Smoked Salmon and Leek Tart
By America's Test KitchenPublished on January 27, 2022
Yield
Serves 8 as an appetizer, or 6 as a main course
Ingredients
Crust
1 ¼ cups (6 ¼ ounces/177 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon sugar ½ teaspoon salt 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes and chilled3 tablespoons ice waterFilling
1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 pound leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced thin, and rinsed thoroughly (see illustrations below)Salt 2 large eggs ½ cup half-and-half 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill leavesGround black pepper 6 ounces (170 grams) smoked salmon, thinly sliced, cut into ¼-inch pieces1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives 1 lemon, cut into wedges (for serving)Before You Begin
You will need a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom for this recipe. Buy smoked salmon that looks bright and glossy and avoid salmon that looks milky and dry. This tart can be served chilled or at room temperature—it makes an excellent choice for brunch.
Instructions
- Spray a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom with vegetable oil spray; set aside. Pulse the flour, sugar, and salt together in a food processor until combined, about 4 pulses. Scatter the butter pieces over the flour mixture and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse sand, about 15 pulses. Add 2 tablespoons of the ice water and continue to process until large clumps of dough form and no powdery bits remain, about 5 seconds. If the dough doesn’t clump, add the remaining tablespoon water and pulse to incorporate, about 4 pulses.
- Following the illustrations below, tear the dough into walnut-sized pieces, then pat it into the prepared tart pan. Lay plastic wrap over the dough and smooth out any bumps or shallow areas using your fingertips. Place the tart shell on a large plate and freeze until firm, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Place the frozen tart shell on a baking sheet. Gently press a piece of extra-wide heavy-duty aluminum foil that has been sprayed with vegetable oil spray against the dough and over the edges of the tart pan. Fill the shell with pie weights and bake until the top edge of the dough just starts to color and the surface of dough under the foil no longer looks wet, about 30 minutes.
- Remove the shell from the oven and carefully remove the foil and weights. Return the baking sheet with the tart shell to the oven and continue to bake, uncovered, until golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Set the baking sheet with the tart shell on a wire rack to cool while making the filling. (Do not turn off the oven.)
- While the crust is baking, melt the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are softened, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, remove the lid, and let the leeks cool for 5 minutes.
- Whisk the eggs, half-and-half, dill, and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper together in a large bowl. Stir in the leeks until just incorporated. Spread the leek mixture over the bottom of the baked crust. Bake the tart on the baking sheet until the filling has set and the center feels firm to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes. Set the baking sheet with the tart shell on a wire rack and cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.
- Toss the salmon with the olive oil and chives and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the salmon evenly over the cooled tart. Slice the tart into wedges and serve with the lemon wedges.
for the crust
for the filling
Yield
Serves 8 as an appetizer, or 6 as a main courseIngredients
Crust
1 ¼ cups (6 ¼ ounces/177 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes and chilled
3 tablespoons ice water
Filling
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 pound leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced thin, and rinsed thoroughly (see illustrations below)
Salt
2 large eggs
½ cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill leaves
Ground black pepper
6 ounces (170 grams) smoked salmon, thinly sliced, cut into ¼-inch pieces
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
1 lemon, cut into wedges (for serving)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Crust
1 ¼ cups (6 ¼ ounces/177 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes and chilled
3 tablespoons ice water
Filling
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 pound leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced thin, and rinsed thoroughly (see illustrations below)
Salt
2 large eggs
½ cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill leaves
Ground black pepper
6 ounces (170 grams) smoked salmon, thinly sliced, cut into ¼-inch pieces
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
1 lemon, cut into wedges (for serving)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Crust
1 ¼ cups (6 ¼ ounces/177 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes and chilled
3 tablespoons ice water
Filling
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 pound leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced thin, and rinsed thoroughly (see illustrations below)
Salt
2 large eggs
½ cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill leaves
Ground black pepper
6 ounces (170 grams) smoked salmon, thinly sliced, cut into ¼-inch pieces
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
1 lemon, cut into wedges (for serving)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Scots utilize their abundance of smoked salmon in several ways, but perhaps one of the tastiest is the smoked salmon and leek tart. The tart is similar to quiche in that the filling is built on a custard base, but it differs from quiche in the amount of custard—the tart contains just enough to bind the ingredients together, so the end result is a bit lighter than quiche, with the flavor of salmon at the fore. Each bite contains a trio of flavors and textures: flaky pastry, creamy custard, and briny, rich salmon. Our pat-in-the-pan–style pastry crust—no rolling or fitting required—comes together in a cinch in the food processor. We set the salmon aside while the leek custard cooked in the tart crust. Once cooled, we spooned the chopped salmon over the custard filling, creating a distinct flavorful contrast between the delicate custard and the rich smoky salmon.
Before You Begin
You will need a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom for this recipe. Buy smoked salmon that looks bright and glossy and avoid salmon that looks milky and dry. This tart can be served chilled or at room temperature—it makes an excellent choice for brunch.
Instructions
- Spray a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom with vegetable oil spray; set aside. Pulse the flour, sugar, and salt together in a food processor until combined, about 4 pulses. Scatter the butter pieces over the flour mixture and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse sand, about 15 pulses. Add 2 tablespoons of the ice water and continue to process until large clumps of dough form and no powdery bits remain, about 5 seconds. If the dough doesn’t clump, add the remaining tablespoon water and pulse to incorporate, about 4 pulses.
- Following the illustrations below, tear the dough into walnut-sized pieces, then pat it into the prepared tart pan. Lay plastic wrap over the dough and smooth out any bumps or shallow areas using your fingertips. Place the tart shell on a large plate and freeze until firm, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Place the frozen tart shell on a baking sheet. Gently press a piece of extra-wide heavy-duty aluminum foil that has been sprayed with vegetable oil spray against the dough and over the edges of the tart pan. Fill the shell with pie weights and bake until the top edge of the dough just starts to color and the surface of dough under the foil no longer looks wet, about 30 minutes.
- Remove the shell from the oven and carefully remove the foil and weights. Return the baking sheet with the tart shell to the oven and continue to bake, uncovered, until golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Set the baking sheet with the tart shell on a wire rack to cool while making the filling. (Do not turn off the oven.)
- While the crust is baking, melt the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are softened, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, remove the lid, and let the leeks cool for 5 minutes.
- Whisk the eggs, half-and-half, dill, and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper together in a large bowl. Stir in the leeks until just incorporated. Spread the leek mixture over the bottom of the baked crust. Bake the tart on the baking sheet until the filling has set and the center feels firm to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes. Set the baking sheet with the tart shell on a wire rack and cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.
- Toss the salmon with the olive oil and chives and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the salmon evenly over the cooled tart. Slice the tart into wedges and serve with the lemon wedges.
for the crust
for the filling
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