Ham hock, caramelised leek & gruyere tart

Who doesn’t enjoy a nice tart. This ham hock and caramelised leek version is delicious, with a simple crisp green salad and a chilled glass of pinot grigio on the side! I’m not going to lie, this isn’t the healthiest of recipes but it tastes damn good and I for one subscribe to everything in moderation. If you head to hints and tips there is a slightly healthier option offered. You could also buy the ham hock pre-cooked to save time but I like to use the stock as a base for soups.

Serves: 6

Difficulty: Easy

Time: 1.15 hrs for tart (plus 2 for ham the hock)

Ingredients

For the ham hock:

  • 1 ham hock
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 onion
  • 2 cloves
  • 5 black peppercorns

For the caramelised leeks:

  • 2 leeks
  • 20g butter

For the pastry:

  • 200g plain flour
  • 110g butter
  • 2 sprigs thyme
  • water

For the tart filling:

  • 4x medium free range eggs
  • 284ml double cream
  • 75g gruyere cheese

Ham hock, caramelised leek & gruyere tart

Who doesn’t enjoy a nice tart. This ham hock and caramelised leek version is delicious, with a simple crisp green salad and a chilled glass of pinot grigio on the side! I’m not going to lie, this isn’t the healthiest of recipes but it tastes damn good and I for one subscribe to everything in moderation. If you head to hints and tips there is a slightly healthier option offered. You could also buy the ham hock pre-cooked to save time but I like to use the stock as a base for soups.

Method

For the pastry

  1. The pastry is really easy to make. Add the flour, cold diced butter and finely chopped thyme leaves to a large bowl and start to bring together using the tips of your fingers. Try not to be too heavy handed while you do this, you are aiming to get to the breadcrumb stage, as if making a crumble. Once you’ve mixed the flour and butter together start adding a little bit of water; just half a tablespoon at a time. Bringing the mixture together until you have dough. You could also use a stand-mixer with paddle attachment, which is a quicker alternative but yields the same results.
  2. Lightly flour a worktop and roll out the pastry until it is slightly larger than the tart tin you are using. I like to use the kind of tins where the base comes away as it makes it so much easier to remove at the end.
  3. Lay the pastry carefully in the tin and push down gently into all the edges using a spare ball of pastry. Prick the base with a fork, trim off any excess pastry around the edge and place in the freezer for 20 minutes.
  4. After 20 min, remove the tart tin, line it with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans or rice. Blind bake for 10 minutes in a pre-heated oven set at 220℃ (fan). After the time is up remove the paper and beans and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes to dry out the base of the case and help avoid a soggy bottom!
  5. Your tart case is now ready to be filled.

For the ham hock

  1. I like to soak my ham hock for a couple of hours in cold water to remove some of the excess salt but this isn’t an absolute necessity. Just be careful when seasoning your tart later on.
  2. When ready to cook place the meat in a large saucepan with a lid. Add the peeled and roughly chopped carrot and onion, the bay leaves, cloves and peppercorns. Fill with enough water to cover the meat and bring to a gentle simmer. Reduce the heat to low and place the lid on the plan; cook gently on top of the hob for 1.5 hours. I then let the meat cool down in the cooking liquor (or even overnight); it produces the best stock for making pea and ham soup.
  3. Once the meat is cool, flake off chunks removing any of the fatty bits. Set aside until ready to assemble the tart.

For the caramelised leeks

  1. Finely chop the leeks and add to a frying pan with the butter and a pinch of salt and leave to cook down gently over a low heat for 30 mins. Set aside until ready to assemble the tart.

For the tart filling

  1. Beat together the cream and eggs, season with black pepper. Only add the salt after tasting how salty the ham hock is as you may not need to add further seasoning.
  2. Layer the cooked ham hock and leeks over the base of the tart and grate over the gruyere cheese. Finally add the egg and cream mixture. Be careful not to overfill the tart case, it should sit just below the top. I put the tart tin on top of a baking tray as it makes it easier to get in and out of the oven.
  3. Cook the tart for 30 – 40 mins in a pre-heated oven set at 170℃ (fan). You will know it is ready as the filling will have set and risen and the top will have turned a burnished golden colour.
  4. Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly; best served warm.

 

Ham hock tart