Roasted Butternut Squash, Leek and Gruyère Tart
“….the onset of fall marks the beginning of hard squash season.”
– Marcus Samuelsson.
The Kitchn has kicked off an online cookbook club and the introductory book is Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat. If you haven’t checked this book out yet – or her show – get to it! Both are wonderful. And you can check out the Kitchn book club on Instagram #kitchncookbookclub.
For the book club’s September pick, I was inspired by the tart pastry recipe in Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat called Aaron’s Tart Dough. At least, this was my departure point. I made a few changes, then decided to stuff the shell with roasted butternut squash, buttery leeks sautéed with thyme, and creamy, nutty Gruyère cheese.
The Steps
I changed up the tart dough recipe by substituting some white whole wheat flour for the all-purpose flour, because I like wheat flour in a savory tart. I also reduced the amount of sugar.
- Make the tart dough and chill, if not using a frozen pie shell.
- Partially blind bake for 15 minutes.
- Tip: You can sprinkle a bit of Parmesan cheese into the tart shell during par-baking, which can help with sogginess. To do so, blind bake for 10 minutes, remove the foil and pie weights, sprinkle a thin layer of grated Parmesan, then par-bake another 10 minutes.
- Toss the butternut squash in olive oil and salt and pepper, and roast. For an extra hit of flavor, add a clove of minced garlic.
- Tip: When peeling the squash, be sure to peel away any of the green striations and down to the deep orange flesh.
- Sauté the leeks in butter with thyme.
- Add a bit of minced garlic in the last minute.
- Layer the leeks, then the squash into the tart shell.
- Whisk together the beaten eggs, crème fraîche, Gruyère cheese, black pepper, and a sprinkle of thyme leaves.
- Pour evenly over the squash and leeks and bake for 30 to 40 minutes.
If you’re a fan of the savory tart, you might want to try either this spring veg galette or this tomato, zucchini and goat cheese tart.
Because I’m a Librarian
The Kitchn’s Cookbook Club’s September pick is Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, by Samin Nosrat.
Butternut Squash, Leek and Gruyère Tart
Ingredients
Butternut Squash, Leek and Gruyère Tart
- 1 pie or tart shell, homemade (see below) or store-bought frozen
- 1 medium or large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into cubes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 to 3 cups leeks (about 2 leeks), white and light green parts halved and sliced
- 4 to 5 sprigs fresh thyme, plus 1 tsp chopped leaves
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced*
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 8 oz crème fraîche
- 6 oz Gruyère cheese, grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
Tart Shell
- 1 cup all-purpose flour**
- 2/3 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes and chilled
- 6 tbsp heavy cream, cold
- 2 to 4 tbsp ice water
Instructions
Tart Shell
- In a large bowl, food processor, or stand mixer bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- If using a food processor or stand mixer, add cold butter cubes and mix until mixture is mealy and butter is pea-sized. If mixing by hand, cut in butter with a fork or pastry cutter.
- Add the cream and mix just until dough barely comes together. If still too crumbly, add ice water a tablespoon at a time. Dough should be shaggy, though, so be careful not to add too much water. Form dough into a ball, wrap in plastic, and flatten into a disk. Chill for at least one hour.
Butternut Squash, Leek and Gruyère Tart
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Roll out tart dough to about 14 inches and about 1/8-inch thick and gently press into 10-inch tart pan. Roll pin across the top to trim excess dough.
- Prick bottom of tart shell with a fork, line with parchment or foil, and fill with beans or pie weights. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove tart shell from oven and let cool. Raise oven temperature to 425°F.
- Toss butternut squash with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and spread out on a baking sheet.* Bake until tender and lightly browned, stirring and flipping the cubes about halfway through, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven, drain, and let cool. Reduce oven to 350°F.
- Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks and thyme sprigs, season liberally with salt and pepper, and stir together. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until leeks are soft, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Add minced garlic during last minute of cooking and stir to combine. Discard thyme sprigs, drain leeks and let cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together beaten eggs, crème fraîche, grated Gruyère, black pepper and thyme leaves.
- Spread leeks evenly in bottom of tart shell and top with butternut squash cubes. Pour crème fraîche-Gruyère mixture evenly over the top.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until top is set and lightly golden brown.
Notes
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