Leek Tart with Pistachio Crust

tl;dr: This leek tart with pistachio crust just became my January spell.


Hello strangers. Long time no see.

At the top of my NY resolutions this year is to start blogging again. I don’t care that food blogs are a dinosaur of the food scene -- Triceratops comes to mind. I don’t care that the scoop now lives on TikTok and Instagram, all action shots and minuscule recipes. Don’t care. I’d like to believe that the written word may become relevant again, especially if it’s produced by actual humans.

Plus, being the last samurai is kind of cool.

Speaking of January, it's time to make stews and heartwarming concoctions, like chicken and apricot tagine curried cream of pear and parsnip soup, or roasted white winter vegetable broth with herbs. I was about to go down that path, but I’ve been browsing through some of my all time favorite cookbook – as I said, written word never goes out of style – and in 6 Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables I stumbled upon a recipe for an onion tart with walnut crust. 

Now you know me, I cannot help but not follow recipes, even my own, and what immediately came to mind was swapping walnuts for pistachios and onion for leeks, mostly because that’s what was in the fridge. As the idea took off, the fireworks of vivid greens exploded in my mind’s eye. Ifireworks of vivid greens exploded in my mind’s eye. It started with Titanite, Pantone 16-0229 TCX, shifted into Grenoble Green 15-0544 TCX, and ended with blasts of Chartreuse, Pantone 390C. (Sharing the specifics, in case you'd like to recreate the experience, though I think that my photos capture it pretty well, too.) 

It’s the New Year, and what better way to cast a spell for a good one than a breath of fresh green air. Needless to say, I made the tart three times in a row. Not because it needed perfecting. But when casting a spell, one ought to do a proper job, and three times is a charm. There is the beginning, the middle, and the end. There is the holy trinity; the past, present, and future. There are three pigs, three musketeers, Goldilocks and three bears. 

And of course, there are the Three Little Halves.

Leek Tart with Pistachio Crust

for the crust:

1/2 cup pistachios 

7 1/4 ounces all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar 

1 teaspoon kosher salt 

4 ounces unsalted butter, cold 

3-4 tablespoons cold water 

for the filling:

3 tablespoons olive oil

11 ounces leeks (white and light green parts only), thinly sliced (about 3 cups or 3 medium leeks)

2 eggs

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

180 ml heavy cream

salt and freshly ground black pepper

hardware:

10-inch shallow tart pan with removable bottom (about 1-inch deep)

Make the dough: Cut the butter into 1/4- to 1/2-inch cubes. Place in the freezer for 10–15 minutes, until very cold.

In a food processor, pulse the pistachios into a fine meal. Add the flour and pulse again to fully grind the nuts. Add the sugar and salt and pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the largest pieces are about the size of a small pea.

Add 2 tablespoons of the water and pulse a couple of times, just until the mixture begins to come together. Remove the lid and squeeze a handful of dough: it should hold together and feel slightly moist. If it’s dry and crumbly, add a bit more water, a teaspoon at a time.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface and gently gather it into a ball. Work it just enough for it to come together -- do not overwork. Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.

Bake the shell: Remove the dough from the fridge about 20 minutes before rolling. On a lightly floured surface, roll it into a 13-inch round. Transfer to the tart pan and gently press it into place. Chill for 1 hour.

(There will be very little dough left—roll it thin and cut out shapes if you’d like to decorate the tart.)

Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F convection).

Line the dough with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for about 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, lift out the parchment and weights, then return the shell to the oven and bake until the base looks dry and lightly golden, about 20 minutes more. Let cool slightly.

Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F (300°F convection).

Make the filling: n a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and cook until soft and silky, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and mustard. Add the cream and mix well. Season lightly with salt and pepper, then fold in the leeks.

Pour the filling into the tart shell. Bake until the filling is just set, about 30 minutes.