Ingredients
- 3 medium leeks, sliced thinly (2 cups)
- 2 large cloves garlic, sliced thinly
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 7 egg yolks
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 dash hot sauce
- salt and white pepper to taste
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups cold butter, cubed and frozen
- 4–6 tablespoons ice water
- 1 egg for egg wash
- 3 medium Northern Spy or other baking apples, cut into small slices
- 4 ounces butter
- 1 sprig rosemary
Preparation
Leek Custard
Preheat oven to 350°.
Sauté leeks and garlic in butter until translucent. Season liberally. Purée in a food processor.
In a separate bowl gently mix egg yolks and cream, trying to incorporate as little air as possible. A hand-held immersion blender works great for this. Season, add leeks and pass the whole mixture through a strainer into a baking dish.
Place baking dish in a larger baking dish and fill the larger dish with water, to a level slightly higher than the cream in the first dish. Bake at 350° until the custard is set, 160–175°. Scrape into a blender and purée while still warm. Chill thoroughly.
Pie crust
Place flour, sugar, salt and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until the mixture is coarse. Add ice water and mix until a rough dough is formed with small bits of butter still visible. If necessary, add more ice water 1 tablespoon at a time. Chill dough for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 425°. Divide dough into 2 pieces and roll 1 out to line a 9-inch tart pan or a standard 6-muffin pan. Roll out second piece and cut into ¼-inch strips. Weave a large lattice and cut into a 9-inch circle or 6 circles the size of the muffin tins. Make an egg wash of 1 egg to 1 tablespoon of water. Apply wash to lattice tops and place lattice tops on a baking sheet.
Place crusts in preheated oven and turn down to 350°. Fully bake until golden brown. Lattice tops will be finished first, 5–8 minutes. If using pie weights to keep shells flat, remove halfway through baking.
Brown Butter Northern Spies
Dice butter into a small saucepan. Melt over medium-high heat until it begins to foam. At this point carefully stir constantly. When the solids start to brown and have a hazelnut-like aroma, stir for a minute more then pour over apples and rosemary in a bowl. Stir to coat all apples. Bake briefly in a 350° oven until apples are barely cooked through, 7–10 minutes.
About this recipe
Assemble and serve Put chilled leek custard into a pastry bag and pipe into tart shells. With a slotted spoon, layer in apples, draining off excess brown butter and saving for another use. Place lattice tops onto the pie or pies and heat gently in a 300° oven until warm, not hot.
