SMOKED HADDOCK & GRUYÈRE TARTLETS

I make no secret of the fact that I am a big supporter of English specialities and get mad every time I have to read or hear the moronic comments of ignorant people who have the guts to bring British gastronomy down. That irritates me to the highest point as most of the time they don't know what they are talking about and sheepishly follow the false propoganda regarding that country's food...

I mean, Great Britain has proved to have amazing chefs, shown the world that bad food can only be blamed on careless and inexperienced "cooks" and not on tradition (there is no bad food only bad cooks). When will certain individuals stop smirking at the word association "British Cuisine"? England not only has wonderful produces, but also an ancient cooking wisdom so it's about time that the above-mentioned folks put an end to those myths.

Being half-English and coming from a family of brilliant homecooks it is my duty to carry on those old eating customs and not lose my culinary patrimony that is so dear to me and perpetuate my link to that island. It is for that reason that I am a big fan of beautiful magazines such as Good Food, Delicious and Jamie which offer hundreds of gorgeous recipes every month.

While browsing through one of my Good Food magazines a particular Gordon Ramsay recipe caught my attention. His "Haddock & Gruyère Tartlets" looked so scrumptious. I had to make them as soon as possible.

Smoked haddock (made with either cod or haddock which is partially boned & lightly salted/in Scotland known under the name of "Finnan Haddie") has always been a produce I've enjoyed when I was in England. I remember that my grandmother bought it from a fish seller who travelled around with his van and sold extremely fresh goods (the fishes were still swimming in the sea no more than 3-4 hours before) out of the back of his truck. Once a week he stopped in front of my grandparents' stone cottage, honked and happily chatted with us while presenting his fantastic choice of goods . He had the most amazing fishes I have ever eaten.

Thankfully since I live extremely close to the French border (a few meters away) it is possible for me to buy smoked haddock from the Casino supermarket in Gaillard, Haute-Savoie. Although the French smoked haddock is a little dryer, a lot smokier, less plump/thick, dyed with annatto and seems to be made with whiting (and not cod nor haddock like it's English counterpart) I am already very grateful to find it in stores as it nostalgically reminds me of my holidays in Belper, Derbyshire.

As usual, I took the liberty to adapt Gordon Ramsay's recipe and ommitted to prebake the pastry and didn't serve my tartlets with a poached egg, but a bunch of arugula/rocket instead. I was really happy with the results as my "Haddock & Gruyère Tartlets" were as pretty as on the Good Food pictures and tasted just divine.

The pastry (my recipe) was delightfully flaky and beautifully golden, the filling was very flavorful and the lighty mustardy Gruyère béchamel paired perfectly well with the smokiness and delicate fish aromas of the haddock, and the arugula added great nutty, spicy (peppery-mustardy) as well as warm notes. Definitely a dish I will make again!

~Haddock & Gruyère Tartlets ~
Recipe for the "Shortcrust Pastry" by Rosa@Rosa's Yummy Yums & recipe for the "Haddock & Gruyère Tartlets" adapted from Gordon Ramsay.

Makes 4x 12-14cm tartlets.

Ingredients For The "Shortcrust Pastry":
300g Plain white flour (no self-raising flour)
1 Tsp Fine sea salt (you can add 1/2 Tsp more if you like the taste of salt)
150g Unsalted butter (or 100g Unsalted butter & 50g Lard)
~80 ml Water
Ingredients For the "Tarts":
500g Shortcrust pastry (recipe above)
400g Smoked haddock with the skin
400ml Milk
2 Egg yolks
2 Tsp Mustard (Dijon, yellow, basic or English)
25g Unsalted butter
25g All-purpose flour
100g Mature AOC Gruyère, grated finely
100g Arugula (washed), to use as decoration

Method For The "Shortcrust Pastry":
1. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl/bassin.
2. Add butter and rub between the fingers until the mixture is flaky.
3. Pour in water, gradually, while continuously cutting and stirring with a knife. Stop adding water when the dough is stiff. It should not be sticky or wet. Gather up into a soft ball and place it in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
Method for the "Tarts":
1. Put the haddock in a medium saucepan and cover with the milk. Season the milk with a little black pepper and bring to a boil, then turn off the heat. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
2. Remove the fish from the milk and strain the milk into a jug.
In medium pan, melt the butter. When it has melted and is starting to sizzle, stir in the flour and cook until combined to a sandy consistency.
3. Gradually stir in the poaching milk, mixing well after each addition.
4. Bring to a boil and let simmer over a low heat for 5 minutes until you have a smooth white sauce.
6. Remove the pan from the heat, then add the Gruyère and stir.
7. Break the haddock into large flakes into a medium bowl and throw away the skin and the bones.

8. Add the egg yolks and mustard to the haddock and stir in the cheese sauce (it should be at room temperature). Set aside.
9. Divide the pastry into 4, thinly roll out each piece, then cut out 4 circles big enough to line 4 x 12-14cm fluted tartlet pans. Press the pastry into the sides of the tin and roll the surface of the pan with your rolling pin so that the excess will fall away.
10. Preheat the oven to 200° C (400° F). Place the pans in the fridge to cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the fridge and prick the base with a fork.
11. Divide the filling between the tartlet cases, then bake for 25-30 minutes until the filling is puffed up and golden brown like cheese on toast, and the pastry is golden brown.
12. Remove from the oven and leave the tarts to cool slightly.
13. Decorate with the arugula (on top).

