GARDE MANGER: LEEK & RED PEPPER TARTLET

On Monday at Garde Manger (the appetizer station) even though we had to make the marmite (veal stock with blackened onions) and prepare today's tart dough ahead of time, we still had a lot of down-time. We don't get to do the Tuesday and Thursday dishes served at the restaurant because we're the Monday-Wednesday-Friday class so we asked if in our spare time we could practice Tuesday's chilled cream of avocado with spiced crabmeat. Chef W., was kind enough to order all the ingredients for tonights' class so we can do it the right way. Between tasting the leek and red pepper tart and a bowl of the soup it seems as though there will be plenty of options for us to choose from for dinner.

More, as always, after class and on the jump...

DISH: Tartlet With Leeks, Roasted Peppers, And Tomatoes Vinaigrette (Bretagne), Tartelette Aux Poireaux, Poivrons Rotis, Et Tomates Vinaigrette

RECIPE:
The Dough
400 G All-Purpose Flour (1¾ Cups)
1 Teaspoon Salt
4 Eggs*
8 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 Tablespoons Ice-Cold Water

The Vegetables
4 Medium-Size Leeks, White & Tender Green Parts*
4 Tablespoons Sherry Vinegar
6 Tablespoons Blended Olive Oil
6 Plum Tomatoes, Emondees
3 Yellow Bell Peppers, Roasted, Peeled, & Seeded
2 Shallots, Ciselees (thinly sliced)
2 Garlic Cloves, Smashed
1⁄2 Tablespoon Minced Rosemary Leaves
1⁄2 Tablespoon Minced Thyme Leaves
1 Tablespoon Minced Chives
1 Tablespoon Chopped Flat-Leaf Parlsey
Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

The Garnish
Decorative Salad Greens
Thyme Sprigs

Procedure:
THE DOUGH Mix the 400G flour (1¾ cups) and 1 teaspoon salt. Add 4 eggs and mix well then add 8 tablespoons olive oil and 4 tablespoons of cold water. Don't overmix. Cool in fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°F and roll out the dough and line eight 4-inch tart shells. Dock the bottoms and blind bake the shells in the preheated oven until baked through. Remove the weights and cool.

VEGETABLES Slice the leeks on the bias approximately ¼-inch thick. Cook them until just done in lightly salted water* (we used chicken stock). Drain and spread them out on a perforated hotel pan. When cool, squeeze them lightly to remove excess water. Make a dressing with the vinegar and oil and season to taste. Place the leeks in a bowl and toss with enough of the vinaigrette to moisten. Cut the tomato and pepper flesh in batonettes and mix them with the rest of the vinaigrette, aromatics, and herbs. Adjust the seasoning in both bowls of vegetables.

SERVICE Drain all of the vegetables well. To order: Place a layer of the leeks on the bottom of a tart. Top this with a mound of the tomato and pepper mixed together. Place the tart on a room-temperature plate. Dress some salad greens with a touch of the remaining vinaigrette and arrange them alongside the tart. Decorate with a thyme sprig and serve.

BREAKDOWN: For restaurant service we multiplied the dough recipe by four times and the vegetable amounts by three times. The significant change in the dough recipe was that we didn't use eggs* when we made it on Monday. We made another four portions tonight just in case we had trouble rolling it out because of the heat.

We only did three things differently with the rest of the preparation, we cooked the leeks in seasoned chicken stock* instead of water until soft and slightly translucent (the reinforced stock can be used for other things afterwards) and the vegetables were all mixed instead of being placed separately in the tart. It was much prettier this way and the different tastes of the pepper and the tomato in each bite was more balanced. Lastly, instead of a small salad, we served the tart topped with lightly dressed micro-greens (basically a fancy way of saying sprouts!).

The result, left, was a tasty tart surrounded by a basil-infused olive oil. The tart itself was a little hard. The chef said it wasn't meant to be flaky (thus no butter) and instead, harder giving it a little crunch (though softer than a water cracker). My thought is that it works better this way anyway--it's easier to eat by picking the whole thing up; you don't have to worry about it breaking.

Some last items to recap: the crabmeat wasn't ordered by the storeroom so Chef W. put the order in and hopefully we'll be able to do the avocado soup on Friday; we thought we had a test tonight but it was postponed until Friday; we were told that we have a lecture on Wednesday while the Level Four students have their final and we'll be the Level Four students next Friday.

Wow. Got to get moving on that final project. I have a feeling I know what Friday Foraging will be...