Roasted Pumpkin, Leeks, Bacon and Goat Cheese Tart
One 9” tart
Butter Crust:
1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp fine sea salt
12 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and kept very cold
2-3 Tbsp ice water
Filling:
3 small sugar pumpkins, roasted, peeled and cut into 1” cubes
5 slices thick-cut bacon, cooked crisp (save the bacon grease)
1 large (or 2 smaller) leeks, whites only, cut and cleaned
1 cup heavy cream
2 large eggs and 1 additional yolk
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
4 ounces goat cheese
1) In a food processor, pulse together the flour and salt. Add the butter and pulse into a breadcrumb stage. Add the water and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Turn the contents onto a counter and squeeze together into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least one hour. Roll the dough to fit and fill a 9” tart pan. Fit the dough into the pan and chill again for another 30 minutes before blind baking.
2) Heat your oven to 375 degrees. Half the sugar pumpkins, scrape out the seeds and pith, brush the inside and outside with olive oil and place them cut side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Roast them for 25 minutes, flip the pumpkins over and continue to roast for another 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let the pumpkins cool until they stop steaming. You should now be able to scoop out the pulp like an avocado. Cut the cooked pulp into 1” squares and lightly salt. Set aside in a large bowl.
3) While your pumpkins are baking, cut and clean your leeks. I do this by placing the cut pieces into a bowl of water and then swishing them around. Let the dirt settle to the bottom of the bowl and scoop out the clean leek pieces with a slotted spoon.
4) Cook the bacon as you prefer. I prefer to bake it in the oven on a rack. Cook until crisp and pour the hot bacon fat into a cast iron skillet. Cut the bacon into 1” pieces and add them to the bowl with the pumpkin.
5) Cook your leeks in the bacon fat until they just start to wither. Season with salt and pepper (and some chili flakes if you desire). Add the cooked leeks to the bowl with the bacon and pumpkin.
6) Blind bake your crust in your hot oven. While the crust bakes, lightly whisk together the eggs and cream. Season with salt and pepper and the nutmeg. Once the crust is starting to brown, remove it from oven. Lightly toss together the leeks, pumpkin and bacon and then spoon this filling into the tart crust. Pour the eggs/cream over the pumpkin filling. Crumble the goat cheese over the tart filling and bake for 30-40 minutes until the custard is set and the top begins to caramelize. Cool the finished tart on a wire rack before serving.
