Recipe Wild Mushroom Tart

Morning Glory

Obsessive cook
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19 Apr 2015
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Maidstone, Kent, UK
Is it cheating? I don’t know - but its a trick I’ve used before when making tarts in order to make sure the surface of the tart looks pretty. You fill the tart case with 2/3rds (or even more) of the custard mixture plus some of the filling and cook until almost set. Then add the top layer of whatever filling you are using - arranging it to look pretty and topping it up with the custard mix. This solves the problem I’ve often had of the filling getting submerged in custard! This tart is made using a 35cm x 12cm tin.

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Ingredients
  • Shortcrust pastry
  • 1 large onion, finely sliced
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 230 g wild mushrooms
  • A splash of brandy (optional)
  • 3 eggs
  • 200ml semi skimmed milk or unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 tsp salt (less if you wish)
  • Salt
Method
  1. Gently cook the sliced onion in 1 tbsp of oil until caramelised. Allow to cool slightly.
  2. Clean the mushrooms and leave whole if possible, in order to retain their interesting shapes.
  3. Fry the mushrooms gently in the oil for five minutes and then add a splash of brandy. Turn up the heat to ‘burn off’ the alcohol.
  4. Heat the oven to 180C.
  5. Lightly grease the tart tin, line with rolled pastry and blind bake.
  6. Lower the oven to 170C.
  7. Beat the eggs and milk together with the salt.
  8. Cover the base of the tart with the onions and then pour over 2/3rds of the egg/milk mix.
  9. Bake the tart for 15 minutes or until the custard is almost set.
  10. Add the mushrooms over the top of the custard and add the remaining egg/milk mix (you may not need it all).
  11. Return to the oven and bake for a further 15 to 20 minutes until the custard is set.
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Is it cheating? I don’t know - but its a trick I’ve used before when making tarts in order to make sure the surface of the tart looks pretty.
To use a quote I've seen many times in sports, If you're not cheating, you're not trying. I'll have to try something like this the next time I make a frittata. I know that all the goodness is there, but it would be nice to see it on top of each piece. That, and the mushrooms cook differently when exposed to the air (on top of the tart, frittata, quiche, or whatever) than they do when submerged. I actually had planned to make a frittata sometime soon, and I'm glad I read this before I did!
 
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