Leeked

06/03 LEEKED

This has taken a long time to come around, simply because life gets in the way and cooking sometimes becomes a by product. A sad thought, food is not fuel. Well it shouldn't be, and this recipe is a testament to time. It takes a slow pottering to prepare, a slow bake and then a slow picking to eat.

This tart is the edible equivalent of a long ramble - be it verbal or wandering. It is calming, simple and provides a small comfort when your world has hurried past. Caramelised into the pastry floor, these leeks succumb to their secret sweetness leaving you calm and contemplative. The world is big, but then we are very small.

Ingredients (all approximate) - 

2 Leeks
125g Salted Butter
125g Plain Flour
75ml cold water
1 tsp Caraway seeds
1 tbls Balsamic Vinegar
1 tbls Olive Oil
1 tsp brown sugar
Salt + Pepper

What I did - 

While not difficult, it does involve some calm and time. If you really can't be bothered then use frozen puff pastry... but do go with me. Start by rubbing the butter into the flour until completely crumbled into buttery sand. Add the fennel seeds. Make a small well in the centre of the flour, pour the water in and mix together with your fingers until it combines. Work into a dough, patiently and messily, that isn't dry not its it hard and over worked.

It may look less than perfect at this stage, but chill it cling filmed in the fridge for half an hour. While it's chilling prepare the leeks but stripping their ouster layer and washing them thoroughly. Cut them into inch lengths and arrange on the base of a tart tin (solid so it can be turned out). Dust them in the sugar, vinegar, oil and seasoning. Roast in a 180 degree oven for about 20 minutes, until they just start to brown.

Back to the pastry, take it out of the fridge and knead it for a few turns to loosen it. Roll it out to a length 2 to 1. then fold into thirds. Roll the long way again, repeat folds. Do this a couple of times until the pastry is pliable. Then roll out into a large disc, trim the edge to roughly the size of the baking tin. Take the leeks out of the oven, blanket them in the pastry. Use a fork to poke holes in the surface.

Bake again for another 30 minutes. The pastry will be truly golden, verging on tan. The tart is ready! Take it out the oven. Let it stand until you feel confident to place a plate upside down the top and flip the whole fiasco. Tap the bottom (now top) of the tin to loosen the leeks. Slowly raise it to unveil the marvel that is the leaky upside down pastry creation!

JG