Cheese Tart
Updated Nov 26, 2024, Published Jul 06, 2014
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This elegant Cheese Tart with baby greens and leeks is French-inspired and perfect for a lovely lunch, brunch, light supper, or whenever you need all your meal bases covered. Its flaky, buttery crust pairs beautifully with the creamy cheese filling, while the fresh baby greens and tender leeks add a delightful touch of flavor and texture. Serve it warm or at room temperature for a sophisticated dish that’s as versatile as delicious.
A cheese tart or quiche is perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch or light supper. The possibilities are practically endless because it can be filled with almost anything on hand, making a flexible option when you need to cover all your meal bases.
What is the difference between a quiche and a tart?
There are minor differences between quiches and tarts:
- Quiches are always savory, while tarts can be sweet or savory.
- Quiches are baked in deep pans, while tarts are baked in shallow pans with removable bottoms.
- Both have only a bottom crust.
Tips for making a Cheese Tart:
- Any sturdy baby greens, such as mustard, spinach, arugula, kale, or chard, will work in this dish. However, don’t confuse baby greens with baby lettuce or spring mix; they won’t work in this cheese tart recipe.
- Leeks can contain dirt hidden between their layers. After slicing, place in a bowl of water. Gently move them around so dirt can fall to the bottom. Let them settle, then carefully remove them with a slotted spoon or sieve.
- Gruyere cheese has a lovely, nutty flavor but can be pricey. Feel free to use a cheese that fits your budget. Swiss and white cheddar are good alternatives.
Tips for blind baking a crust:
Whether you make your crust from scratch or use a purchased refrigerated crust for a cheese tart recipe, it will require blind baking before filling.
- Start with a chilled pastry.
- Place a piece of parchment paper over the dough.
- Fill with pie weights, dried beans, rice, or lentils. Pie weights come at a cost, so I like to recycle dried beans, rice, or lentils that have gone beyond their “use by” date. However, you don’t want to reuse them in a bean, rice, or lentil dish as they won’t cook properly.
Enjoy!
More quiche and tart recipes you’ll love:
- Butternut Squash, Leek and Gruyere Tart
- Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Tart with Thyme
- Roasted Cherry Tomato Tart with Herbed Ricotta
- Asparagus Prosciutto and Fontina Tortino
- Tomato Tart with Ricotta and Pesto
- Asparagus, Spring Onion and Fontina Tart
Cheese Tart
This elegant Cheese Tart with baby greens and leeks is French-inspired and perfect for a lovely lunch, brunch, light supper, or whenever you need all your meal bases covered. Its flaky, buttery crust pairs beautifully with the creamy cheese filling, while the fresh baby greens and tender leeks add a delightful touch of flavor and texture. Serve it warm or at room temperature for a sophisticated dish that’s as versatile as delicious.
Equipment
Ingredients
Crust
- 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- Pinch sugar
- Pinch salt
- 3 tablespoons ice water, or as needed
- Cooking spray
Filling for Tart
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium leeks, white and light green part only, halved and thinly sliced (about 1 heaping cup)
- 1 container (5-ounce) baby greens, such as spinach or kale
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup half-and-half, scant
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Combine butter, flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Process until the mixture is crumbly.
- With the food processor running, add ice water by the tablespoon until the dough just holds together.
- Spray a 9-inch tart pan (with removable bottom) with cooking spray. Press the dough evenly into the tart pan and up the sides. Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork. Place in the freezer for 20 minutes.
- Place a piece of parchment paper over the crust and fill with pie weights, beans or rice.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until the crust is set and light gold in color. Let cool. Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees.
Filling for Tart
- Heat butter and oil in a small saute pan. Add the leeks and cook 8 to 10 minutes or until very soft. Add small amounts of water as needed to prevent the leeks from drying out and burning.
- Add the greens and garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until greens are wilted. Let cool. Stir in Gruyere cheese.
- In a small bowl, beat eggs until blended. Whisk in half-and-half, salt and black pepper.
- Spread leek, greens and cheese mixture evenly over the crust.
- Pour in the egg mixture. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until the center of tart is firm to the touch. Let cool slightly, then cut into pieces and serve.
Notes
SUBSTITUTIONS:
- Any sturdy baby greens, such as mustard, spinach, arugula, kale, or chard, will work in this dish.
- Swiss and white cheddar are good alternatives for Gruyere.
- Cut into wedges. Reheat in an oven or toaster oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until heated through.
- Cool completely, cut into quarters or wedges and place in an airtight container. Freeze for 2-3 months.
- Thaw in the refrigerator and reheat in a 350-degree oven.
Nutrition
Serving: 1Calories: 315kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 10gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 106mgSodium: 413mgPotassium: 139mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 1060IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 231mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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