MKR episode 20 recipe: Smoked Trout & Leek Tart

Prep time: 1 hour and 45 minutes, plus resting

Cook time: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Serves 6-8.

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Ingredients

1 leek, extra, thinly sliced

Vegetable oil, for deep frying

Lemon wedges, to serve

Herb oil

2 cups flat leaf parsley leaves

2 cups mint leaves

1/2 cup dill leaves

250ml light olive oil

Pastry

270g plain flour

1/2 tsp salt

125g cold butter, chopped

1 egg yolk

1 tbs iced water

Herb crème fraiche

300g crème fraiche

2 tsp finely chopped dill

2 tsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley

Filling

1 tbs olive oil

2 leeks, thinly sliced

2 boneless skinless smoked trout fillets, flaked

3 eggs

160ml thickened cream

Method

1. To make pastry, place flour and salt in a food processor. Add butter and process to form crumbs. Add the egg yolk and iced water and process until dough just comes together.

2. Wrap dough in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. To make the herb oil, bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Add herbs and cook for 20 seconds. Drain and transfer to an ice bath for 2 minutes. Remove from ice bath and squeeze out excess water. Transfer herbs to a blender with the oil and pinch of salt. Blend for 2 minutes. Pour mixture into a cheesecloth-lined sieve set over a bowl. Set aside for 1 hour to drain. Transfer oil to a bottle. Discard solids.

4. To make the herb crème fraiche, combine all ingredients in a bowl. Season. Refrigerate until required.

5. Roll out the pastry to a 3mm-thick and use to line a shallow 10cm x 34cm (base measurement) fluted tart tin with a removable base. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

6. Preheat oven to 200C.

7. Cover pastry with baking paper and fill with dried beans or rice. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove beans and paper and bake for a further 10 minutes or until pastry is light golden and crisp. Cool completely.

8. Reduce oven to 160C.

9. To make filling, heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook leeks for about 10 minutes or until soft but not coloured. Stir in lemon zest and dill. Spoon leek mixture into cooled tart shell. Top with flaked trout.

10. Whisk eggs and cream together. Pour over leek and trout in tart shell.

11. Bake in oven for 30-40 minutes or until just set. Serve warm or at room temperature cut into slices.

12. Deep fry extra leek until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towel. Season.

13. Arrange tart on serving plates and top with leek crème fraiche. Garnish with deep fried leeks and drizzle with herb oil. Serve with lemon wedges.