Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide, heavy-bottomed frying pan or sauté pan with a lid
• •Wooden spoon
• •Microplane or fine grater for the nutmeg

Instructions

1. 1

   Wash and prepare leeks

   Slice the leeks into rounds about the thickness of a pound coin. Drop them into a bowl of cold water and swish them about. The grit sinks. The leeks float. Lift them out and let them drain in a colander. Don't skip this. A mouthful of grit in something this gentle ruins everything.

   Use the white and the pale green parts. The dark green tops are tough here, but save them for stock if you keep a bag in the freezer.
2. 2

   Soften leeks in butter

   Melt the butter in a wide pan over a low heat. When it foams, add the leeks and a good pinch of salt. Stir them through the butter so they're coated, then turn the heat down as far as it will go. Put a lid on. Leave them alone for ten to twelve minutes, stirring once or twice. You want them completely soft, almost silky, with no colour at all. If they start to brown, the heat is too high. Patience is the only technique here.

3. 3

   Add garlic and cream

   Add the sliced garlic and stir it through for a minute until it smells sweet, not sharp. Pour in the cream and stir in the mustard. Let it come to a gentle simmer. The cream will thicken around the leeks in three or four minutes, coating them in something rich and quietly savoury. It should cling to a spoon but still move. If it gets too thick, a splash of water loosens it without thinning the flavour.

4. 4

   Season and finish

   Grate in a little nutmeg. Not much. Two or three passes on the grater. Add a squeeze of lemon juice, which lifts the whole thing and stops the cream from feeling heavy. Season with salt and pepper. Taste it. The mustard should be there in the background, warm rather than sharp. If you can't quite taste it, you've got the balance right.

   The lemon matters more than you'd think. Without it, the cream sits flat. With it, the leeks brighten and the whole bowl comes into focus.
5. 5

   Toast and assemble

   Toast the bread properly. Not pale and warm, but golden and crisp enough to hold the weight of what's going on top. Thick slices from a good loaf. Put the toast on warm plates and spoon the creamed leeks over generously. Let it spill over the edges. Snip some chives over the top if you have them. A scattering of Parmesan if it feels right. Eat it straight away, while the toast is still holding its nerve.

Chef Tips

• •The leeks must not colour. This is a dish about sweetness and softness, and browning changes the flavour entirely. Keep the heat low, put the lid on, and let time do the work. Ten minutes of patience gives you something that thirty seconds of high heat never will.
• •Good bread matters here because the toast is doing a job. It's structural. A thin slice from a sliced loaf will go soggy before you've picked up your fork. Cut thick slices from a sourdough or a proper white bloomer and toast them until they're golden and firm.
• •If you want to turn this into something more substantial, a poached egg on top is a fine idea. The yolk breaks into the cream and the whole thing becomes richer and more complete. A few leaves of something green on the side if you want to feel virtuous, but it doesn't need it.
• •This is also very good with a splash of white wine added before the cream. Let it bubble away to almost nothing, then pour in the cream. It adds a brightness that the lemon alone doesn't quite reach.

Advance Preparation

• •The leeks can be softened in butter and refrigerated for up to a day. Reheat gently in the pan, add the cream and finish as described. It takes five minutes from fridge to plate.
• •This is not a dish that waits well once assembled. Toast goes soggy. Make it, plate it, eat it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 300g)