LEEK AND BACON FLAN

LEEK AND BACON FLAN

A real old Cornish favourite, easy to make and if you wish, these days you can use bought pastry. Our ancestors did love leeks and used them so much. I do too and they are one of my favourite veggies. This is not a “new fangled quiche”, it is a real old fashioned flan and this old method was conceived long before we had ever heard of them.

I quickly knocked up some rough puff pastry, the same as for pasties.  I used an 8”, but a 7” flan tin would be good.

For this tart you will need:

6 oz plain flour, 1½ oz butter, 1½ lard or Cookeen [my new fave], seasoning and a little cold water to bind after you have roughly rubbed in the fats. Chill for half an hour or so.

approx 1lb of the white part of leeks

2 oz butter

5 - 6 oz chopped bacon

about 6 sliced mushrooms, I used chestnut

1 oz plain flour

½ pint whole milk

1 large egg

1 heaped tablespoon grated cheese

plenty of seasonings of your choice - being Cornish I always use parsley!

a little nutmeg

Line your tin with pastry, rolling it as thinly as you can, then pop it into the fridge while you assemble the filling. I quickly blind baked it at 180C for 10 mins when really chilled. But the old recipe did not suggest this [I do not want a soggy bottom] Turn up your fan oven to 190C.

Slice the leeks and cut up the bacon. Melt the butter in a medium fry pan then add the bacon and fry without colouring, add the leeks, stir together and gently cook for about 15 mins until nice and soft. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 2 mins more. Sprinkle in the flour and stir well.

In a saucepan bring the milk to the boil and pour quickly over the leeky mix. Season well, not forgetting the nutmeg. Place back over a very low heat and cook for a further 10 mins or so, gently stirring now and then to stop it burning. Remove from the heat to cool a little then stir in the beaten egg. Pour into the pastry case, dot over a little more butter and sprinkle over the cheese.

Bake for about 30 - 40 mins  mins.

A real old fashioned method to cook this classic dish. We found it absolutely delicious and far better than any quiche I have ever had. It is equally good hot or cold. It came from the WI ladies, of the 1960s.