My dining room table would be set with mismatched, vintage floral china placed on top of a soft, white table cloth. Daisies would be proudly sprouting from a large mason jar placed in the center of it all. A bottle of Vouvray would be chilling in an ice bucket with it’s cork out ready to be poured. I’d have Pink Martini’s Sympathique playing in the background. My guests would arrive just before the rain started, and while I filled their glasses with wine, someone would open the window so that we could hear it come down. We’d start off talking about the weather (thunderstorms ahead) and politics, but at some point, and I’m not sure why, we’d soon be divulging our funniest, most embarrassing moments. I’d pop open another bottle of wine, and worry that maybe I didn’t buy enough. We’d all sit around the table making toasts to each other–most would be silly, but one or two would tug at our hearts. Lunch starts with a spring salad dressed with a simple pine nut, white balsamic vinaigrette. Thunder would roll in the distance, and the table would get giddy. I’d take out the potato, leek, and Gruyere tart from the oven and the giddiness would turn to “oohs and ahhs”. Not much conversation would happen then, and the tart would disappear quickly. I’d clear the plates, and turn on the coffee maker. However, the coffee pot would never be poured, but two more bottles of wine surely would. I’d fill bowls with homemade vanilla ice cream, and top them with the first berries of the season. We’d eat this in the living room with our feet propped up on the coffee table and couch. The sun makes his appearance “hooray!”, and so to delay the end of a special time we’d all go for a walk together around my neighborhood.
I adapted Martha Stewart’s Alsatian potato tart recipe from her book Pies And Tarts. It’s a cheesy and scrumptious savory tart. I used a buttery and flaky rough puff pastry as the vessel, but you can use pie pastry, regular puff pastry, or even store-bought puff pastry instead.
Let’s do this. First, roll out the pastry a little larger than a 12-inch square. Trim the edges, and then cut in half. Place one half on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and top with precooked, diced potatoes.
Pour on a garlic-infused cream, and pile on sauteed leeks, and parsley.
Sprinkle a generous amount of Gruyere cheese.
Brush the outer edge with an egg wash.
Gently place the other pastry rectangle over top and crimp it together around the edge with a fork. Brush the top with the egg wash, and then cut two slits.
Bake in a 400 degree F. oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
- 1 package of store-bought, frozen Puff Pastry, thawed or 1 recipe of Rough Puff Pastry
- (http://www.projectpastrylove.com/rough-puff-pastry/)
- 2 Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and cut into ¼ inch pieces
- 1 cup Heavy Cream, divided
- 5 Garlic Cloves, crushed with flat side of knife
- ½ tsp. Ground Nutmeg
- 2 TBS (28 g) Unsalted Butter
- 1 Leek, white and pale green parts only, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced crosswise
- ¼ cup Fresh Parsley, chopped
- 1 Large Egg Yolk, for egg wash
- 1 cup (95 g) grated Gruyere Cheese
- Place chopped potatoes in a medium-sized saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Season with salt, and cook until just tender (about 15 minutes). Drain the potatoes, and set aside to cool.
- In a small-sized saucepan, bring ¾ cup plus 3 tablespoons of the cream, the garlic, and the nutmeg to a boil. Cook the mixture until it is reduced by half. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Melt the butter in a skillet, and add the leek. Cook for about 5 minutes until softened. Remove the skillet from the heat and then stir in the chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Whisk the egg yolk with the remaining cream to create the egg wash. Set aside. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry dough to a rough 13-inch square. Using a pastry wheel, trim the edges to make a 12-inch square, and then cut the square in half equally. Take one half and place on the baking sheet. Top the half pastry with the potatoes leaving a ½-inch border all around. Top the potatoes with the leak mixture, then the cream mixture, and finally the grated cheese. Brush the border with the egg wash. Place the other pastry half over top and press to seal around the edge, and then crimp the edge with the back of a fork. Brush the egg wash over, and then cut to slits on top for ventilation. Place unbaked tart in the refrigerator for one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake the tart until golden brown and puffy (about 25 to 30 minutes). Transfer tart to wire rack to cool. Enjoy!
- Medium saucepan
- Small saucepan
- Large skillet
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Pastry wheel, or pizza cutter
- Rolling pin
