Do you ever wonder how humans came to ingest certain foods? Who first thought about eating an egg? Who came up with the idea that spoiled milk in the form of yogurt was a good idea? Why would someone risk their life to eat a fungus that could potentially kill them? How did they figure out which ones were safe to eat and which ones were lethal? I’m not sure who figured out the mushroom thing, but I’m sure glad they did.
Lately, I’ve been on a shiitake kick. I always like these mushrooms in a stir-fry or soup, but I’ve been on a quest to find other uses for them. Not only are they meaty and delicious, but they are full of health benefits.
Shiitakes contain lentinan that contributes to their immune-strengthening and cancer-fighting properties. They are also said to support cardiovascular health as well as being a great source of antioxidants.
For today’s post, I’ve combined shiitake, chanterelle, and crimini mushrooms with two of my other favorite foods: leeks and Gruyere cheese. I started with a basic pie dough for the crust. I rolled out the dough, crimped the edges, and topped it with cheese. I then sauteed the leeks and mushrooms before adding some half and half and crème fraîche. I topped the cheese with the mushroom mixture and baked for 30 minutes. I don’t want to toot my own horn, but this tart got rave reviews!
I think you’ll really enjoy this tart. The crispy crust is the perfect complement in texture to the creamy mushroom filling.
Ingredients
1 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cubed and placed in freezer for 15 minutes
4 to 6 tablespoons ice-cold water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 large leek roughly chopped (white and light green parts only)
10 ounces mixed wild mushrooms (shiitake, chanterelle, crimini, or your favorites)
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
3/4 cup half and half
4 ounces crème fraîche
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups Gruyere cheese
Instructions
1. Place flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Transfer chilled butter to food processor and pulse 8 or 9 times until mixture resembles coarse meal. Some larger pieces of butter are fine.
2. Add cold water one tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each one. Continue adding water until dough sticks together in a clump in your hand. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
3. Remove from plastic wrap and roll into a 12-inch circle on a well-floured surface. Roll dough onto rolling pin and transfer to a 12”x17” baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Crimp edges of dough. Place baking sheet in refrigerator while making the filling.
1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add leeks and saute for 4 to 5 minutes until wilting. Add mushrooms and thyme and continue sautéing for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring regularly.
2. Add half and half, crème fraîche, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes until almost all liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and cool completely.
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove baking sheet from refrigerator. Spread cheese over crust. Spread mushroom mixture evenly over cheese.
2. Transfer baking sheet to oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until crust is golden brown. Cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.
https://southernboydishes.com/2015/10/10/mushroom-leek-and-gruyere-tart/You may also like:
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You know Bill I’m with you pondering how humans came up with all those wonderful ideas, but so glad they did. I’m also glad you came up with the combination of flavors that you did for this mouth watering pie. I can’t wait to try it. It has to be a hit with all of these wonderful flavors. Thanks for creating and sharing.
Thanks for the comment, Ann! I hope you enjoy the recipe!
OMG! This tart looks amazing! I need to have this now. It has everything I love. I have a question about butter tho – what is the reasoning behind the use of unsalted butter? Does it make that much of a difference? I purchased it once by mistake – you can’t serve that stuff at the table. Tasted like Crisco on our biscuits! Bleh!
Unsalted butter in cooking just allows you to control how much salt is in the dish. Thanks for stopping by!
Now that I can turn on my oven I love coming across recipes like this. Can’t wait to pick up the ingredients and give this a try. Have always loved the combo of mushrooms and leeks and how can one go wrong by adding Gruyere? 🙂
This sounds absolutely delightful, perfect for fall. Your photographs are beautiful, and really quite tempting. I love how the bunch of thyme looks. Nice touch, Southern Boy! I love leeks, those poor underused members of the Allium family. I bet they are terrific in this tart. Bravo!
Thanks so much, Adri!! I appreciate your comment!
What are your thoughts about substituting eggs for all/part of the dairy in this recipe?
Thanks for dropping by SBD, John! If you wanted to add egg the tart would become more like a quiche. Since the crust is flat (with crimped edges) you wouldn’t want the filling to have too much liquid. I would not recommend completely replacing the dairy with eggs, though.