The January Garden – Leek and Mushroom Tart with Brie

January is a bleak month in the garden. There is little growth, and so by leaps and bounds the most exciting activities are perusing catalogues to order seeds for the coming year and planting cabbage, kale, and leek seeds under lights in the basement to transplant outside in early spring.

Yet if the weather has not grown so cold that the ground has frozen solid, there may be a little vegetation to harvest. Until this last weekend in January, the weather had not dipped far into the 20s, and so there were a few green spots in my otherwise barren plot. On warmer days I can pick a few scraggly cilantro or parsley leaves, enough for a garnish, or a small handful of kale for my wife’s scrambled eggs. Maybe even a tiny bit of arugula. Despite the snow, sometimes I can pull scallions from the ground. Even at its coldest, leaves of thyme and sage can be harvested to flavor a warming winter soup or stew.

A week or two ago, when the temperature was in the balmy, high 30s, I looked out over the garden to see what I could use as part of dinner. The only item substantial enough to plan a dish around were leeks, standing tall like sentries guarding the winter garden. I pulled the largest from the ground, not knowing exactly how I would use it. Once inside, I scoured the refrigerator and pantry for ideas. There was a puff pastry in the freezer and mushrooms in the crisper. Mushrooms and alliums (onions, garlic, scallions, leeks) go together beautifully. A tart, I thought, would be a perfect addition to Small Plates Saturday Night.

Caramelized slowly in butter, the leeks melted into sweetness. The mushrooms added umami (savoriness), complemented by the woodsy flavor of a few thyme leaves, snipped fresh from the January garden. But the tart still needed a bit of heft, I thought, to make it complete. Some cheese would do the trick. Brie it would be, both because we had it in the house and because my daughter is currently obsessed with eating it.

The tart was delicious; flaky and savory, a great small plates course on a relaxing Saturday night. It was the perfect way to take advantage of the garden, even in January, making use of a crop I had started from seed in the basement almost exactly a year ago.

Leek and Mushroom Tart with Brie

This recipe is eminently adaptable. If you don’t have leeks, then caramelize onions, or use scallions or a combination thereof. I used common store-bought button mushrooms here, but wild mushrooms would take it up a notch on the fancy scale. The Brie worked beautifully, but almost any cheese would do.

As for puff pastry, the most common brand carried by supermarkets is Pepperidge Farms, but any brand will work. And while the quantities of ingredients for the topping are certainly not written in stone even if you do use this brand, you may need to make adjustments if your puff pastry is of a different size. No matter; your tart will still be delicious.

Makes one 10 x 14-inch tart, about 1¼ hours

2 medium to large leeks, white and light green parts only, finely chopped

3 Tbsp. butter

4 oz. mushrooms, sliced

2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves removed from stem, divided

½ tsp kosher salt

¼ tsp. fresh ground black pepper

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed according to package instructions

2 Tbsp. flour

4 oz. Brie cheese, cut into pieces.

1. Preheat the oven to 375 °F.
2. Finely chop leeks, rinsing and draining well, if necessary, to remove any sediment.
3. Melt butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over low heat. Add leeks and cook slowly, stirring frequently, until very soft, about a half hour. Lower heat and add a tablespoon of water periodically if needed to keep from browning. Add sliced mushrooms, 1 tsp. thyme leaves, salt, and pepper and cook until mushrooms are cooked through, about 10 minutes. Set filling aside to cool.
4. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Gently roll out 1 sheet of thawed puff pastry on a lightly floured surface to a 10 x 14-inch rectangle. Transfer to prepared baking sheet.
5. With a sharp knife, score (but do not cut all the way through) a line ½ to ¾ inches in from the outer edge of the puff pastry, all the way around. Poke numerous holes with a fork all over the puff pastry, but only inside the scored line. The edge will puff and act like a crust, while the fork holes will allow steam to escape preventing puffing and keeping most of the pastry flat.
6. Place in the oven and bake until just starting to turn golden, but not well-browned, about 10 to 15 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven and cover with leek and mushroom filling. Place Brie pieces evenly over filling and return to oven to complete cooking, until crust is well-browned, filling is warmed through, and cheese is melted, about an additional 5 to 10 minutes.
8. When done, remove from oven, sprinkle on remaining 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, slice, and serve hot or warm.

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