Easy Leek & Strathdon Blue Cheese Tart Recipe

Private chef Katy Tan is a lifelong foodie with a passion for cooking. Tan applied for MasterChef where she was chosen to compete in series 17, making it all the way to the quarterfinals and impressing judges with her bold flavours and colourful presentation. Here she shares her recipe for a perfect spring tart.

Makes 8 Tarts 

For the filling

- 2 large leeks chopped and washed (roughly 550g)

- 3 minced cloves of garlic

- Sea salt

- Black pepper

- 2 free range eggs (whites and yolks)

- 150ml double cream

- 80g of crumbled Strathdon Blue cheese

- 1 tsp of wholegrain mustard

For the pastry (Makes roughly 500g)  

- 350g of plain flour

- Pinch of salt

- 170g of unsalted butter in cubes

- 2 tbsp cold water

Or use shop-bought pastry, it works just as well.

Preheat your oven to 180°C and then grease 10cm diameter mini tart cases with butter and place in the fridge to chill.

To make the pastry, place flour, salt and cubed butter in a stand mixer and mix until a thick crumble. Add 1 tbsp of water at a time until it forms a nice shiny dough then stop mixing. Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Roll the pastry down to a £1 coin thickness and line each tart case. Place baking paper on top of each tart and fill with baking beads or rice and blind bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

In the meantime, make the filling by sautéing chopped and rinsed leeks with minced garlic and a pinch of salt and black pepper. Cook until soft and leave to cool.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, add the cream, the cooled leek mixture, half the blue cheese in small crumbles, the wholegrain mustard and another pinch of salt and black pepper. Mix well.

Take the blind baked tart cases out of the oven and then add the creamy leek mixture into the tart cases almost level to the top. Add the remaining crumbled blue cheese on top of the tarts and pop back in the oven for another 25 minutes until the pastry is nice and golden and the mixture is firm. Can be eaten hot or cold and pairs well with a zesty rocket salad.

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