Tonight Jason prepared this Irish dish. It's a smoked salmon and leek tart. I've been sitting here trying to think of what to say about it, but I'm so full I think it's slowing my brain function. The crust is prebaked and then filled with an egg and leek mixture. That is baked further. Once everything cools down (1-2 hours later) it is topped with smoked salmon and chives (we substituted in green onions). Very flavorful. Makes me happy that we spotted the smoked salmon on sale during our last grocery trip so that it could inspire this meal.
Leek and Smoked Salmon Tart
Crust
1 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
½ tsp salt
8 Tbsp unsalted butter cut into ½
in cubes
3 Tbsp ice water
Filling
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 lbs leeks white and light green
parts only, halved lengthwise and sliced thin and cleaned
2 large eggs
½ cup half &half
Salt
Ground black pepper
1 Tbsp fresh dill minced
6 oz thinly sliced smoked salmon
cut into ¼ pieces
1 Tbsp green onion
1 Tbsp olive oil
For the crust, grease a 9 inch two
piece tart pan and set aside. Whisk
flour, sugar and salt together in a mixing bowl or food processor. Scatter the cubes of butter into the flour
mixture and cut it until it resembles coarse sand. Add 2 Tbsp of ice water and mix until dough
clumps into larger chumps and no powder remains. Only add the remaining Tbsp of water if the
mixture is not forming clumps.
Take the clumps and line the Tart
pan working from the center and pressing the clumps out to the outside filling
all seems and grooves. Push the excess
dough cutting it off the edge of the pan and use it to fill in holes and ad to
thin spots. Place in the freezer on a
tray or plate for 30 min.
Heat oven to 375 with the rack
adjusted to the middle position. Place
the frozen tart shell on a baking sheet and press a sheet of heavy aluminum
foil into the tart and over the edges of the pan. Fill the foil with baking weights (marbles, I
use dried beans) and bake until top edge begins to brown, about 30 min. Remove the shell from oven and gently remove
the weights and foil. Return to the oven
and continue to bake until the shell looks dry, about 10 min. Remove and let cool for 5 min.
While crust is baking, melt butter
in skillet over medium heat. Add leeks
and ½ tsp salt. Cook until softened, 10
min. Take off heat and let cool for 5
min. Whisk eggs, half & half, dill
and ¼ tsp black pepper. Once cooled stir
in leeks then spread mixture into tart shell and bake until filling has set and
the center is firm to touch, 20-25 min.
Let cool to room temperature.
Toss salmon, green onions and olive
oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle evenly over cooled tart. Slice to wedges and serve.
