leek and blue cheese tart

How to make leek and blue cheese tart recipe

Serves 4

Total cooking time 30 minutes

Ingredients:
150 g (5 oz) baby leeks, trimmed
325 g (11 oz) chilled ready-rolled puff pastry
oil, for greasing
1 egg, beaten
75 g (3 oz) mascarpone cheese
125 g (4 oz) blue cheese
salt and pepper

Method:
Cook the leeks in a pan of lightly salted boiling water for 1 minute until just soft. Drain and cool under cold running water.

Unwrap the pastry onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Use a sharp knife to lightly score a 1 cm (½ inch) border all around the pastry, taking care not to cut all the way through. Lightly prick the inside of the pastry with the end of a fork and brush all over the border with egg.

Mix together the remaining egg, the mascarpone and half the blue cheese and spread the mixture over the pastry. Arrange the leeks on top and scatter over the remaining cheese.

Cook in a preheated oven, 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6, for 20 minutes until the pastry is golden and cooked through.

For creamy leek & blue cheese pasta, cut 2 large leeks into thin slices. Cook in a large pan of lightly salted boiling water for 3–5 minutes until soft, together with 500 g (1 lb) fresh penne, cooked according to the pack instructions. Drain, reserving a little of the cooking water.

Return to the pan and stir in 5 tablespoons crème fraîche, adding a little of the cooking water if needed, and crumble over 100 g (3½ oz) blue cheese. Sprinkle over some chopped parsley before serving. Total cooking time 10 minutes.

leek and blue cheese tart