Winter Squash Tart

Name: Winter Squash Tart
Prep time: P1H
Cook time: P1H
Total time: P2H
Yield: 12
Cuisine: Fusion
Ingredients: winter squash; olive oil; salt and black pepper; dough; leeks; butter; eggs; creme fraiche; milk; gruyere cheese; thyme; parsley leaves; nutmeg

Submitted by tjroti

Savory winter squash tart with roasted squash, buttery leeks, Gruyere, and creme fraiche in a flaky pastry shell. A rustic, elegant main dish for fall and winter entertaining.

YIELD

12 servings

PREP

60 min

COOK

60 min

READY

120 min

This is the tart that makes you fall in love with cool weather cooking. Roasted winter squash gets pureed silky smooth, then folded into a custard of eggs, creme fraiche, and milk with sauteed leeks, nutty Gruyere, and fresh herbs.

Everything goes into a par-baked tart shell and bakes until the top is golden and flecked with melted cheese. The flavors are earthy, warm, and deeply satisfying without being heavy.

Serve it as a main course with a simple green salad, or slice it thin for an elegant appetizer. Either way, this one turns seasonal squash into something genuinely special.

Chef Tips

Butternut or kabocha squash both work beautifully here; pumpkin is great too
Pass the roasted squash through a food mill for the smoothest custard texture
Wash sliced leeks in a bowl of cold water to remove hidden grit between the layers
Let the finished tart rest 5 to 10 minutes before slicing for cleaner cuts

Ingredients

EACH WINTER SQUASH
or pumpkin *

OLIVE OIL
to taste *

SALT AND BLACK PEPPER
to taste *

EACH DOUGH
tart *

MEDIUM LEEK
about 4-5 oz, mostly white parts *

TABLESPOONS BUTTER

LARGE EGGS

⅓

CUP CREME FRAICHE
or heavy cream *

CUP MILK

OUNCES GRUYERE CHEESE
grated

TEASPOON THYME
finely chopped *

TEASPOON PARSLEY LEAVES
finely chopped

NUTMEG
to taste *

Directions

Preheat oven to 400℉ (200℃).

Cut the squash in half, remove the seeds and pulp, brush the surface with oil, and season with salt and pepper.

Place the halves, cut side down, on a baking sheet, and bake until the skin is puckered and the squash is soft, about an hour.

Remove it from the oven, let it cool enough to handle easily, then scoop out the flesh.

Pass the flesh through a food mill or chinoise to smooth out the texture.

There should be about 1½ cups.

[Freeze any extra.]

While the squash is baking, prepare the tart dough.

Partially bake it and set aside.

Trim the leeks, quarter them lengthwise, slice them into ¼ inch squares [slice s work too] and wash them well.

Melt the butter in a skillet, add the leeks, and cook over medium-high heat until they are tender, 7 to 10 minutes.

Add a little water after the first 3 or 4 minutes to help the cooking and keep them from burning.

Season with salt.

Beat the eggs in a bowl with the creme fraiche or cream, milk, and squash.

Stir in the leeks, grated cheese, and herbs.

Season to taste with salt, pepper, and a few scrapings of nutmeg.

Set the oven heat at 375℉ (190℃).

Pour the batter into the tart shell and bake in the center of the oven until it is firm and flecked with spots of brown from the melted cheese, about 45 to 50 minutes.

Remove the tart from the oven, let it ret for 5 to 10 minutes, and serve it on a platter.

Makes one 9- or 10-inch tart. xr