With it’s buttery pastry crust and rich creamy leek filling, Flammiche is a delicious French leek tart that can be served warm or cold. It makes a wonderful lunch served with salad, and is also an ideal picnic dish.
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What is flammiche?
Flammiche is a French savoury pastry from the north west of France. With a buttery pastry case filled with a mixture of soft leeks and cream or crème fraiche, it is similar to a quiche. This recipe, for Flammiche aux poireaux (Flammiche with leeks), is thought to be one of the more traditional versions, however these days there are many variations.
The creamy filling for this leek tart is made with crème fraiche and eggs. It is similar to the custard filling of the classic quiche Lorraine – rich and delicious, made without cream.
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Ingredient notes and substitutions
Made with a handful of simple ingredients, this savoury French leek tart is far simpler to make than it looks!
For the full list of ingredients and quantities, please scroll down to the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Pastry – I use a homemade shortcrust pastry. To save time you could substitute with bought shortcrust or puff pastry if you prefer.
- Leeks – this tart recipe is packed with leeks! You will need 3 medium sized leeks.
- Butter – being a French recipe, the leeks are sautéed in butter. However you can substitute with olive oil if you prefer.
- Crème fraiche – or substitute with sour cream or cream, or a mixture of the two.
- Eggs – I use size large eggs which weigh approx. 60g / 2oz.
- Cheese – Gruyère or cheddar.
- Dijon mustard – this French mustard adds a mild background flavour to the tart.
- Thyme – fresh thyme is delicious with leeks, eggs and cheese! Adding a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme adds a touch of flavour without overpowering the other flavours in the tart. If you don’t have fresh thyme to hand, add a small pinch of dried thyme instead, or leave out altogether.
Find yourself with lots of leeks in the vegetable patch or vegetable box? Try my chicken and leek pie (my son’s favourite recipe and why he asks if we can grow leeks every year), or these leek and ricotta rolls which are so useful for lunchboxes!
How to make Flammiche
For the full, detailed recipe please scroll to the recipe card at the end of the post. These instructions are here for extra hints and tips.
- Make the shortcrust pastry – (see my shortcrust pastry recipe for extra hints and tips on making pastry), then place in the fridge for at least half an hour. You can make the pastry a day ahead if you prefer.
- Prepare the leeks – remove the tough green leaves and the root of the leeks, then slice the leeks in half lengthways, leaving a section at the white root end in tact to stop them from falling apart. Fan the leeks out and rinse under cold running water, making sure to get rid of any lurking dirt or grit.
- Cook the leeks – Add the sliced leeks to a pan with butter, thyme and salt. If you want to substitute the butter for olive oil, feel free! I tested the recipe using both butter and olive oil, and butter did provide a slightly richer cooked leek which for this recipe I preferred.
- Cover the leeks with a lid and cook over a low heat until the leeks are tender. Stir every now and then to help stop them from sticking to the bottom of the pan. You don’t want the leeks to have any colour to them, if they start to colour or are sticking to the pan, add a splash of water.
- Once the leeks are tender, take the lid off and turn the heat up slightly. Cook to remove any liquid – any extra liquid will make your tart soggy.
- Blind bake the pastry – roll out the pastry on a lightly floured board, place in the pie dish or tin and cover with a sheet of parchment or baking paper. Fill with baking beans and bake in the preheated oven. After 15 minutes, carefully lift the baking paper out with the beans, then return to the oven until the pastry is lightly golden. This will help prevent a soggy pastry base.
- Prepare the leek filling – using a fork, whisk the filling ingredients together until well combined, then stir in the cooled leeks. Pour this mixture into the pastry base and bake until golden on top and just set in the middle.
- Bake the tart – let the tart cool in the dish for a few minutes before slicing – this helps it firm up, meaning it cuts neater.
FAQ
Yes you do. If you don’t pre bake the pastry case before adding the creamy filling, you will end up with a soggy base.
The white parts of the leeks are tender, whereas the darker green parts are tough.
My Tips
- Make sure to wash your leeks well – otherwise you can end up with grit in your tart.
- It looks like alot of leeks, but they do wilt down as they cook!
- You don’t want colour on the leeks, rather them to become soft and tender – this helps retain their sweet flavour.
- Allow the leek tart to stand for 30 minutes or so before cutting – this helps it keep shape when cut.
Serving Ideas
A slice of flammiche is delicious with a crisp salad like this rocket salad, pear and walnut salad or this cabbage salad.
