Serves 6
Ingredients
Filling
- 2 pounds leeks
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- salt, fresh ground pepper to taste
Pastry Shell
- 1 egg
- 1 cup flour
- 1 stick sweet butter or margarine
- 5 tablespoons ice water
- pinch of salt
White Sauce
- 2 teaspoons butter or margarine
- 1-1/2 teaspoons corn starch
- 1 cup milk
- pinch of nutmeg
Method
- Prepare white sauce: Stir cornstarch into the milk until well blended. Melt butter in sauce pan over low flame. Slowly add milk mixture to the butter, stirring constantly until thickened. Add a pinch of nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.
- Prepare pastry shell: Mix the shell ingredients in a deep bowl using a fork and your hands until the dough comes together. Do not overwork. Form a ball with dough; sprinkle with flour. Let it rest in the refrigerator 1 hour.
- Flour the table and gently roll the dough out. Thoroughly butter a tart pan or an 9-inch pie dish and place the rolled dough into it. Trim the edges, cover the shell with aluminum foil and place in a 250?F oven for about 12 minutes.
- Wash and trim leeks. Slice into 2-inch-long pieces and boil them for about 25 minutes. Drain.
- In a bowl, beat the eggs; add the white sauce, cream cheese, leeks, salt and pepper. Blend until homogeneous. Pour mixture into the precooked tart shell, smoothing evenly with a fork. Bake about 30 to 45 minutes at 350?F. Test for doneness with knife.
Serve hot or cold. To serve cold, chill one hour or more.