Remarks:
Always lift the flour out of the bowl while rubbing; it makes the butter/flour mixture airy.
Be careful not to add too much water as the pastry should not be stick to the touch.
While mixing the water to the flour/butter mixture never work the pastry like a bread dough, otherwise you would end up with a stiff, hard and elastic pastry.
You can replace the Gruyère by AOC Appenzeller or AOC Vacherin Fribourgeois
The filling can be made a day ahead and chilled.
The tarts can be made several hours ahead and eaten at room temperature or slightly reheated. Don't store in the fridge, or the pastry will get soggy.

Serving suggestions:
Serve the tartlets warm from the oven.
You can top it with a poached egg and chives or accompany them with a salad (lamb's lettuce).

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~ Tartelettes Au Haddock Et Au Gruyère ~
Recette pour la "Pâte Brisée" par Rosa@Rosa's Yummy Yums & recette pour les "Tartelettes Au Haddock Et Au Gruyère" adaptée de Gordon Ramsay.

Pour 4 tartelettes de 12-14cm de diamètre.

Ingrédients pour la "Pâte Brisée":
300g de Farine blanche/fleur
1 CC de Sel de mer fin (ajouter 1/2 CC si vous aimez votre pâte un peu salée)
150g de Beurre non-salé, coupé en petit dés (ou 100g de beurre + 50g de saindoux)
~80ml d'Eeau très froide ou assez afin que la pâte forme une boule
Ingrédients pour les "Tartelettes":
500g de Pâte brisée (recette au dessus)
400g de Haddock fumé avec la peau
400ml de Lait
2 Jaunes d'oeufs
2 CC de Moutarde (Dijon, Thomy, américaine, forte anglaise ou douce)
25g de Beurre non-salé
25g de Farine blanche
100g de Gruyère AOC mature, râpé finement
Une poignée de roquette pour décorer

Méthode pour la "Pâte Brisée":
1. Tamiser la farine et le sel dans un bol moyen.
2. Ajouter le beurre et frotter la farine et le beurre entre les doigts afin d'obtenir un mélange qui ait la texture sabloneuse.
3. Verser l'eau, graduellement, tout en mélangeant bien (n'ajoutez plus d'eau quand la pâte aura atteint la bonne consistance/ni trop mouillée, ni trop collante). Former une boule puis la mettre au frigo pendant que vous préparez la garniture.
Méthode pour les "Tartes":
1. Mettre le haddock dans une casserole et le recouvrir avec le lait. Assaisonner le lait avec un peu de poivre noir et porter à ébullition, puis éteindre le feu. Mettre de côté et laisser refroidir de manière à pouvoir manipuler le poisson avec les mains.
2. Sortir le poisson du lait et verser le lait dans un pot tout en le filtrant.
Dans une casserole moyenne, faire fondre le beurre. Une fois fondu et quand il commence à grésiller, ajouter la farine et bien mélanger afin que le tout soit homogène et ait une texture sabloneuse.
3. Graduellement, verser le lait (dans lequel le haddock à cuit). Mélanger après chaque ajout.
4. Porter à ébullition, puis laisser mijoter à feu doux pendant 5 minutes jusqu'à obtention d'une sauce crémeuse et assez épaisse.
6. Enlever la casserole du feu, puis incorporer le Gruyère tout en remuant.
7. Emietter le haddock (morceaux pas trop petits) et jeter la peau et les arrêtes.

8. Ajouter les jaunes d'oeufs et la moutarde, puis la béchamel au Gruyère (à temp. ambiante) et mélanger le tout.

9. Diviser la pâte en 4 et l'étaler afin de pouvoir couper en cercles assez grands pour foncer les moules à tartelettes de 4 x 12-14cm. Une fois cela fait, se débarasser de l'excédent de pâte.
10. Préchauffer le four à 200° C. Mettre les moules au frigo pendant 10 minutes, puis les retirer du frigo et les piquer avec une fourchette.

11. Remplir chaque tartelette avec de la garniture, puis cuire les tartelettes pendant 25-30 minutes jusqu'à ce que la garniture et la pâte soient joliment dorées (suffisement cuitent).
12. Sortir les tartelettes du four et les laisser refroidir légèrement avant de servir.
13. Decorer avec de la roquette.

Remarques:
Soulevez toujours la farine lorsque vous la frottez avec le beurre: ç a apporte de l'air au mélange.
Faites bien attention de ne pas ajouter trop d'eau à votre pâte. Elle ne doit pas être collante.
Pendant que vous mélangez l'eau au mélange farine/beurre, ne la travaillez pas telle une pâte à pain, autrement votre pâte sera dure, élastique et pas manipulable du tout car vous aurez libéré le gluten contenu dans la farine.
Le Gruyère peut être remplacé par de l'Appenzeller AOC ou du Vacherin Fribourgeois AOC.
La garniture peut être faite le jour avant et mise au frigo.
Les tartelettes peuvent être cuites quelques heures à l'avance et mangées à température ambiante ou être réchauffées.
Ces tartelettes ne doivent pas être conservées au frigo car elles deviendront toutes molles et humides.

Idées de présentation:
Servir les tartelettes chaudes.
Vous pouvez aussi déposer un oeuf poché sur la tartelette (milieu) et saupoudrer avec un peu de ciboulette ou manger vos tartelettes avec une bonne salade (mâche).