i heart tarts.

well spring has finally sprung (sort of anyway) and it's time to dust off the picnic basket and engage in a bit of splendour in the grass. forget stodgy potato salads and greasy pieces of fried chicken, make your outdoor frolic truly memorable (and delicious!) and bring along a few tarts.

LEEK & GRUYERE TART

things you will need:

2 leeks
150g of gruyere cheese
2 tablespoons of butter
sea salt and freshly ground salt pepper
3 large eggs
half a cup of cooking cream
1 and a bit sheets of shortcrust pastry (make your own if so inclined but i used the ready-made stuff)
2 tablespoons of dijon mustard

what you will need to do:

preheat oven to 180C and line a 28cm quiche or flan tin (with a removable base) with the pastry. ensure it is pressed into the crimped edges of the tin and that there are no holes. i find it usually takes just over one sheet of pastry to do this. place a sheet of baking paper over the pastry and fill the tin with pie weights. bake for 10 to 15 minutes and remove from oven.

while the pastry is blind baking, get the leeks going. start by removing the green portion of the leeks and chop finely. make sure the leeks are washed properly as there is nothing more unpleasant than biting down on grits of sand! once the leeks are washed, melt a few large knobs of butter in a medium sized pot or frying pan and throw the leeks in. place a lid over the leeks as you want them to sweat and soften. keep them moving around the pan so they don't stick or burn. they'll be ready when they're bright green, soft and shiny (roughly 10 minutes cooking time). remove from the heat and stir through the dijon mustard.

slice the gruyere into small squares, or grate if preferred. spread the cooked leek mixture evenly around the base of the pastry shell and season with salt and pepper. place the cheese on top. whisk the cream and eggs together and pour over.

bake in the oven for a further 20-25 minutes, or until the quiche has set (a wooden skewer should come out clean) and it looks golden brown. can be enjoyed immediately with a side salad of bitter greens or pop it in the fridge and enjoy cold at a picnic.

GRUYERE TART WITH TRUFFLE

things you will need:

150g of gruyere cheese
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
3 large eggs
half a cup of cooking cream
1 and a bit sheets of shortcrust pastry
2 teaspoons of truffle sauce (i used a brand called tartufi alfonso fortunati, made in italy - cost is about $29 but you only need a teensy bit for big bangs of flavour)

what you will need to do:

prepare the pastry in the flan tin as above and blind bake in a 180C oven for 10 or so minutes. once the pastry is out of the oven, whisk the cream and eggs together, and stir in the truffle sauce. slice or grate the gruyere cheese and place evenly around the base of the pastry shell. pour over the truffle egg and cream mixture and season with a bit of pepper and a sprinkling of sea salt.

return to the oven for another 20-25 minutes or until cooked.

note: you can use mini-tart tins if you prefer smaller, individual servings. the above quantities should yield one large tart or about 8-10 mini tarts.