Leek, Prosciutto, and Egg Tart
Posted on March 9th, 2009 by theapartmentkitchen
People learn all sorts of things on their journey to higher education. The psychological workings of the human mind, mathematic equations, and all forms of scientific babble. These are the important things – lessons that guide people through the rest of their life journeys. So when I was asked recently about the most important thing I learned in college, the answer was tantalizingly clear – how to make an excellent pastry crust.
It’s so simple and versatile. It can be used for a number of different kinds of tarts – sweet or savory. The key to a good crust is in the mixing – keeping large pieces of butter in the dough makes for an incredibly flaky crust. Then the crust can be finished with any number of toppings for a delicious meal.
Leek, Prosciutto, and Egg Tart
Made 2 tarts.
Leftover Potential: A large amount of tart dough can be made and kept in the refrigerator or freezer until it is needed.
Crust:
3/4 cup AP flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
8 Tbsp (1 stick) butter, cold, cut into 1/2 cubes
3 Tbsp ice water, or more as needed
egg wash (1 egg thinned with 1 tbsp of water and a pinch of salt), as needed
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
1. Combine the flours and the salt in a medium bowl. Toss the butter in the flour. Use your hands to “shingle” the butter with the flour. Do this by flattening the butter between the palms of your hands. The larger the pieces of butter are, the flakier the dough will be. The smaller the pieces of butter are, the mealier the dough will be. For this tart, a flakier crust is better, since the toppings are light and won’t weigh down the tart.
2. Finish the dough by adding ice water one tablespoon at a time until the dough begins to come together. When the dough is finished, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.
3. When the dough is chilled, take it out of the refrigerator and divide it into two pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and roll out using a rolling pin. Roll the dough into a circle about 1/4″ thick. Transfer to a baking sheet. Dock (poke holes into) each piece of dough all over the base with a fork.
4. Apply egg wash to the edges to the tart shell. Bake in the oven until just starting to brown, about 7-8 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Toppings:
1 tbsp olive oil
4 oz prosciutto, diced
1 clove garlic, finely minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 bunch leeks, finely sliced
1/4 cup Boursin cheese
2 tsp red pepper flakes
salt, as needed
2 eggs
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a small saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Saute the until it begins to become crispy. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant. Remove the mixture from the heat, and reserve until needed.
3. In a medium saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Saute the leeks until they are softened. Remove from the heat and add the Boursin. Mix to combine, then season with salt and the red pepper flakes. Set aside until needed.
4. Spread the leek mixture across the par-baked tart shells. Sprinkle with the crisped prosciutto. Gently top with the raw egg.
6. Bake the tart in the oven until the egg white is set and the crust is fully browned, about 5-6 minutes. If a less runny egg is desired, add an additional 2-3 minutes Remove from the oven and serve on warm plates.
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This looks delicious. I’ve been getting more and more into savory tarts lately, and I really like the looks of this one.