Happy Easter Shoreline Area! How About a Lovely Leeks Recipe for Your Spring Table

Oxalis (native shamrock) in Paramount Park

Hope you are all having a lovely Easter Sunday! And Passover too!

Here is a lovely Leek recipe I tried yesterday and it turned out very nicely.  Found it on Treehugger Blog. It is originally from the NY Times Magazine.  It called for several things I didn't have on hand so I substituted some ingredients. I switched the Sourcream and Ricotta for Quark. (Heads Up! I will have Quark available starting this Wednesday at Colombia City Farmers Market and Saturday at University Farmers Market.) Also, I substituted the puff pastry with piecrust. And, I switched the Gruyere cheese for some gorgonzola on hand.   So, it's a flexible recipe!

 It's simple, healthy and tasty!

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/04/weekday-vegetarian-leek-tart.php?campaign=th_rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+treehuggersite+%28Treehugger%29

Photo credit: Emma Alter

I often bookmark the recipes in the Temporary Vegetarian column in the New York Times, because they always sound so delicious. On the other hand, I hardly ever actually make them because the writer of the columnn gets the recipes from chefs and they are often complicated or really time consuming. This lovely little recipe is neither complicated nor time consuming and it made for a delightful light lunch.

Paired with a green salad or some grilled asparagus, this would make a very nice brunch for company, although this was just enough for two or three so you would have to double the recipe. You could have all of the components ready and then just put it together and slide it into the oven 15 minutes before you are ready to sit down to your meal. It says to serve it hot, but we ate it at room temperature and it was still very nice.
This recipe is from The New York Times, April 18, 2011.
Leek Tart
1/2 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1 large egg yolk
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup sour cream
Salt and black pepper
One 14-ounce package Dufour or other all-butter puff pastry
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 to 4 leeks, white and light green parts only; cut diagonally into 1/3-inch wide slices, to make a total of 2 cups
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Salt and black pepper
1 egg yolk, beaten
1 cup grated Gruyère cheese
12 oil-cured pitted black olives, torn or cut in half
1. In a bowl, combine ricotta with egg yolk and olive oil; whisk until well blended. Stir in sour cream, and season with salt and pepper.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. To make the pastry, cut pastry into six four-inch squares, and lightly score a border about 1/4 inch from the edge. Lightly score a criss-cross pattern in the inside of the square. Place on a baking sheet and bake until puffed and lightly browned, 10 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and poke the center with a fork to allow steam to escape. Cool for 10 minutes.

3. To make the topping, place a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Melt butter, add leeks and thyme, and sauté until leeks are soft and lightly caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste; set aside.

4. Brush the edge of the puff pastry with beaten egg yolk. Spread scored area of pastry with the ricotta base, and sprinkle evenly with Gruyére. Top with leeks and olives. Bake until the edges are golden brown, and the cheese is bubbling, 10 to 14 minutes. Serve hot.