Christmas Recipe 'Pancetta, Leek, and Chèvre Tartlets'

Individual savory tartlets are an elegant addition to any cocktail party menu. This filling dish, with its salty components of chèvre and pancetta, is especially tasty with those ever-popular holiday party beverages, wine and Champagne. The dough is a breeze to work with, and is simply pressed into nonstick mini-muffin tins without requiring rolling out.

Makes 24 tartlets

Make Ahead: The dough shells can be prepared up to 1 week ahead; the tartlets can be baked up to 1 day ahead.

Ingredients For DOUGH:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes
One 3-ounce package cream cheese, chilled, cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes

Ingredients For FILLING:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 cups (about 3 large) chopped leeks, white and pale green part only, well rinsed
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
4 ounces thick-sliced pancetta, chopped into 1⁄2-inch dice
2⁄3 cup half-and-half
2 large egg yolks
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces rindless goat cheese (chèvre), well crumbled

Fresh parsley leaves, for garnish

Preparation
1. To make the dough, pulse the flour and salt in a food processor fitted with the metal blade to combine. Add the butter and cream cheese, and pulse about 10 times, until the mixture is crumbly, then process at a steady speed until the dough barely clumps together. Gather up the dough, press it into a thick disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until just chilled, about 1 hour. The dough is easiest to handle when it is cold but not rock-hard.

2. Cut the dough into 24 equal pieces. Press 1 piece of dough evenly into each of 24 nonstick mini-muffin cups (2-tablespoon capacity) to make pastry shells. Freeze for 30 minutes. (If making the dough shells ahead, cover tightly with plastic wrap and freeze. Defrost at room temperature for 20 minutes before filling.)

3. To make the filling, heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook, uncovered, stirring often, until tender and lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Cool.

4. Combine the oil and pancetta in a small nonstick skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the pancetta is browned and crisp, about 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to paper towels to drain.

5. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. In a medium bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, egg yolks, salt, and pepper. Stir in the leeks, pancetta, and chèvre. Spoon the filling into the shells. Bake until the filling is set and the edges of the pastry shells are lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then remove the tartlets from the pans. (If preparing the tartlets ahead, reheat, arrange them on a baking sheet, and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Bake in a preheated 375°F oven until heated through, about 10 minutes.) Garnish with the parsley leaves and serve warm or at room temperature.

This recipe was published in 'Christmas 101 - p16'.