Springtime Leek, Ricotta and Feta Tart

Enjoy a slice of this scrumptious leek tart with ricotta and feta filling!

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Spring vegetables inspire me to dress up my recipes a little and this Leek, Ricotta, and Feta Tart with Dilly Caraway Pistachio Crust is my latest triumph. And because it’s kinda pretty, I think it’ll look fabulous on the Easter Brunch table. The crust happens to be grain-free too, which is an added bonus if you’re doing without gluten or flour. 

All the Leeks

Leeks are the star vegetable in this recipe and I used all parts of the young stalks I found at the farmers market. I sliced the white and pale green parts into thin coins and diced the darker green stalks. While I was experimenting with this recipe, I right away noticed how many different flavor dimensions each part of the leek contained. The white bulb tastes like a mild white onion and the light green parts are bright and peppery, like a scallion. Most of the time, the darker green leaves are either discarded or used in stock but a chef friend of mine once said that when braised low and slow, this part of the leek is a delicious surprise and a great addition to cooked collards. I decided I’d dice the stalks and sauté them to soften them up and bring out their earthy and tangy flavors. 

When Ricotta Meets Feta

As for the filling, I knew I was going to go for a ricotta base and decided to blend in some sheep’s feta to bring in a bit more pizazz. Feta pretty much adds oomph to most everything with it briny saltiness and crumbly texture. It almost feels like cheating when it’s tossed into a salad, over juicy watermelon slices, or throughout a quinoa couscous because it just elevates the flavors of anything so dramatically. 

I folded the sautéed leek stems into this luscious cheese filling along with one whisked egg, some fresh dill, lemon zest, sea salt and plenty of freshly cracked pepper. 

Crust Options

Crust wise you can go in all sorts of directions — a flaky, buttery crust made from AP flour and perhaps a little rye flour would certainly be lovely but I decided to keep this tart gluten and grain free so I opted for a nut-based crust of finely ground blanched almonds and pistachios. I added a generous sprinkling of dill and caraway seeds and of course lots of butter to bring it all together. The dough is soft so after pressing it into the pan, it does need to be chilled for at least a half an hour before blind baking. Blind baking is a baking term that simply means, to pre-bake the crust a little before baking with the filling. Pre-baking keeps the crust from getting soggy which is pretty common when working with wet fillings like this one.

Before blind baking don’t forget the following techniques to ensure a nicely baked crust:

• Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork to allow for even baking.

• Weigh down the crust with a layer of parchment paper and pie weights or dried beans. This keeps the crust from bubbling when it’s baking. 

Take the crust out of the oven and allow it to cool completely before adding the filling. When adding the feeling spread it out to the edges and smooth the top with the back of a spoon or offset or flexible spatula. Then, arrange thinly sliced leek coins in whatever design you’d like. The final touch is a sprinkle of sea salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Bake again and voilé, you’ve just made a pretty tart that tastes divine. I hope you enjoy!!

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Leek, Ricotta and Feta Tart with Dilly Caraway Pistachio Almond Crust

Yield 8

Author Lizette Marx

Prep time

20 Min

Cook time

40 Min

Total time

1 Hour

Leeks are the star in this sublime spring tart filled with a blend of ricotta and feta cheese flecked with sautéed leek stems and fresh dill. The gluten-free and grain-free paleo crust made with ground almonds and pistachios compliments the fresh, clean flavors of the filling. This tart will make a beautiful addition to your Easter table and the subtle flavors will pair wonderfully with any brunch or lunch time spread or as a solo treat.

Ingredients

Tart Shell

• 1 cup ground pistachios
• 1 cup ground almonds
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill (or 1 teaspoon dried dill)
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• freshly crack black pepper
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed

Filling

• 1 tablespoon olive oil or ghee
• 1/2 cup diced light and dark green parts of leek stems
• 13 oz. whole milk ricotta
• 1/4 cup feta, crumbled
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, or more to taste if desired
• 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• 2 leeks, sliced thinly into coins (find skinny leeks if you can to make small coins)
• extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Instructions

Make Crust

1. Combine ground pistachios, almonds, caraway seeds, dill, sea salt and pepper together in a medium bowl.
2. Using a pastry cutter or fork, cut in butter until mixture begins to form a crumbly dough.
3. Press dough into a 4x13-inch rectangle or 8-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom. Cover lightly with parchment paper or plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 350ºF
5. Prick bottom of dough with a fork several times. Cover the bottom with parchment and add dry beans or pie weights. Bake for 15 minutes to blind bake the tart crust. The crust will smell toasty and aromatic once it is finished. Set aside so that it cools completely. Carefully remove pie weights and parchment paper. At this point, the tart shell can be covered and kept in the refrigerator overnight until you're ready to make the filling and do the final bake; or you can make it right away.

Make Filling

1. Preheat oven to 325ºF
2. Heat a small skillet over medium heat and add olive oil or ghee. Add leeks and sauté until softened. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
3. Add ricotta, feta, lemon zest, sea salt and ground pepper to a blender and pureé until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
4. Add egg and blend again until smooth.
5. Transfer cheese filling into a bowl and stir in dill and sautéed leeks.
6. Pour filling into the tart shell and top with sliced leeks. Sprinkle with sea salt, black pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
7. Bake tart in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes until filling is lightly browned around the edge and a knife or skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Tart can be served warm or cooled.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

312

Fat (grams)

26 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

7 g

Carbs (grams)

14 g

Fiber (grams)

4 g

Net carbs

10 g

Sugar (grams)

5 g

Protein (grams)

9 g

Sodium (milligrams)

275 mg

Cholesterol (grams)

45 mg

Marx Culinary