Leek Cheddar Tartelletes

It's has been a while since I have posted any recipe here. Ever since I have started going to culinary school, all my delicious activities happened within the school's doors:) Only now I take seriously the words of my friend; she said once that she knew a talented chef who ate only sausages at home. I do not think that I will settle for sausages only. So this weekend I reminded myself of who I was and why I went to culinary school. I hope that it will not be just a profession for me but the style of life. That is why I gave myself a promise that this weekend I was going to make something delicious for my close ones:) In my mind there were two things: quiche which I loooove and black bean vegan muffins - complete newbies for me. Oh yeah they do really exist:) A girl from my school shared an idea with me. Since then my mind was wondering about black bean muffins:)
Returning to the quiche theme, every quiche is gooood! My favorite one is with leek and cheese. Leek is an amazing product! Even though it is a part of onion family, its flavor is mild. The edible part of leek is a white stem. Leek is often used for pie fillings, stocks and garnishes. I really enjoy leek in omeletes. When cooked properly, its texture is wonderfully tender. So, knowing my warm relationship with leek, I could not resist to prepare a mini version of a quiche:) Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

for the dough (taken from On Cooking Forth Edition) 

13 oz of white all purpose flour
1 stick of cold butter (flaked or cut in small pieces)
1 large egg (cold temperature)
1 pinch of salt

for the filling

2 medium leeks (washed and dried)
1 T of butter
1 T of olive oil
1 T of flour
1 cup of warm milk
1 cup of shredded cheddar
Salt and black pepper according to your taste

1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt and cold butter flakes. Add an egg and mix gently to form a ball. Refrigerate the ball for 20 to 30 minutes.

2. Heat the pan over a medium heat.

3. Meanwhile, trim leeks' ends to keep white parts only. Slice circles 0.2 inch thick.

4. On a pan, pour olive oil and add the leek. Saute them for 5 minutes stirring gently until they become soft. Set aside.

5. Melt 1 T of butter over a pan and add flour. Mix gently. Add warm milk and cheddar. Wait until cheese melts and the mixture thickens stirring occasionally. Add leeks and salt and pepper according to your taste.

6. Preheat an oven to 350F.

7. Prepare a rolling pin, butter a muffin sheet (or tartelletes' forms) and flour the working surface. Divide the dough into 10-12 small balls. Roll each ball to form a circle. Place each circle in a muffin form.

8. Divide the leek mixture evenly in tartelletes. Sprinkle some cheddar cheese on the top of each tartellete.

9. Place tartalletes in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes.


* You can make a quiche if you use a bigger form.

* Instead of cheddar cheese, I also like to use gorgonzolla or parmesan.

* Milk can be substituted with cream.

Bon Appetit!