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Blue cheese tart

Emily Scott recommends using Helford Blue in this glorious spring tart from her cookbook Time & Tide
Blue cheese spring tart recipe by Emily Scott

Emily Scott shares her recipe for blue cheese, spring onion, leek, crème fraîche and thyme tart

emilyscottfood.com

Serves    8
Oven temp    200°C

For the pastry

Plain flour 250g, plus extra for dusting
Unsalted butter 100g
Cornish Sea Salt a pinch
Free‑range egg yolks 2
Milk 2‑3 tbsp

For the filling

Unsalted butter 50g
Leeks 225g, trimmed, washed and sliced
Spring onions 4, trimmed and sliced
Thyme leaves 2 tbsp, plus extra to garnish
Crème fraîche 100g
Double cream 100ml
Free‑range eggs 2, plus 1 extra yolk
Blue cheese 150g
Cornish Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

  1. For the pastry: put the flour, butter, sea salt and egg yolks in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the milk until the mixture comes together as a dough. Cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
  2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to approximately 1cm thick. Line a 22cm fluted loose‑bottom tin with the pastry and chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200C / gas 6.
  3. Blind bake the pastry case for 25‑30 minutes until golden. Trim off any excess pastry.
  4. For the filling: melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the leeks, spring onions and thyme, and cook gently for 8–10 minutes until softened.
  5. Whisk the crème fraîche, cream, eggs and egg yolk together in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
  6. Arrange the leek and spring onion mixture over the base of the tart, crumble the blue cheese on top, then pour the cream mixture over. Bake for 25–30 minutes until golden and firm in the centre.
  7. Leave the tart to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with an extra sprinkle of thyme leaves.

You will need

For the pastry

Plain flour 250g, plus extra for dusting
Unsalted butter 100g
Cornish Sea Salt a pinch
Free‑range egg yolks 2
Milk 2‑3 tbsp

For the filling

Unsalted butter 50g
Leeks 225g, trimmed, washed and sliced
Spring onions 4, trimmed and sliced
Thyme leaves 2 tbsp, plus extra to garnish
Crème fraîche 100g
Double cream 100ml
Free‑range eggs 2, plus 1 extra yolk
Blue cheese 150g
Cornish Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

Method

  1. For the pastry: put the flour, butter, sea salt and egg yolks in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the milk until the mixture comes together as a dough. Cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
  2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to approximately 1cm thick. Line a 22cm fluted loose‑bottom tin with the pastry and chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200C / gas 6.
  3. Blind bake the pastry case for 25‑30 minutes until golden. Trim off any excess pastry.
  4. For the filling: melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the leeks, spring onions and thyme, and cook gently for 8–10 minutes until softened.
  5. Whisk the crème fraîche, cream, eggs and egg yolk together in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
  6. Arrange the leek and spring onion mixture over the base of the tart, crumble the blue cheese on top, then pour the cream mixture over. Bake for 25–30 minutes until golden and firm in the centre.
  7. Leave the tart to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with an extra sprinkle of thyme leaves.

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For the pastry

Plain flour 250g, plus extra for dusting
Unsalted butter 100g
Cornish Sea Salt a pinch
Free‑range egg yolks 2
Milk 2‑3 tbsp

For the filling

Unsalted butter 50g
Leeks 225g, trimmed, washed and sliced
Spring onions 4, trimmed and sliced
Thyme leaves 2 tbsp, plus extra to garnish
Crème fraîche 100g
Double cream 100ml
Free‑range eggs 2, plus 1 extra yolk
Blue cheese 150g
Cornish Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

  1. For the pastry: put the flour, butter, sea salt and egg yolks in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the milk until the mixture comes together as a dough. Cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
  2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to approximately 1cm thick. Line a 22cm fluted loose‑bottom tin with the pastry and chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200C / gas 6.
  3. Blind bake the pastry case for 25‑30 minutes until golden. Trim off any excess pastry.
  4. For the filling: melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the leeks, spring onions and thyme, and cook gently for 8–10 minutes until softened.
  5. Whisk the crème fraîche, cream, eggs and egg yolk together in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
  6. Arrange the leek and spring onion mixture over the base of the tart, crumble the blue cheese on top, then pour the cream mixture over. Bake for 25–30 minutes until golden and firm in the centre.
  7. Leave the tart to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with an extra sprinkle of thyme leaves.