Our Crab Leek and Gruyere Tart recipe (with a Gluten Free pastry option) is a super dish for high summer days. It’s a great combination of ingredients and perfect with steamed new potatoes and a little gem salad. In our occasional series, kitchens for serious cooks, we’ve created a seasonal mouthwatering recipe for you to make in your luxury Roundhouse kitchen.  So, make the most of your beautiful and practical Roundhouse bespoke kitchen and get cooking! We’ve also got some top cooking tips for this delicious recipe for owners of  Gaggenau, Miele, or Siemens ovens.

Follow our tasty step by step recipe for a Crab, Leek and Gruyere Tart, created by Roundhouse home economist, Amy Knight.

Ingredients 

Serves 4-6
(with a gluten free pastry option) 

Method

1. Begin by making the pastry. For the ordinary pastry, tip the flour and a pinch of salt in to a food processor, and pulse to combine.
2. Drop in the butter, and pulse again until the mix resembles breadcrumbs, then with the motor running, add the egg and iced water if necessary. Don’t over mix in the food processor as this will make for hard pastry; instead tip out on to a floured work surface and gently bring together in to a ball with your hands. Flatten in to a smooth disc, wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
3. If you are making the gluten-free pastry, follow the same method, adding the xanthan gum with the flour and salt. This pastry will be more crumbly than ordinary pastry, but don’t despair! You may need to pulse it together slightly longer to make it more smooth. Chill as above.
4. Whilst the pastry is chilling, melt the butter with the oil in a large frying pan and sweat the leek with plenty of salt and pepper over a medium heat for 5-8 minutes, or until softened but not coloured. Tip on to a plate to cool.
5. Now back to the pastry. Roll out on a floured work surface to the thickness roughly of a pound coin, and use to line a 23cm loose-bottomed flan tin.
6. Gluten-free pastry requires more care when rolling out, and once you have your pastry in the tin, you will likely need to patch up any holes and cracks with some trimmings. Make sure you use water to glue, or the patched pieces of pastry won’t stick so well.
7. Prick the base all over with a fork, then rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Trim the edges of the tart case before baking.
8. Place a baking tray on the bottom shelf of the oven, and preheat to 170°C on:
   • Gaggenau: Hot Air + Bottom Heat
   • Miele: Intensive Bake
   • Siemens:
     • iQ500 (activeClean oven only) – Pizza Setting
     • iQ700 – Pizza Setting
9. Line the pastry case with a disc of baking parchment, and tip in your baking beans, or uncooked pulses or rice. Bake the tart case blind for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and lift out the parchment and beans. Return to the oven for a further 5 minutes. The heat you get from the floor of the oven on this function will help to crisp the pastry case nicely.
10. Whilst the pastry is cooking, beat the eggs in a measuring jug, then whisk in the crème fraiche, brown crab meat and a pinch of cayenne, and season well.
11. Remove the tart case from the oven to cool slightly, raise the baking tray to the second shelf up and increase the oven temperature to 180°C.
12. Now scatter the cooled leeks and white crab meat over the bottom of the pastry case. Pour in the egg and crab mixture, then scatter over the cheese.
13. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned. The filling should be just set, with a slight quiver when you gently shake the tart.
14. Allow the tart to cool in the tin for about 15 minutes before removing to serve. Delicious with steamed new potatoes and a little gem salad.

*Any leftover pastry can be frozen for up to 3 months, or use it to make some jam tarts**