i have a list of things to cook for m, but am always somewhat overwhelmed by the sheer length of the list and the complexity of the recipes. tonight, i faced those fears head on and made a leek shiitake gorgonzola tart. a leek tart has been on her list for years. in building up to tonight’s culinary adventure, i looked for all sorts of recipes in all sorts of places. one recipe called for “your favorite savory pastry crust recipe” – i don’t have a favorite savory pastry crust recipe. i finally decided on the cook’s illustrated recipe because i wanted to stop thinking about whether i had the proper sized pie tin or what kind of pastry crust to use and if i could even find a crust that would taste good.
this leek tart was no small feat. it is currently in the oven and it took me over 4 hours to prepare (mind you, 1.5 hours of that was dough sitting in the refrigerator). the hardest part was the dough. i am a chickens**t when it comes to dough. i now bake bread but only found confidence after the 25th loaf when i started producing consistent results. i look in the oven constantly to check whether something is done. souffles – ha! a baker i probably won’t be. i rely on m’s expertise when we make gnocchi and pierogies. i don’t know proper rolling technique. but most of my stuff comes out tasting pretty good, so i guess i can get away with my rudimentary skill set. for now.
i am particularly proud of myself and this tart because all of my steps and results looked like the steps and results in the cook’s video. i produced pea-sized pieces of butter in my dough mixture. i achieved a loose, shaggy mass of dough as required in step 2. i rolled and folded my (very) buttery dough in the same way as shown in step 3. i didn’t roll my dough out into a proper 14-inch circle, but i was able to fold the dough and pinch the edges over the filling in a shape reminiscent of a circle. it looked more like an oval, but i think that’s what you get when you roll dough into a rectangle and then bring the sides in.
as i type this, i smell buttery, warm dough. my labor of love for my one and only is almost done cooking. i can’t believe i made a proper dough. and i don’t know how the french do it. in every brasserie, there must be a grandmother slaving away over a table of flour with a rolling pin that sees no rest. making a crust from scratch is quite involved. this tart is not a quick evening, post-work meal. it is a significant endeavor. i protest and say that i’ll never make this tart again, but making that dough was deeply satisfying and i may have to try it again just so i can be certain that i actually made it.
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
Dough
1 1/4cups (6 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2cup (2 3/4 ounces) whole-wheat flour
1tablespoon sugar
3/4teaspoon salt
10tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into ½-inch pieces and chilled
7tablespoons ice water
1teaspoon white vinegar
Filling
1 1/4pounds shiitake mushrooms , stemmed and sliced thin
5teaspoons olive oil
1pound leeks , white and light green parts only, sliced ½ inch thick and washed thoroughly (3 cups)
1teaspoon minced fresh thyme
2tablespoons crème fraîche
1tablespoon Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper
3ounces Gorgonzola cheese , crumbled (3/4 cup)
1 large egg , lightly beaten
Kosher salt
2tablespoons minced fresh parsley
INSTRUCTIONS
1. FOR THE DOUGH: Process flours, sugar, and salt in food processor until combined, 2 to 3 pulses. Add butter and pulse until it forms pea-size pieces, about 10 pulses. Transfer mixture to medium bowl.
2. Sprinkle water and vinegar over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix until loose, shaggy mass forms with some dry flour remaining (do not overwork). Transfer mixture to center of large sheet of plastic wrap, press gently into rough 4-inch square, and wrap tightly. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes.
3. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface. Roll into 11 by 8-inch rectangle with short side of rectangle parallel to edge of work surface. Using bench scraper, bring bottom third of dough up, then fold upper third over it, folding like business letter into 8 by 4-inch rectangle. Turn dough 90 degrees counterclockwise. Roll out dough again into 11 by 8-inch rectangle and fold into thirds again. Turn dough 90 degrees counterclockwise and repeat rolling and folding into thirds. After last fold, fold dough in half to create 4-inch square. Press top of dough gently to seal. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.
4. FOR THE FILLING: Cover mushrooms in bowl and microwave until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to colander to drain and return to bowl. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add leeks and thyme, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are tender and beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to bowl with mushrooms. Stir in crème fraîche and mustard. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
5. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position, place pizza stone on oven rack, and heat oven to 400 degrees. Remove dough from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes. Roll out on generously floured (up to ¼ cup) work surface to 14-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. (Trim edges as needed to form rough circle.) Transfer dough to parchment paper–lined rimmed baking sheet. With tip of paring knife, cut five ¼-inch circles in dough (one at center and four evenly spaced midway from center to edge of dough). Brush top of dough with 1 teaspoon oil.
6. Spread half of filling evenly over dough, leaving 2-inch border around edge. Sprinkle with half of Gorgonzola, cover with remaining filling, and top with remaining Gorgonzola. Drizzle remaining 1 teaspoon oil over filling. Grasp 1 edge of dough and fold up outer 2 inches over filling. Repeat around circumference of tart, overlapping dough every 2 to 3 inches; gently pinch pleated dough to secure but do not press dough into filling. Brush dough with egg and sprinkle evenly with kosher salt.
7. Lower oven temperature to 375 degrees. Bake until crust is deep golden brown and filling is beginning to brown, 35 to 45 minutes. Cool tart on baking sheet on wire rack for 10 minutes. Using offset or wide metal spatula, loosen tart from parchment and carefully slide tart off parchment onto cutting board. Sprinkle with parsley, cut into wedges, and serve.