Matty McLean's Leek, Gruyére and Pancetta Tart

, from Issue #97. May, 2021
Matty McLean's Leek, Gruyére and Pancetta Tart

Reading through the effervescent Matty’s interview I immediately thought of so many dishes he will love in this issue but I know Matty relishes a challenge, so decided to create a recipe for him where he will need to make his own pastry, for this classic Pancetta, Leek and Gruyère Tart.

Serves: 4-6

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon olive oil
120 grams pancetta, sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 small leek, trimmed, sliced
1 egg yolk
3 whole eggs
1 cup cream
100 grams grated Gruyère

PASTRY
11/3 cups plain flour
110 grams butter, chopped
1/3 cup finely grated parmesan
1 egg yolk

EQUIPMENT: 25cm loose-bottomed tart tin

METHOD

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and cook the pancetta for 5 minutes until getting a little crispy. Add the onion and leek and cook together, stirring, for a further 8-10 minutes until the onion is soft. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

PASTRY: Pulse the flour, butter and parmesan in a food processor until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and 2-3 teaspoons water and pulse to combine. Tip out onto the bench and press together into a dough round. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

When the pastry has rested, roll it out on a lightly floured bench into a circle wide enough to line the tin. Press the pastry into the tin and line the base and sides with baking paper and fill with baking beans or raw rice. Cook for 12 minutes, remove the baking paper and weights, and continue cooking for a further 8 minutes while you prepare the rest of the filling.

Whisk the egg yolk with the eggs and cream. Once the pastry has cooked as described above, sprinkle the base with half of the cheese, spread over onion, leek and bacon mixture, top with the remaining cheese and pour over whisked eggs and cream. Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C and cook a further 30-35 minutes until golden. Rest for 10 minutes before removing from the tin and serve with a small green salad and a good tomato chutney.