One of my go-to fall recipes is a simple classic stolen from French cuisine. Serve with lightly dressed greens, preferably with plenty of spicy mustard greens and cress to balance the rich, buttery pastry and savoury, earthy mushrooms.
Yields: 1 tart/pie
Courtesy of Alexander McNaughton, Tofino. B.C.
Scroll down to watch how to make this recipe.
ingredients
directions
Roll out pastry and chill in tart pan in fridge for up to 30 minutes. (One of my tricks is to make the pastry bigger than I need and fold the crust tightly into a roll, creating a flaky layered crust that’s sure to impress.) Roll out dough approximately 2 inches (5 cm) bigger than your pie shell (this will allow for a nice crust).
While pastry chills, thinly slice onions and shallots; caramelize with butter in a pan. Add salt, pepper and thyme. Add about a cup of wine, just as the onions/leeks release their sugar and begin to stick for rich, sweet flavour. Once liquid has evaporated, remove onions and shallots; set aside.
Increase heat to high and add small amount of oil and butter; sauté mushrooms until they release liquid and edges are crispy. Mushrooms should be seared hot so they caramelize nicely; remove from heat before they go watery or limp. Once filling components have cooled, combine with 3 to 5 egg yolks (depending on tart size) and generous amount of cheese (about 1 cup) to bind tart. Top with about ½ cup cheese.
Bake in 400°F (200°C) oven for up to 40 minutes. (Make sure oven is preheated to ensure a crispy bottom.) Cheese should bubble and crisp up before removing from oven.