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Flamiche aux poireaux
Flamiche picarde, the leek and cream tart of Picardy
FrenchFlamiche means 'cake' in old Flemish, and in Picardy, around Amiens and Abbeville, it is a tart of leeks melted slowly in butter and set in eggs and cream, baked in a crisp pastry case and sometimes covered with a pastry lid. The leeks from the market gardens (hortillonnages) of Amiens are famous, and flamiche is served warm as a starter or as a supper with green salad, especially from autumn to spring. The leeks must be cooked until soft and sweet, never browned. Chef's tip: squeeze the cooked leeks in a sieve before adding the custard; any water left in them stops the filling from setting and soaks the pastry.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the pastry
For the filling
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Rub 3 ⅞ oz cold unsalted butter into 8 oz plain flour and ½ tsp salt until it looks like breadcrumbs, then mix in 4 tbsp cold water to a firm dough. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
35 minStep 2: Melt 1 ⅜ oz unsalted butter in a wide pan, add 1 ¾ lb leeks and a splash of water, cover and cook over a low heat for 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until very soft, sweet and collapsed but not coloured. Tip into a sieve to drain and cool.
20 minStep 3: Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan) with a tray inside. Roll the pastry 3 mm thick and line a 24 cm tart tin. Prick the base, line with baking paper and baking beans and bake for 15 minutes; remove the paper and beans and bake 5 minutes more, until the base looks dry.
20 minStep 4: Whisk 3 eggs, ¾ cup crème fraîche, 1 pinch ground nutmeg, ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper. Press the leeks firmly in the sieve to squeeze out their liquid, then stir them into the custard. Common mistake: skipping the squeeze; the tart turns watery and the base goes soggy.
Step 5: Turn the oven down to 350°F (325°F fan). Pour the filling into the pastry case and bake for 30–35 minutes, until set with only a slight wobble in the centre and golden in patches.
35 minStep 6: Rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm with a green salad.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 440 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 33 g
- Fat
- 30 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does flamiche aux poireaux take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 35 minutes to prepare and 55 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of cold unsalted butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
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