Recipe Mushroom Walnut Tarts

MUSHROOM TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Heat 2 large saute pans over high heat. Working in batches divide the olive oil between the 2 pans. When the oil is hot but not quite smoking, add the mushrooms, season with gray salt and pepper, add the butter to each pan and allow to caramelize. Once mushrooms have cooked down to half their volume, transfer all mushrooms to 1 pan. Add the shallots and garlic and cook until the light brown and fragrant. Add the thyme until it crackles. Add the cream and bring up to a simmer. Reduce the cream by about half and stir in the grated parmesan, and the lemon juice. Shut off the flame and quickly stir in the beaten egg. Remove from the stove and let cool to room temperature. Add parsley and stir.
• While mushroom mixture is cooling, roll out the pastry dough on a floured surface. Roll the dough out so that it will line a 10-inch removable bottom tart pan. Line the dough with parchment paper and fill with the dry beans. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature. Remove beans and paper.
• Lower oven temperature to 400 degrees F.
• When both the filling and shell have cooled to room temperature fill the shell with the mushroom mixture and top with the crumbled blue cheese. Arrange the tart mold on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before serving. Slice in wedges and serve.

EXOTIC MUSHROOM AND WALNUT PATE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spread walnuts in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Toast for 10 minutes, or until fragrant and lightly browned.
• In a large saute pan, cook shallots in butter over medium heat until translucent. Then add chopped mushrooms, garlic, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until most of the liquid has evaporated.
• Process toasted walnuts and olive oil in a blender or food processor until mixture forms a thick paste. Spoon in the cooked mushroom mixture, and process to desired texture.
• Pack mixture into well-oiled ramekins or bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.

BLUE CHEESE WALNUT TART

Steps:

• Press pastry onto the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9-in. fluted tart pan with removable bottom; trim edges. Bake at 425° for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack., In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, blue cheese and garlic until blended. Add the cream, egg, cayenne and pepper; beat well. Spread mixture into crust. Sprinkle with red peppers, walnuts and parsley. Cover and freeze for up to 3 months, or bake, uncovered, at 375° for 15-20 minutes or until center is set., To use frozen tart: Remove from the freezer 30 minutes before baking (do not thaw). Uncover; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes or until center is set.

WILD MUSHROOM TART WITH WALNUT CREAM

Steps:

• Make the pastry one day in advance by placing the flour and pinch of salt in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Sift by turning on and off once. Scatter the butter over the flour. Turn machine four or five times, or until the mixture resembles coarse oatmeal. Sprinkle with two and one-half tablespoons of ice water and turn the machine on and off twice. Dump onto a work surface covered with a sheet of waxed paper. The dough should not be too crumbly; if it is, sprinkle with droplets of cold water - just enough to mass the dough together; don't let it get at all damp. Wrap tightly and chill overnight.
• Place the dough between sheets of waxed paper or plastic wrap and roll out to make a large rectangle. Lift off the top sheet and fold the pastry dough into thirds. Turn the dough one-quarter and repeat rolling and folding once. Chill the dough for 20 minutes, then cut into eight equal-sized pieces. Roll out each portion to a paper-thin round and fit into mold or flan ring. Keep chilled until ready to bake. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough.
• Trim cepes' stems and wipe caps with a damp paper towel. Blanch for five minutes in salted boiling water; drain and press dry between paper toweling. Place the egg, prosciutto, bread, walnuts and shallots in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with metal blade and grind to a smooth paste, scraping down the insides of the work bowl from time to time. Scrape into a wide soup bowl, cover and refrigerate for three-quarters of an hour. Using a dinner fork, gradually work in small amounts of the cold cream into the walnut mixture. Each portion of cream must be blended in before the next is added. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread an even, thin layer of the walnut mixture on the dough. Cut the cepes vertically into very thin slices; fan the slices slightly and place on top of the cream. Brush the surface with a little melted butter mixed with crushed garlic, salt and pepper. Bake on the middle oven shelf for 30 minutes. If using tartlet molds, cool on a wire rack for five minutes before turning out. Sprinkle the mushrooms with a few drops of walnut oil. Serve with a strong sweet chilled wine, such as Sherry.

MUSHROOM TARTLETS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add flour; beat until mixture forms a ball. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. , For filling, in a large skillet, saute mushrooms in butter. Drain and pat dry. Return to the pan; stir in cream cheese until melted. Stir in salt and thyme; set aside., On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/16-in. thickness; cut into 2-1/2-in. circles. Press onto the bottoms and up the sides of greased miniature muffin cups. Place a rounded teaspoonful of filling in each cup. , Bake at 350° for 12-17 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove from pans to wire racks. Serve warm.

MUSHROOM TART

Steps:

• Put 175g Flora 100% Natural Ingredients, wholemeal flour, half the thyme and a pinch of salt in a food processor and pulse until it starts to clump together. Add 2-3 tbsp cold water and pulse again until it forms a ball. Wrap and chill for 20 mins.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tbsp spread in a frying pan, and fry the mushrooms and onions for 10 mins until soft and lightly golden. Season well and remove from the heat.
• Heat the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Add a large flat baking sheet to the oven to heat up. Whisk the soft cheese with half the chives, remaining thyme and all the garlic. Season well.
• Roll the pastry out in between two sheets of parchment to a rough rectangle shape, the thickness of a £1 coin, about 30x40cm. Remove the top layer of parchment and smooth over the soft cheese mixture, leaving a 5cm border. Spoon over the mushrooms, in an even layer over the soft cheese, then fold over the 4 sides of the border to overlap the filling slightly. Trim the sides before you fold over if you need to, but will look lovely when baked either way. Glaze the pastry with egg.
• Using the parchment to help you, slide the tart onto the hot tray with the paper. Bake for 35-40 mins until the pasty is cooked though, and crisp. Scatter with the remaining chives to serve, along with a green salad.

ONION, WALNUT & MUSHROOM TARTE TATIN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Peel the onions and cut each into 6 wedges through the root. Heat the oil in a large pan, add onions, then gently fry for 20 mins until softened and lightly coloured.
• Add the mushrooms, sugar, salt and pepper and give it a good stir. Gently cook, stirring now and then for a further 5 mins. Stir in the walnuts. Line the base of a 20-23cm sandwich cake tin (not loose-based) with baking parchment. Spoon over the onion mixture and press it down lightly. Crumble the cheese over.
• Roll out the pastry and trim to a round, about 5cm larger than the tin. Put the pastry over the filling and tuck in the ends. Bake for 35-40 mins until the pastry is crisp and golden. Cool for 5 mins in the tin, then turn out onto a flat plate and cut into wedges. Serve with a green salad.

MUSHROOM WALNUT TARTS (SANDRA LEE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven 375 F degrees. Prepare piecrust mix according to package instructions. Divide between 10 cups of a muffin tin, pressing in bottom and up sides in an even layer. Refrigerate while preparing the filling.
• Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, sliced mushrooms, thyme. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Saute until mushrooms are golden. Set aside 10 mushroom slices to top tarts. (Set aside 1/3 cup mushrooms and onions for Round 2 Recipe: Beef and mushroom soup).
• Add remaining sauteed mushrooms and onions with walnuts into bowl of food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Pulse to coarsely chop. Add bread crumbs and ¼ cup beef broth. (Reserve remaining beef broth for Round 2 Recipe: Beef and mushroom soup).
• Spoon mushroom and walnut mixture into piecrust-lined muffin tins. Top each with a sliced mushroom. Bake in over for 20-25 minutes, or until crust is golden. Remove from oven and cool in pan before carefully removing tarts.