December was a funny old month for me and it seemed to take ages to get to Christmas. All that build up and then bang, it’s here! The first week of December was fine, then I went down with the flu which wiped me out for two weeks. I didn’t feel like doing anything. I felt more like my old self in the week before Christmas, thankfully. I have been so grateful to Mr SmartCookieSam and to my two children (both grown up) who have held the fort. The mister is a great help to me on a work day as I don’t get home until nearly 7pm. I either eat some tea at work on my break or I eat something he has made. Cooking for my family is something I really enjoy but I don’t like being home late.

On the Sunday before Christmas, though it was a real tonic to actually be able to make something comforting for dinner.

I had some leeks which needed using up and some ready made puff pastry so I thought about a savoury tart. I looked in my recipe books for ideas and came across a recipe for a Flamiche which is a type of French puff pastry pie. I thought it reminded me of a pithivier, which to me is very similar. The filling contained leeks and blue cheese. I had some Roquefort, which did smell very strong like smelly socks but would be ideal for the pie!

To make the filling for the flamiche, I first sauteed the chopped leeks in butter and a little olive oil. I also added in a splash of white wine and vegetable stock. When the leeks had softened a little I then crumbled in the Roquefort.

The flamiche was made in my loose springform cake tin. This usually only gets used for cheesecakes so it was strange making something savoury in it! I rolled out the puff pastry first with enough to cover the bottom and sides of the tin. I tipped the mixture into the dish and then topped the pie with another circle for the lid. I then crimped the sides over the top and gave it an egg wash. The flamiche baked for about half an hour until it was golden and crisp.

It was served with some broccoli and a small portion of mashed potato (for Mr SmartCookieSam). The rest ended up being ideal to be served cold the next day with some salad. My kids weren’t too keen on it because of the blue cheese and leeks but it went down well with the adults.

I think I will definitely make this again on a winter weekend.

Happy Baking!

Love Sam xx