Serve the tart on a picnic along with some fluffy cheese and onion scones, sausage rolls and chicken sandwiches.
Storage
Fridge – store leftovers in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days.
Freeze – you can freeze this leek tart. Bake as per the recipe then cool completely. Wrap well and freeze for up to a month. Defrost in the fridge overnight.
Why not try…
You may also like these other family friendly French recipes:
Flammiche (French Leek Tart)
Author: Robyn
Equipment
- Large heavy based pan with a lid
- 21 cm / 8 inch round pie dish/ tin
Ingredients
Shortcrust Pastry
- 250g (1⅓ c) plain flour All-purpose flour
- pinch salt
- 125g (½ c) cold butter cut into cubes
- 1 egg yolk from a large egg
- 50ml (⅛ c + 4 teaspoons) cold water
Leek Filling
- 25g (¾ oz) butter unsalted
- 600g (21 oz) leeks, washed and cut into ½ cm thick slices approx 3 leeks
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 180g (¾ c) creme fraiche
- 2 eggs size large
- pinch nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 50g (½ c) Gruyere or cheddar cheese grated
- pinch salt
- pinch black pepper
Instructions
Make The Shortcrust Pastry
- In a mixing bowl add the butter to the flour with a pinch of salt then, using your fingers, lightly rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- In a small bowl or mug, beat the egg yolk and cold water together with a fork.
- Add the wet ingredients to the flour and using a blunt knife / butter knife, stir them together. You may need to use your hands at the end to lightly bring the pastry together.
- Form the pastry into a disc and wrap in cling film.
- Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Cook The Leeks
- Melt the butter in a large heavy based pan and add the sliced leeks, thyme sprigs and salt.
- Cover with a lid and cook over a low heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are tender. Don't let the leeks colour – add a splash of water if they start to stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Take the lid off and turn the heat up slightly. Cook for 1-2 minutes until all the liquid has evaporated. Take off the heat and leave to cool.
Make The Flammiche (Leek Tart)
- Preheat the oven to 180℃ fan / 200℃ / 392℉.
- On a lightly floured board roll the pastry out to a circle approx. 27cm (10.5 inches) in diameter.
- Gently roll the pastry so it wraps around the rolling pin, then lift this over to your dish. Unroll it over your 21 cm / 8" pie tin/dish, gently pressing the pastry into the edges of the tin.
- Prick the pastry all over with a fork then cover with a sheet of baking paper and fill with baking beans. Place into the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and carefully lift out the baking paper / parchment and the beans. Return the pastry case to the oven and bake for 5-7 minutes, until golden.
- Lower the oven temperature slightly to 170℃ fan / 190℃ / 340℉.
- In a large bowl whisk the eggs with the creme fraiche, nutmeg, Dijon mustard, cheese and salt and pepper, until combined. Stir in the cooled leeks.
- Pour the leek mixture into the pastry case.
- Place in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and just set in the middle.
- Leave to cool for a couple of minutes before slicing and serving.
- Leftovers will keep in the fridge covered for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Pastry – I use a homemade shortcrust pastry, you could substitute with bought shortcrust or puff pastry or a bread based dough.
- Leeks – this tart recipe is packed with leeks! You will need 3 medium sized leeks.
- Butter – being a French recipe, the leeks are sautéed in butter. However you can substitute with olive oil if you prefer.
- Crème fraiche – or substitute with sour cream or cream, or a mixture of the two.
- Eggs – I use size large eggs which weigh approx. 60g / 2oz.
- Cheese – Gruyère or cheddar.
- Dijon mustard – this French mustard adds a mild background flavour to the tart.
- Thyme – fresh thyme is delicious with leeks, eggs and cheese! Adding a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme adds a touch of flavour without overpowering the other flavours in the tart. If you don’t have fresh thyme to hand, you can add a small pinch of dried thyme instead, or leave out altogether.
- Make sure to wash your leeks well – otherwise you can end up with grit in your tart.
- It looks like alot of leeks, but they do wilt down as they cook!
- You don’t want colour on the leeks, rather them to become soft and tender – this helps retain their sweet flavour.
- Allow the leek tart to stand for 30 minutes or so before cutting – this helps it keep shape when cut.
Nutrition
HAVE YOU MADE THIS RECIPE?
I’d love to see your creation!
Or just leave a comment below!
Let me know your thoughts!