A smoked bacon, sour cream and leek tart with a crisp buttery pastry crust and a creamy savoury filling.
Sweet soft leeks and smoky bacon are mixed with sour cream, eggs and parmesan cheese, then baked until golden and lightly set.
The sour cream adds a gentle tangy flavour that balances the richness of the bacon. Delicious served warm with salad or cold for lunch the next day.
BACON, SOUR CREAM AND LEEK TART
Serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS:
225 g plain flour
115 g cold diced butter
100 g trimmed smoked back bacon
2 tbsp olive oil
225 g onions, finely sliced
115 g leeks, finely sliced
1 whole egg, plus 1 egg yolk
200 ml sour cream
40 g parmesan cheese, finely grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
METHOD:
Place the flour and a pinch of salt into a large bowl. Rub the diced butter into the flour with your fingertips to form fine breadcrumbs. Add water, a little at a time and mix together until it forms a ball. Wrap in greaseproof paper and chill for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile preheat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 7.
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface into a 30cm circle. Loosely wrap it around the rolling pin and lay it over a 23cm flan dish. Gently press into the dish, then trim the edges. Prick the bottom with a fork, then line with aluminium foil or greaseproof paper and weight with rice or baking beans.
Bake the pastry case blind for 15 minutes. Remove its covering and continue to bake for 5-10 minutes or until it loses that sweaty look.
Meanwhile, dice the bacon and fry in the olive oil until it begins to colour. Reduce the heat, add the onions and leeks and then fry them gently for about 5 minutes, until soft. Allow to cool slightly.
Whisk together the eggs, sour cream and ½ of the parmesan. Mix into the bacon mixture and tip into the pastry case. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and return to the oven. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden and slightly risen.
