Leek and Cilantro Pesto Tart

“At Mesa’s Edge” is the first book ever written by Eugenia Bone. It’s a memoir with recipes.

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I discovered it after purchasing her cookbook entitled, “Well Preserved,” which turns out is the third book she has authored.

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I’ve featured this cookbook before. It’s in this book where I discovered my most favorite guilty pleasure, Italian Foriana Sauce.

It’s a mixture of nuts, raisins and garlic, seasoned with oregano. It’s a unique and delicious compliment to just about any cheese, shown in the photo below with blue cheese. I can tell you that this stuff is to die for. In fact, it would be my last meal if I had a choice in the matter.

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It is because of Ms. Bone and her Foriana Sauce, which I’ve still never seen in any other cookbook, that I sought out other books she’d written. I wondered what other secrets she had to reveal in the way of recipes from her father’s Italian heritage.

What I discovered was a completely different kind of book. “At Mesa’s Edge” is about her journey and experience moving west, out of New York City, where she was perfectly happy living a big city lifestyle. Her husband, however, had always yearned for a life in the Rockies, which really seemed foreign to her. But out of deep love for him, she relented. My husband obviously doesn’t have this level of love for me, or we’d be living in the mountains, too. But anyway, they pretty much packed up and moved to a beautiful piece of land in western Colorado.

I don’t want to give too much of the story away, because it’s a delightful read. It certainly makes me glad I wasn’t living back in the pioneer days, which is practically the lifestyle Ms. Bone endured in the beginning few years of their homesteading. Throughout her trials and tribulations, a beautiful story unfolds, as well as an appreciation for their 45-acre parcel of Colorado. There were many learning curves, from dealing with local varmints, including four-legged as well as two-legged ones, gardening off of the land, and creating a home from a dilapidated structure. Intertwined are some wonderful recipes that are meaningful and significant in some way to the author. Because of those stories, the recipes become special to the reader, as well.

I was intrigued to make her leek tart for this post for three reasons:
1. There’s no cheese in this tart,
2. There’s cilantro pesto on the tart, and
3. It’s like a quiche, but with fewer eggs.

So I bring you my only slightly altered version of this tart.

Leek and Cilantro Pesto Tart
adapted from At Mesa’s Edge

1 – 10″ by 1 1/4″ pie pan
1 chilled pie crust dough
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 cup cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter
3 large leeks, cleaned, sliced crosswise
Cilantro Pesto, see below

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Roll out the pie dough and place it in the pie pan. The dimensions of the pie pan I used worked out perfectly.

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Using a fork, pierce the dough all over the bottom of the pie pan, then chill it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake the tart.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolk, cream, and salt. Set aside.

Prepare the leeks by trimming the stems, removing the leathery outer leaves, then slicing them in half lengthwise. Slice the leeks crosswise, then place them in a large bowl. Fill the bowl up with cool water.

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Shake the leek slices around to dislodge any silt, and then remove them from the water, using your hands, and place them on a clean dish towel or on paper towels to drip dry.

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Add the butter to a large skillet and heat the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the leeks.

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Sauté them for at least 10 minutes to soften, without any major browning. If they begin to brown, turn down the heat.

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Let the leeks cool and make the cilantro pesto, if you don’t have any already. I know that I have some in the freezer, but I’ve been so bad in the past about labeling my jars, that I have no idea which one is the cilantro version of pesto, so I used my version of Ms. Bone’s recipe, which is as follows:

My Cilantro Pesto for this recipe, which more more garlicky than hers

1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves, cleaned and dried
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cloves fresh garlic

Place all of the above ingredients in a blender jar.

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Process until fairly smooth.

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Assembling the tart:

Begin by placing the cooled, sautéed leeks in the bottom of the pie pan.

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Pour in the whisked egg-cream mixture.

Using a spoon, spoon out blobs of the pesto and place on top of the tart. The pesto doesn’t have to cover the whole top. I used approximately 1/2 cup of pesto, if not more.

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Smooth the blobs out as you can, then place the pie pan on a baking sheet and place it in the oven.

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Bake for 30 minutes. It doesn’t seem like very long, but the tart is 1″ in thickness only.

Let the tart cool, then slice and serve.

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I served the warm tart for lunch, with a tomato and red onion salad.

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The tart would also be good at room temperature, or even chilled, since there’s no cheese in it.

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The sweetness of the leeks and the sharpness of the garlicky pesto were so perfect together, along the the quiche-like creaminess of the tart base.

