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Belinda, mother of three, lives in Fulham, London and loves to entertain. Tune in for her easy to cook, no nonsense recipes. Starters, mains, puddings and nibbles - she's here with suggestions for them all.

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Leek and Bacon Timbales

Published on Wednesday 19th March 2008

Leek and Bacon Timbales Serves 6
Prep Time – 10 minutes
Cooking Time – approx 45 minutes

A great starter, these can be prepared ahead of time but if you store them in the fridge, allow them to return to room temperature before you cook them.

Ingredients

• 80g parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 2tbsp olive oil
• 4 medium leeks, tough green parts removed, the rest washed and chopped
• 2 rashers smoked back bacon, chopped
• 3 large eggs
• 420 ml single cream
• Freshly ground salt and black pepper
• A grating of nutmeg (optional)
• Salad leaves

Butter 6 ramekins thoroughly and dust each one with some of the parmesan. (LakelandLimited.co.uk has a nice selection of good value ramekins, roasting tins and pretty much anything else you may need in the preparation of this recipe.)

Heat the oil in a saute pan, add the leeks and bacon and cook over a moderate heat until the leeks are soft. This should take about 10 minutes but do not let the leeks brown.

Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool down. Puree it in a food-processor and then whiz in the eggs one by one followed by the cream. Season well.

Divide the mixture between the ramekins and put them into a roasting tin. Carefully pour in hot water to a depth of about 3cm and bake for approximatley half an hour until they feel nicely firm in the middle.

Take the timbales out of the oven and let them stand for 10 minutes. Then run a sharp knife around the inside of each ramekin and turn out on to warmed plates, sprinkled with a few salad leaves. Serve immediately.

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