TABELIAAUTHENTIC RECIPE
Fondue de PoireauxFrench Creamy Leeks
- Total
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- ★★☆☆☆
- Serves
- 4 servings
- Prep 15 min
- Cook 30 min
Split and thoroughly wash the white parts of the leeks, then slice 5mm thick. Cover and cook very gently with butter and a little water for 20 minutes, without browning, until meltingly tender. Uncover to evaporate the moisture, add crème fraîche and cook for 5 minutes. Serve with sole or turbot, or as a bed for scallops.
AUTHENTICITY SCORE
Authenticity Score
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Ingredients (4 servings)
100Authenticity- Leek whites600 gAbout 3–4 large leeks. Cut off the green tops where the leaves begin to open.
- Unsalted butter30 g
- Water50 ml
- Salt3 g
- Crème fraîche100 gThick cultured dairy cream.
- Ground white pepper0.5 g
Method
Trim, split and wash the leeks, then slice 5mm thick
- 1 Trim only the thin roots of the leeks, leaving the base intact. Cut off the green tops where the leaves begin to open.
- 2 Split the whites lengthwise into halves, keeping the base attached. Hold the base upwards under running water and spread the layers apart, 1 at a time, to rinse sand towards the leaf ends. Repeat 2–3 times.
- 3 Drain, cut off the base and slice 5mm thick.
Ready when
Proceed when no sand remains between the layers and the slices are even.
Caution
Sand left deep between the layers will be noticeable when eating.
Cover and cook very gently for 20 minutes without browning
- 1 Melt 30g unsalted butter over low heat in a heavy 24cm pot. Add the leeks, 3g salt and 50ml water, then stir.
- 2 Cover and cook over very low heat for 20 minutes, stirring 3–4 times.
Ready when
Proceed when the leeks are translucent without browning and soft enough to crush with a wooden spatula.
Caution
Excessive heat will brown the leeks at the bottom of the pot and turn their sweet aroma into a burnt smell.
Uncover, evaporate the water and finish with crème fraîche for 5 minutes
- 1 Uncover and raise the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring, for 2–3 minutes to evaporate the liquid at the bottom.
- 2 Add 100g crème fraîche, a thick cultured dairy cream, and 0.3g white pepper. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Adjust the salt to taste.
Ready when
The fondue is ready when the cream coats and binds the leeks and no liquid runs out when the pot is tilted.
About this dish
Thick winter leeks with long white stems appear in French markets from November to April. Those from Créances, in Normandy’s Manche department, are said to have a hazelnut-like flavor.
In the 20 coastal municipalities around Créances, growers cultivate sandy soil deeply and earth up the plants to lengthen the white stems. They have added tangue, the calcareous mud and sand from tidal flats, and seaweed gathered on the shore. Work in the fields has followed the tides. Vegetables were already grown here in the middle of the 13th century, and leeks became a principal crop after 1950.
French cooks serve this gently cooked leek fondue with sole or turbot; some place scallops on top. The leeks soften in butter without taking on color.
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