#readcookeat recipe : Flamiche aux poireaux (A Family Recipe)

You may remember that last week, we ate nachos, and the next day made Leftover Nacho Salad, both of which were inspired by a mention of a family farewell feast at the beginning of Veronica Henry's aptly-named novel, A Family Recipe. (Click through for my review.) As I was reading the book, I kept turning over corners of pages to highlight recipes that I might like to try out for the #readcookeat challenge. There are lots of family-friendly dishes that I knew would appeal to the kids, so it wasn't long before I recreated another.

p223 Her mouth watering, Laura bought a flamiche aux poireaux - leeks set in golden wobbly cream in a rectangular tart - a loaf of bread thick with seeds and nuts, a bag of bitter salad leaves and a punnet of pale-gold apricots.

A flamiche is a kind of savoury tart that originates in the North of France - mainly Picardie but also the Nord-Pas de Calais and into Belgium. It's basically a leek tart but there are various versions, some of which are open and resemble a quiche and others of which are closed and look more like a pie. I went slightly freestyle, using up what was in the fridge, and basically made a softer, creamier version of my usual quiche, upping the quantity of cream and reducing the number of eggs. I added some bacon, which isn't a traditional part of the recipe, but it worked very well. It was very tasty and is perfect for a lighter summer meal with salad.

Flamiche aux poireaux

ingredients :

3 leeks

2tbs butter + a little water

a sheet of ready-made puff pastry (or shortcrust pastry)

200g bacon

200ml thick crème fraîche

2 eggs

Chop the white part of the leeks into slices, avoiding the grit and mud-filled green leaves. Melt the butter in a large frying pan and gently fry the leeks, stirring every now and then. If they start to stick or burn, add a few tablespoons of water until they are staring to soften.

Use the pastry to line a pie dish and prick the base with a fork. Put in the oven while it preheats to 180° and while you get on with cooking the filling.

Once the water has evaporated, add the bacon to the leeks and fry, stirring, for about 10 minutes until it is cooked through.

Turn off the heat and dollop on the cream.

Stir it through the leeks and bacon.

Whisk up two eggs and add to the mixture, stirring to combine.

 It shouldn't scramble as the cream will have cooled things down,but it's not the end of the world if it does.

Pour the mixture into the pastry case and pop it back in the oven until it is set, about half an hour later.

I love the way it came out looking all rustic and uneven because I didn't bother trying to get a perfectly smooth finish when putting the pastry in the dish. It has a lovely soft, creamy texture and the bacon/leek flavours work really well together. I was tempted to add a handful of grated cheese too, but I thought I was already taking enough liberties with the recipe by adding bacon to what should usually be a vegetarian dish !

Linking up with the #readcookeat linky over at Chez Maximka.