Recipe

Leek Tart Almost Like Banitsa

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by inpatskitchen

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by inpatskitchen

This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Late Winter Tart (Sweet or Savory)

This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Spring Vegetable Recipe

This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Root Vegetable Side

This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Spring Alliums
boulangere's Testing Notes: I had my eye on this tender tart. I've always used ice water in my tart pastry, and the half and half used here in its place gives the crust a wonderful tenderness that marries beautifully...
I had my eye on this tender tart. I've always used ice water in my tart pastry, and the half and half used here in its place gives the crust a wonderful tenderness that marries beautifully with her soft filling. I used whole milk cottage cheese along with the ricotta, and the buttery leeks fold right into the gentle custard. This would be lovely to serve on a brunch buffet, first because its pale colors are beautiful, but also because its delicate texture firms up a bit as it comes closer to room temperature. I so enjoyed this new cultural experience. - boulangere

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Chef
inpatskitchen's Notes: My roots are Bulgarian and Macedonian and throughout my life, banitsa, the traditional filled filo pastry has always been a part of family meals. My mom and I used to set aside a day in early...
My roots are Bulgarian and Macedonian and throughout my life, banitsa, the traditional filled filo pastry has always been a part of family meals. My mom and I used to set aside a day in early November, making 100 rolls filled with spinach, apples, peppery ground beef to freeze for the holidays....but my favorite was always the leek filled rolls. So I took that leek filling and baked it in a tart shell. Oh my!! Memories... - inpatskitchen

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Makes 6 to 8 servings

Tart shell:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour Ask a question about this ingredient

8 ounce stick of butter cut into small pieces Ask a question about this ingredient

1/4 teaspoon salt Ask a question about this ingredient

3 - 4 tablespoons half and half Ask a question about this ingredient

Mix the flour and salt together and place in the bowl of a food processor.
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Add the butter and pulse about 8 times.
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Add the half and half, one tablespoon at a time and pulse until you can form the dough into a ball for rolling.
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Roll the dough into a round large enough for a 10 inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Lightly spray the pan with cooking oil and press the rolled round in.
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Bake the tart shell for 10 minutes at 400F. Remove from the oven and set aside while preparing the filling.
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Leek filling:

3 1/2 cups leeks ( white and light green part only) which have been quartered lengthwise and then thinly sliced into quarter moons. Ask a question about this ingredient

4 tablespoons butter Ask a question about this ingredient

2 cups cottage cheese set in a colander and thoroughly drained of all liquid. Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (preferably Bulgarian feta) Ask a question about this ingredient

2 eggs, lightly beaten Ask a question about this ingredient

1/4 teaspoon salt Ask a question about this ingredient

1/4 teaspoon white pepper Ask a question about this ingredient

Saute the leeks in the butter until soft and fragrant. Remove to a medium mixing bowl and let cool.
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When the leeks have cooled, stir in the remaining ingredients and thoroughly combine.
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Pour the mixture into the tart shell and bake for 40 to 50 minutes at 325F.
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Serve warm or at room temperature.
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18 Comments on Leek Tart Almost Like Banitsa

creamtea added about 1 month ago

Glad to see this come up again!

inpatskitchen added about 1 month ago

And again and again (LOL).! I'm so glad you enjoyed this... I never received a notification of your last comment..or I would have answered sooner. And trust me I use prepared crusts very often!

creamtea added 7 months ago

Made this and it was delicious. The kids are asking for it again. We loved it, our friends loved it. Definitely a keeper, even though I used a prepared pie crust.

catydid added 8 months ago

Amazing recipe - perfect combination of cheeses and leeks! I cheated and used a prepared roll-your-own crust, but did the filling just as described with leeks from my cousin's organic garden. Delicious! Thank you!

inpatskitchen added 8 months ago

I'm so glad you enjoyed this catydid! Thank YOU so much!

creamtea added 8 months ago

I like this. I may try this next week for a potluck Sukkot meal. It's just the thing.

inpatskitchen added 8 months ago

Thanks creamtea! If you do try it please let me know what you think..

boulangere added 8 months ago

I loved this!

inpatskitchen added 8 months ago

And I thank you again! I'm determined to work with phyllo again sometime in the near future and make this right!

boulangere added 8 months ago

I'd love to hear your results. You might inspire me to do the same. At the same time, your pastry here is pretty incredible.

inpatskitchen added 8 months ago

Maybe I'll try it before Thanksgiving..I do know that fresh phylllo works better than frozen and I think I have a source... Boy if I get into it I could do spinach and leek and there's one I really like with ground beef and lots of black pepper!

boulangere added 8 months ago

Both sound divine in their own way.

boulangere added about 1 year ago

I have to confess that I simply don't have the patience to work with phyllo very often, so I especially love that you've re-purposed a filling into this lovely tart. Beautifully done.

inpatskitchen added about 1 year ago

I'm with you boulangere! After my mom passed I did it for a few years...now my Dad's wife does the phyllo. Thanks for your kind words.