Taste le Tour with Gabriel Gate S08 2012 EP150 leek tart - Flamishe aux Poireaux
Channel: Peter J Warren
Date: 29/06/2020

The undulating countryside around Liège is green and delightful and the local artisans have a long tradition of making really tasty foods.


I find Belgian charcuterie to my liking and very delicate. 

The smoked ham from Ardennes is a real treat with rye bread. 

The paté Ardennais, a coarse pork terrine, is a popular entrée at the weekend, while the boulettes Liègoises, a pork and veal meat ball, is a  French-Belgian family favourite.

But perhaps the most special of the smallgoods is the Boudin blanc, a white sausage flavoured with herbs and sometimes walnuts.  Yum.

The country boasts almost one hundred different varieties of excellent cheeses,

many made with cow, ewes or goat milk.  Some are hard, some are soft ripened and others have a washed rind. 

But none is more famous than the fromage de Herve. 

Madeleine Hanssen from la Ferme du Vieux Moulin has made this full-flavoured 200g cheese by hand all her life in the traditional way.

Madeleine Hanssen

C’est un fromage au lait cru, qui est reconnu par la qualité de la terre qui va faire
It’s a cheese made with raw milk and we value the quality of our soil.

On a une terre grasse et riche qui va faire une herbe riche et qui va faire un lait de qualité 
We have a superb rich soil that gives us rich grass that gives us quality milk.

Grâce à ça on peut obtenir ce fromage-ci.
That is what makes our cheese.

VO 

Madeleine washes each cheese every few days by hand to remove any moulds. 

After about one month the cheese is ready to eat.  


VO 
I love tradition but I also love tasting the cheese…


Gabriel to camera

A cheese with intense flavour but very delicate.  I like it.


This leek tart, called Flamishe aux Poireaux, is the most popular family dish of the region.

I first brown some diced bacon in a non-stick pan and transfer it to a plate to cool.

Then I slowly cook three finely cut leeks in butter until soft and also transfer it to a dish to cool.


Gabriel to camera


"With this leek tart it's best not to use too much of the green of the leek.  The white is more tender.  It's sweeter and more delicious."

Voice over
I carefully line a lift-out flan tin with savoury pastry and prick the pastry about 
25 times with a fork.

I spread bacon on the cold pastry, then evenly spread the leeks.

In a bowl I mix 2 eggs with a little salt, pepper, 80ml of cream and 40ml of milk until runny.  

And carefully pour it on the leeks and trim the pastry neatly.

I like to bake the tart in a hot oven at 220°C for about 35 minutes as the pastry must be evenly cooked and the leeks set.

Once turned out, I cut it carefully into wedges.

The Flamishe aux Poireaux... my all-time favourite vegetable tart.

Gabriel to camera

This is the famous fishing port of Boulogne-sur-Mer in the north of France and tomorrow we have a look at the local catch and visit one of the best cheese shops in France.