Autumn, the ultimate season for mushrooms. How could a blog be missing a recipe with these little treasures? Here is my tart with mushrooms and fennel.
From a young age tarts were something to be excited about. And they still excite me.
Every time I walk by a pastry shop, tarts and pies are the ones that will catch my attention. There are so many shapes, colors and flavors. You can find thin sliced apples, caramelized cream, candied fruit and even finely ground artichokes on the tarts.
Tarts are like a canvas. A wonderful canvas for someone to unravel his creativity, to add leftover ingredients or even to explore the seasons. Remember that on a tart you can always put almost any fruit or vegetable, just listen to every season. Seasons will lead you to the recipe.
Tart, a wonderful cooking canvas
My canvas this time was autumnal, unlike the one during spring as I had posted a savory tart with asparagus and fresh garlic. So I decided to make a savory tart that will highlight the autumnal flavors of mushrooms and fennel. But the filling could not miss the dairy element. Thus I added heavy cream, it’s almost a must for savory tarts. Unfortunately I couldn’t find wild mushrooms at the market, it was extremely difficult. So I ended up with the classic white mushrooms that can be found very easily in a supermarket.
Making the perfect tart crust
- Temperature: Butter and water should be cold. Keep the water frozen by putting plenty of ice cubes in the bowl. But what about the butter cubes? That has to be in and cubes and so will we heat it as we try to cut it? Simple: after cutting the butter into cubes, put it back in the fridge. So make sure it’s the first step before you even start.
- Baking method: The baking method we will use for this tart is called blind baking. Baking blind is the process of baking the pie crust without the filling. Blind baking a pie crust is necessary when it will be filled with an unbaked filling, in which case the crust must be fully baked. It is also called for if the filling has a shorter bake time than the crust, in which case the crust is partly baked. Blind baking is also used to keep pie crust from becoming soggy due to a wet filling. Remember that you have to add some weight to the tart crust in order to retain its shape. Moreover, pierce the crust repeatedly with the tines of a fork to produce small holes, allowing steam to escape and preventing the crust from bubbling up.
Tart with mushrooms and fennel
Tart with mushrooms and fennel
Ingredients
For making the dough
- 190 gr all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 150 gr cold butter, cut into small pieces
- 30 ml cold water
- 1/2 tsp white vinegar
- 1 egg yolk
For the filling
- 3 tbsp butter
- 200 gr mushrooms, cut into thin slices
- 2 fresh onions, finely chopped
- 1/2 fennel, finely chopped
- 3 eggs (+ the egg white from the crust)
- 120 gr heavy cream
- 120 gr plain yogurt
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
Instructions
For the tart curst:
- In a large bowl mix the flour and salt.
- Add the butter and mix with the flour using your hands. Gently squeeze with your fingers until the mixture becomes grainy and small pieces of butter appear. Make quick movements to keep the butter cool.
- Then add the chilled water and vinegar. Add the quantity slowly, depending on the flour may not need it all.
- Stir with a fork until dry.
- Wrap in a plastic wrap and leave in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
- Remove from the fridge and leave in the fridge for about 10 minutes until slightly softened.
- Sprinkle with flour a clean surface and roll out the dough with a rolling pin. We want to open it just above our pan so we can cover the walls as well. Using a rolling pin, transfer to a baking tray and pierce the entire surface with a fork.
- Cover with a plasc film and fill it up with (raw) rice or chickpeas. Bake it for 20 minutes at 190 ° C.
- Remove from the oven and brush with the egg yolk. If necessary add a few drops of water to the yolk.
- Bake for another 10 minutes.
For the filling
- In a pan add the butter and melt over medium heat.
- Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and saute for about 5 minutes. Remove.
- In the same pan add the onion and fennel, salt and freshly ground pepper and saute for another 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl whisk together the 3 eggs (+ the remaining egg white from the tart crust), heavy cream, yogurt and the sauteed veggies. Add salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Spread the mixture on the tart and bake for about 25 minutes at 180 ° C or until the tart has a golden color.
Well, this was my way for exploiting the beautiful canvas of a tart. Mushrooms, fennel, heavy cream and plain yogurt were the main ingredients. These ingredients were a perfect match for my blind-baked tart.
Look around you and see what each season has to offer. Combine the flavors together and you will have an awesome result.
What is your favorite autumnal ingredient? The one that you cannot wait to taste it again after months. I would love to share it with me either on Instagram, or Facebook or Twitter!
Mushrooms with fennel is an interesting mix
Yes, it really was! I am glad you agree! 🙂
I’m going to give it a try
Would love to have some feedback! Thank you in advance!