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The tart would also be a good brunch dish, along with a mimosa. I’ll definitely make this again!

notes: Well Preserved was nominated for a James Beard award. Her second book, which I need to purchase, is called Italian Family Dining. It was written with her father, artist and cookbook author Edward Giobbi. This is her fourth book:

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About the Author: Chef Mimi

As a self-taught home cook, with many years in the culinary profession, I am passionate about all things food-related. Especially eating!

24 Comments

  1. thesinglegourmetandtraveller April 11, 2014 at 10:03 AM - Reply

    Love the book review and the recipe!!

  2. lulu April 11, 2014 at 11:37 AM - Reply

    Without question, my favorite cookbooks not only have good recipes but have a story to tell. Great photos don’t hurt either.

  3. Sockmonkeys Kitchen April 11, 2014 at 1:11 PM - Reply

    Oh wow…. this looks beautifully delicious…especially with that garlic cilantro pesto!! I’m also one for “reading” cookbooks for their back stories. Many of my favorites have a full story with each recipe – it really does make the food even that much more intriguing!
    Sharing this blog on my facebook page today for my readers =0)

    • chef mimi April 11, 2014 at 1:24 PM - Reply

      Oh, thank you! That’s very sweet of you!

  4. sue marquis bishop April 11, 2014 at 1:46 PM - Reply

    A very enjoyable post with food drama pictures and a story to boot. Thanks.. sue
    womenlivinglifeafter50.com

    • chef mimi April 12, 2014 at 9:11 AM - Reply

      Thanks!!! If you enjoy memoirs and recipes, you would love the book.

  5. Bam's Kitchen April 11, 2014 at 8:20 PM - Reply

    This looks fantastic Mimi, so perfect for a brunch! I so want to get this recipe book to hear the rest of the story. Have a super weekend! BAM

    • chef mimi April 12, 2014 at 9:10 AM - Reply

      I happen to read a lot of memoirs, for some strange reason, so that’s another reason I was attracted to the book. But the recipes are wonderful.

  6. Michelle April 11, 2014 at 11:35 PM - Reply

    Her dad’s cookbook, Italian Family Cooking, is one of the only cookbooks from the Seventies that I still use. Amazingly, it doesn’t feel a bit dated.

    • chef mimi April 12, 2014 at 9:09 AM - Reply

      I keep hesitating ordering it, but now I must. She was a co-author, if I remember right. Thanks for the info.

  7. Dolly Rubiano April 12, 2014 at 3:12 AM - Reply

    Chef Mimi, I’m intrigued about the pie crust you use. It is dotted. Is it wholemeal? I like the cilantro pesto idea. I must try that! My partner has recently discovered his fondness for leeks. I should try this recipe for him =)

    • chef mimi April 12, 2014 at 9:09 AM - Reply

      I like to use whole wheat flour along with the white flour simply for nutritional reasons, although it changes the texture slightly. Oh, the leeks along with the pesto in this tart make it so perfect!!!

  8. 13 Spices April 12, 2014 at 12:33 PM - Reply

    I think I have to order “Well Preserved” just based on the Foriana Sauce. Your last meal? Wow must be so good! I love that you haven’t been able to find the sauce recipe anywhere else. Means it is definitely special! The tart looks gorgeous. Leeks and cilantro pesto- I need this in my life!

    • chef mimi April 12, 2014 at 4:35 PM - Reply

      I’ve made so many other recipes out of it as well. It’s not your basic canning cookbook.

  9. Sylvia @superfoodista.com April 12, 2014 at 3:39 PM - Reply

    Wow, what a delicious and beautiful looking tart, you are really had me with this close-up picture…it’s late in the afternoon and I wish I had this now! ;-)

  10. yummychunklet April 12, 2014 at 5:48 PM - Reply

    Having just made a quiche, this sounds like a great one to try next!

    • chef mimi April 13, 2014 at 10:50 AM - Reply

      The addition of the pesto really put it over the top!

  11. theprettybee April 14, 2014 at 7:41 AM - Reply

    Mmm, this sounds wonderful! Yum!

    • chef mimi April 14, 2014 at 8:33 AM - Reply

      It’s actually quite unique with the addition of the pesto. Thanks!

  12. Amanda April 14, 2014 at 12:34 PM - Reply

    Wow, Mimi. This is really amazing. You had me at those amazing pockets of pesto. Yum!

    • chef mimi April 14, 2014 at 5:09 PM - Reply

      They really added a lot to this tart!!!

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