bind everything together. You’ll need to allow it all to set. I usually give this about 30 minutes or more after it’s out of the oven. This way it’ll keep its shape nicely and still be warm enough to savor – though it tastes just as good when it’s room temperature, too.
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Ingredients
For Homemade Pie Crust:
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose, unbleached, flour
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup butter, chilled and cubed
- 1/4 cup ice water
For the Leek Mixture:
- 1 9-inch (23 cm) pie crust homemade or store-bought
- 3 tbsp salted butter
- 3 leeks, white & light green parts only, cleaned & chopped roughly 3 cups, chopped
- fine sea salt, as needed
- fresh ground black pepper, as needed
- 1 cup light cream see comments for reader tips if you don’t have access to light cream
- 1 ½ cups grated Gruyère or Comte cheese
Instructions
- If making homemade pie crust, prepare the crust first and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Recipe for homemade crust below.
For Homemade Pie Crust:
- In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt, mix well. Cut in the chilled butter using a food processor, pulsing until the flour resembles coarse sand. Stir in the cold water, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) at a time, until the mixture is moist and comes together to form a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and gently press down to form a slight disc shape. Refrigerate at least 4 hours.
- Roll out the chilled dough to fit a 9-inch (23-cm) pie plate. Gently place the crust into the pie plate. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the plate.
- Before pouring the mixture into the crust, poke a fork into the bottom and sides of the crust a few times, to allow air to escape when baking.
For the Leek Mixture:
- Preheat oven to 375 F. (190.6 C.).
- In a large skillet over medium-low heat, melt the butter and stir in leeks. Cook, stirring frequently, until tender and beginning to caramelize, about 10-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low.
- Add the cream and Gruyère or Comte cheese and gently stir until the cheese is melted. Pour the mixture into the pie crust.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the top has set and turned golden. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Allow the leek tart to cool at least a hour or so, before serving - the cheese will be quite loose if it’s served hot. Best served room temperature or only slightly warm. Refrigerate leftovers or if making this ahead of time. Before serving, make sure the pie has come to room temperature (could take several hours if cold) or briefly re-heat just long enough to take away the chill, don’t serve piping hot.
Notes
© chasingtheseasons. All images & content are copyright and trademark protected. Please do not use my photography without prior written permission. If you would like to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or kindly link back to this post for the recipe.
Was absolutely delicious!! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much, Nathalie!
The pastry is fabulous!!!
The flavour of the filling is delicious but it is a wet filling. Next time I will add an egg for a more firm filling.
My husband and I still really enjoyed this and I will be making it again.
Thank you for sharing.
Thank you. Did you let the filling set completely? It is quite loose when the cheese is still very warm, but sets very well otherwise. I wish it had worked out perfectly for you, but happy that you liked the pastry and the flavor.
Is the crust blind baked prior to filling?
Pricked with a fork and par-baked 15 mins or so to help prevent air bubbles. I don’t weigh it down, the method mentioned has always worked just fine.
This recipe reminds me of my time in Paris as an exchange student-(2 lifetimes ago.) I make it frequently (as individual tarts.) I like quiche, but this is NOT quiche. It is what it needs to be: a memory of cold Winter days. Thanks!
*I use two leeks, and I too, was from the West Coast. I substitute half & half because the previous post is correct. No ‘light cream’ anywhere. Just reduce the amount slightly. I you wind up with more leek mixture than your crust will hold- make potato leek soup😉
Thank you so much for this lovely response! I’m so happy it brought back good memories. I’ve learned through this recipe that light cream isn’t available everywhere! Thank you so much again.
This turned out very good. I mixed cream with a little half and half and it was a little runnier than what the picture looks like, but the flavor was amazing! Will make again. Also wonder how you could make this into appetizer size individual bites – this would be a great thing to bring to a party or dinner.
To make this into smaller portions, just the your pie crust into 2 1/2 -3 ,inch circles and then press the dough into a small muffin or tart tin. Proceed with recipe instructions for baking. Obviously, since they are smaller, they will require less cooking time. You will have to watch them so they don’t burn.
Made this without the pastry because my daughter can’t digest wheat well.
IT’S DELICIOUS!!! Thank you for a great easy and so ever so tasty recipe!!!
Thank you! I’m so happy you were able to adapt the recipe for your daughter! It’s one of our favorites. I’m so glad you all enjoyed it! 🙂
Hi, I’ve been browsing through many leek pie or tart recipes and I believe this sounds like the best one! Because leeks can be so different in size, it would be lovely to know about how much chopped leek you need (in cups & grams). And very much appreciate the crust recipe with it. Thank you for sharing your recipe. Cheers!
Hi Leslie! I think 3 standard leeks would yield roughly 2 cups chopped raw. Give or take. A little less or a little more certainly wouldn’t compromise the integrity of the dish. I hope you enjoy! Let me know how it goes.
I made this with leeks from my garden and picked this recipe just to use them. I have never heard of “light cream” and assumed it was half and half. Well, the tart was delicious but it was runny.
Now having looked up “light cream” I see it has a higher fat content than half and half.
I live on the West Coast and like I said have never heard or seen in a store before.
Next time I will mix heavy cream and half and half to come up with the 20% that light cream apparently has.
We will still finish the tart as it is that good!!
Hey, Lisa! On a positive note, I’m happy that the dish was still a hit, but what a bummer to not have access to light cream at all. If you give it a go again with a mix of half and half and heavy cream, leave a comment and let us know how it turned out! Thanks so much for your feedback.
I read the reviews before deciding I definitely need to make this tonight and I’ve also never heard of light cream so I looked it up, and it’s also known as “coffee cream” or “table cream”! I’ve seen and bought coffee cream at the grocery store so hopefully you have too and can try again! Bonus, it truly is delicious in your morning coffee!
This tart is so good that my husband and I have made it twice in the past few weeks! We use a frozen ready-made pie crust, so it’s easy to whip up on a weeknight. I’ve brought it to the office for lunch, and coworkers have told me that it smells delicious and looks like it was made by a professional chef.
I’m so happy that you love it! It’s one of my absolute favorites too – so easy, right?! You just made my day! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. 🙂