Belgian Leek and Goat Cheese Flamiche

Today I’d like to tell you about Flamiche, a traditional Belgian dish. Well, frankly speaking, the origins of flamiche are disputable. Some say it hails from southern Belgium, while others claim that it is, in fact, a leek pie from northern France. Legend has it that a farmer’s wife from the small Village of Romedenne is responsible. She was walking down the rue Saint Jacques on her way to market when she slipped on an icy patch and broke all the eggs she was carrying. A quick-thinking baker managed to catch the broken eggs, added cheese and butter and baked the lot on a base of bread dough.

Despite all the debates around flamiche, today´s version is fairly classic. In general, leeks and goat cheese are a great pair—one of those matches made in heaven—but leeks and aged goat cheese are a particularly delicious duo. This tart is amazing with a standard fresh goat cheese, but with an aged one, it is utterly addictive.

Flamiche is ideal for any time of year for a family dinner or delicious breakfast. Try it with your favorite type of goat cheesу and let me know how was it! Enjoy!

Ingredients

500g ready-made all butter shortcrust pastry

60g salted butter

5 leeks

200g crème fraîche

3 egg yolks, plus 1 whole egg 125g goat’s cheese

For cooking:

A 28cm loose-bottomed flan dish

Baking parchment

Rice or dried beans

Directions

Step 1

Remove the pastry from the fridge about 30 min before you are going to use it, then melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat.

Step 2

Wash the leeks well before trimming, halving and finely slicing, then add them to the pan. Stir all the leeks into the butter until they are coated, then turn down the heat, cover, and leave to sweat, stirring occasionally until the leeks are softened and silky. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 3

Preheat your oven to 410 F. Split the pastry block in half, wrapping one half in clingfilm for later, then roll out the other half large enough to line your flan dish and hang slightly over the edges. Prick the base all over with a fork, then place a piece of parchment over it and fill with the rice or dried beans. Bake for 15 min.

Step 4

Remove the beans and baking parchment and bake for a further 5-10 min, or until the base looks cooked through (if the edges are getting browned you may need to protect them at this point by covering them with tin foil). Remove from the oven and allow to cool until you can gently trim away any overlapping edges using a serrated knife.

Step 5

Roll out the second piece of pastry until it is large enough to cover the top of the flan tin.

Step 6

Tip the leeks into the cooked base, then beat together the crème fraîche and egg yolks and pour them over the leeks. Slice the goat’s cheese and dot it throughout the filling. Beat the remaining egg and use to moisten the cooked edges of the pastry.

Step 7

Lay the uncooked pastry over the top and push it gently onto the edges. Trim and paint with the rest of the beaten egg, then use a knife to score a cross-hatch pattern across the top and to make a small hole where steam can escape. Bake for 40 min, or until golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for at least 10 min before serving warm.

Bon Appétit!