It is our favourite time of the year. The sun is bright, the feeling is merry and we are all looking forward to sitting at our Christmas table with friends & family. To make this time even more magical, we have a special surprise from our very own Masterchef contestant Anushka! She shares with us her favourite Aussie Christmas recipe which is perfect for the holiday table spread.
This easy and delicious Leek and Cheese Tart is quick to make and packed with flavours.
Ingredients you require:
For the Short Crust Pastry:
- 75g plain flour
- 50g unsalted butter (cold)
- 1tbs cold water
- Pinch of salt
For Leek & Cheese Filling:
- 1 small leek (I cut it lengthwise but you can cut it into any size you like)
- 50g blue cheese (or any other cheese of your choice)
- 25g cheddar cheese
- 150ml full cream milk
- 1 egg
- 1tbs olive oil
- Salt & pepper to taste
The recipe is simple and easy to follow, the cheesy flavour is popular with both kids and adults.
To make the pastry;
Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until it resembles small bread crumbs. Then bring the dough together and form a ball. Don’t mix the dough too much. Put the dough between baking papers and roll it to about 2mm-3mm thickness. Lightly grease tart moulds and shape the dough into the moulds.
Blind bake the tart in the oven for approximately 10 minutes. (Blind baking is the process of baking a pastry without the filling). After 10 minutes, take off the parchment paper (with weights) and bake the tart for a further 10 minutes until golden. Once the tart is ready, take it out and let it cool before putting the filling in.
Chef’s note: This shortcrust pastry can be used with any filling sweet or savoury.
For the Leek & Cheese Filling heat some oil in a frying pan and saute the leeks until softened and then once done set it aside. Heat the milk in a saucepan. Once the milk is hot, add both of the cheeses and stir until it’s melted in and season to taste. Whisk the egg. Slowly add warm milk, whisk together and set aside to cool down. Once the mixture is cool, pour the filling into the ready-made tart shell, halfway through. Add the leek pieces and top it up with more of the cheese mixture. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
When it’s ready, take it out of the oven and leave it to cool. The delicious tart is ready to be served.
Chefs note: This recipe serves 2.
This recipe is a great way to enjoy our Australian Christmas, whether the day is cool, mild or scorching hot!
For a more detailed recipe please visit; http://www.anushkaskitchen.com.au/leek-cheese-tart/
Comments (0)