February 26, 2010 | Appetizers, Pasta & Pizza, Snacks, Vegetables
I’ve been on a puff pastry kick lately – it started with an amuse bouche at my New Year’s Eve dinner and now I can’t seem to get enough of the stuff. I don’t want to ever make it myself, mind you – I did that once in a pastry class and while it was fascinating, it was also exhausting and took two weeks. So go right ahead and buy frozen puff pastry and you won’t hear any criticism from me!
In my ongoing quest to use up what I have on hand, I decided to make a leek and gruyere puff pastry pizza for the surprise party I did for a friend this week. It was tasty, I must say, so I whipped up a single serve portion of it to photograph for you the next day. Start by sauteeing leeks that have been sliced and cleaned well.
While they are cooking, roll out a piece of puff pastry – either the whole piece into a large rectangle or a quarter of it for a single serving size – and lay that on a silicone baking mat on a baking sheet. Now you have a choice here: if you want a flatter pizza, then turn the egdes of the dough over to make a 1/2 inch border around the side, and only put the fillings into the center.
I decided to make the individual serving more like a rustic tart, so I spread the cooked (and cooled) leeks onto the dough…
…the topped it with some grated Parmigiano and shredded Gruyere cheeses…
…then folded the edges up over the filling, pinching the corners together to hold. Bake the whole thing for 20-30 minutes or until the pastry is nice and golden brown and the cheeses are bubbly. 
Let cool slightly before cutting or eating. I waited just long enough to snap these photos before going to town on this, and let me tell you, this was great served alongside the Carrot Ginger Soup I made yesterday!
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 5 cups leeks, sliced and cleaned well
- 1 puff pastry sheet, thawed
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded, or more to taste
- 1 cup Gruyere cheese, grated
- Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add leeks and cook until softened, stirring occasionally, about 5-10 minutes. Set aside to cool. Roll pastry out slightly into a rectangular shape to fit on a silicone mat on a baking sheet. Fold edges over to create a ½ inch border. Spread leeks onto pastry sheet, then top with cheeses. Bake at 400 degrees until the pastry is golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before slicing with a pizza wheel.
Beautiful!
This really can’t be as easy as that. (lets not tell another soul!)
Its nice to see you posting on this topic, I have to book mark this site. Keep up the good work.
I am going to try this recipe tonight !