MUSHROOM AND POTATO TARTS

This is a relatively easy to make recipe and it is very good. It could be a very nice start to a vegetarian meal. I had some black garlic and added a couple of thin slices on top of the mushrooms before serving. It added an extra oomph! I made my own pastry, and I have added the recipe at the end. 

Ingredients

20g dried porcini mushrooms
3 frozen, thawed shortcrust pastry sheets (or recipe at end of page to make your own)
2 potatoes (about 400g), peeled
2 eggs
1 cup (240g) creme fraiche
2 tsp chopped thyme leaves
¼ cup (65g) soft goat’s cheese, crumbled
30g unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
300g mixed fresh mushrooms (such as Swiss brown and chestnut), sliced if large
2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
Salad leaves, to serve
 

Method

Soak the dried porcini in ½ cup (125ml) boiling water for 30 minutes. Drain, squeezing out excess liquid, then roughly chop the porcini and set aside.

Use the pastry to line six 12cm loose-bottomed tart pans, trimming any excess. Chill for 15 minutes. (I used 4 x 15cm tart tins)

 

Place the potatoes in a saucepan of cold, salted water. Bring to the boil over medium-high heat, then cook for 15-20 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes. It should be almost cooked. Cool, then slice into thin rounds.

 

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Line the tart shells with baking paper and fill with pastry weights or uncooked rice. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove the paper and weights and bake for a further 2–3 minutes or until golden and dry. Cool slightly.

 

Whisk the eggs, creme fraiche and 1 teaspoon thyme together, then season. Arrange the potato slices, slightly overlapping, in the tart shells and pour over the creme fraiche mixture. 

 

Scatter with the goat’s cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the filling is set. (It took almost 30 minutes for bigger tarts.)

 

Meanwhile, prepare the mushrooms. Place the butter and oil in a frypan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, fresh mushrooms and the remaining 1 teaspoon thyme, then cook, stirring, for 3–4 minutes until softened. Add the porcini and parsley, then season and cook for a further 2–3 minutes until tender.

 

Top the tarts with the mushroom mixture and serve with the salad leaves.

 

Serves 6

Short crust pastry recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups (225g) plain flour

125g chilled unsalted butter, chopped

1 egg yolk

a pinch of salt

2 Tbsp chilled water

Method

Whiz the flour, butter and a pinch of salt in a food processor to fine crumbs. Add the egg yolk, and 2 tablespoons chilled water and whiz until the mixture just comes together. Shape into a ball, enclose in plastic wrap, then chill for 30 minutes before rolling out. The pastry will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Makes one 23cm tart shell, one 30cm x 20cm tart shell or six 12cm tart shells.