Bacon & Leek Tart

The best homemade short crust pastry!

This tart is packed full of soft buttery leeks thats been cooked low and slow until it almost melts in your mouth. Its got bits of bacon rippling through it. It’s rich and creamy.

Do you know what’s even better than the filling of this tart? …..

….the crumbly homemade Short Crust Pastry!

Delicious!

The Best Short Crust pastry you will ever make

Bacon & Leek Tart

Crust

150g Flour (plus extra for dusting)

140 g Butter, cubed & chilled (plus extra for the dish)

Salt

Cold Water

Filling

200 g Streaky Bacon

5 Large Leeks

1 Onion

2 tbsp Flour

80ml Milk

60g Crème Fraiche

2 Eggs

200g Cheddar

Butter

Salt, Pepper, Nutmeg

Method

1. Add the flour into a large bowl. Season with a pinch of salt. Add the cold butter and rub together using your fingertips until you get a sandy consistency. Add the water, a little at a time until the dough comes together

2. Tip the dough out onto a floured table and knead for a few minutes to bring the dough together. Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 mins

3. Preheat the oven to 200 C

4. Take the dough out, unwrap and let it come to room temp. Roll it out on a floured surface until its about an inch larger than the diameter of the pie dish. Butter the pie dish and line wit the short crust pastry. Trim off the excess and then chill again for 30 mins. Poke the pastry with a fork. Line with baking paper and weigh it down with some baking beads or rice and bake for 20 mins. Take the baking paper and rice out and blind bake the pastry for another 10 mins until you get a pale brown colour. Take it out of the oven and leave aside to cool down a little. Reduce the oven temp to 180 C.

5. To make the filling, add chopped bacon into a large pot and get it heating. Once the bacon has cooked, take it out of the pan.

6. Add a knob of butter, once its melted add the finely chopped onion. Season with a pinch of salt and stir. Cook for about 2-3 mins until the onions have softened. Add in the chopped leaks and stir well

7. Reduce the heat to medium low. Cover and cook for 10-12 minutes. Stirring occasionally until the leeks have softened

8. Season with a pinch of salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir. Add the bacon back in. stir well. Taste and adjust for seasoning.

9. Sprinkle the flour on top of the mixture. Stir and cook for 3-4 minutes until the flour is cooked through. Add the milk and stir well. Then add the crème fraiche and stir through. Turn off the heat and let it cool down for about 10 mins

10. Add 2 beaten eggs and stir immediately. Add half of the grated cheddar. Stir through. Add the filling into the baked pie, even out. Sprinkle the rest of the cheddar on top and bake for about 30 minutes until golden and bubbly. Take it out of the oven and let it cool down for 20-30 minutes before serving