Leek and Ham Tarts

March 1: Feast Day of St. David

Much like St. Patrick of Ireland is associated with shamrocks, St. David of Wales is linked to leeks. The vegetable is one of the country’s national emblems, along with the daffodil, which is also known as “Peter’s leek” (presumably inspired by the first pope).

We usually make St. David’s Leek Pie (see our blog recipe post) to honor Dewi Sant. But sometimes we just want to make something simpler, smaller and swiftly, like a Celtic kind of quiche. Leek and ham tarts are truly tasty and an appropriate appetizer to serve on the feast day of the Welsh patron saint.

Recipe

(Adapted from Food.com)

Ingredients

• 1 package (2 sheets) puff pastry, thawed
• 1 cup leeks, washed and chopped finely
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 egg
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
• ½ – 1 cup ham, diced
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Wash the leeks thoroughly. Pat dry and chop finely. Saute the leeks in butter until slightly wilted. Salt and pepper to taste.

In a separate bowl, mix together the egg and half-and-half. Salt and pepper to taste. Add the cheese, leeks and ham.

Mist a muffin tin with cooking spray. Unfold the puff pastry sheets. Cut into nine squares each. Press each square into the cavities of the muffin tin with the pointy edges sticking up.

Spoon some filling into each pastry. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and keep warm for another 10 minutes, being careful not to burn the pastry. Remove from the oven and carefully take out each tart. Serve hot. Yield: 18 tarts.

Notes

• If there are any leftovers of these leek and ham tarts, we recommend reheating them in the oven instead of in the microwave to retain the puff pastry’s crispness.
• Search our blog for recipes with ingredients containing leeks.