3 CHEESE LEEK TART with NECTARINE SALAD  (Tart serves 4-6, salad serves 3)

Ingredients :

500g pack of shortcrust pastry (or make your own)

knob of butter

2 large leeks, sliced thinly

250g ricotta cheese

100ml double cream

2 eggs

2 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon

100g mature Cheddar cheese, grated

100g Maasdam cheese or similar (Gruyere is the obvious, but more expensive option), grated or chopped finely

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

For the salad :

Salad leaves (iceberg lettuce and rocket were my choices)

half a tub of mustard cress

7cm piece of cucumber, skinned, quartered and sliced thinly

9 cherry tomatoes, halved

6 cocktail sized marinated beetroot, halved (ours were marinated in raspberry vinegar & mint)

a ripe nectarine, stone removed, quartered and sliced thinly.

METHOD :

1.  Pre-heat your oven to 180degC/350degF/Gas4.

2.  Roll out the pastry and use it to line the bottom of a 23cm tart tin.  Line with crumpled greaseproof paper (crumpled fits better, once you've straightened it back out again!) and baking beans.

3.  Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the baking beans and bake for a further 5 minutes.

4.  Reduce the oven temperature to 160degC/325degF/Gas3.

5.  While the pastry is baking, melt the butter in a large pan and add the leeks.  Gently cook for around 10 minutes, or until softened.  Set aside to cool a little.

6.  Beat together the ricotta, cream, eggs, tarragon and some seasoning.

7.  In a small bowl, combine the two hard cheeses together and toss lightly to mix them well.

8.  Stir the leeks and all but a handful of the cheese in to the eggy mixture.

9.  Pour the mixture into the tart case and scatter over the remaining cheese.

10.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden and set in the middle.

11.  Take a large bowl and add all the salad ingredients, except the beetroot.  Toss lightly, with your fingers, to ensure everything is evenly distributed.

12.  When ready to serve, add the beetroot to the salad, taking care not to let it cover everything and turn it pink!

13.  Once the tart is baked, leave it to settle and firm up for 5-10 minutes, after which it should be easy to cut and remove from the tin.

Serve

From http://jennyeatwellsrhubarbginger.blogspot.co.uk