Easy Mushroom Tarts
Delicious with a T-bone or porterhouse steak. If you can’t find porcinis, use your favorite mushroom.
Makes 4 tarts
2 cloves garlic, peeled and grated with a Microplane
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 sheet Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets or 8 ounces Dufour Classic Puff Pastry Dough, thawed in the refrigerator
All-purpose flour, for rolling out the puff pastry
2 medium Vidalia onions, peeled and very thinly sliced
1¼ pounds fresh whole porcini or other favorite mushrooms, cleaned, caps evenly sliced ½ inch thick, stems cut in half
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Kosher salt
½ cup walnut halves, coarsely chopped and lightly toasted
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, plus
1 teaspoon for garnish (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper
Special equipment: Silicone baking mat or parchment paper
1. Combine the garlic and 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a small bowl and let stand for 1 hour. Strain the oil, discarding the garlic; set the oil aside.
2. Roll out the pastry dough to ⅛ inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Using a 5-inch round or square cutter, cut 4 disks from the pastry and transfer the disks to a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Pierce the disks repeatedly with the tines of a fork, then refrigerate on the baking sheet.
3. Combine the onions, mushroom stems, 1 tablespoon of butter, the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and a pinch of salt in a medium-size saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned and caramelized and the mushroom stems are cooked, about 15 minutes.
4. Add the walnuts and cook, stirring continuously, for 2 minutes more. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and process to a smooth paste. Add 1 teaspoon of thyme leaves and taste for seasoning. Add more salt if necessary. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate.
5. Heat a heavy-bottomed sauté pan over medium heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and when it has melted, add the sliced mushroom caps. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to get limp but are not completely cooked, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool. These slices will decorate the top of the tart, so you want them to be pretty and uniform.
6. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
7. Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and spread one-quarter of the cooled onion paste over each disk, leaving a ½-inch border around the sides. Top each with mushroom slices and season with salt and pepper.
8. Brush each pastry border and the mushroom slices with the garlic oil and bake until the pastry is golden and the mushrooms are lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes.
9. Brush the mushrooms again with garlic oil as soon as they come out of the oven. Serve the tarts immediately, garnished with a few of the remaining thyme leaves, if desired.
Recipes adapted from Elizabeth Karmel's "Steak and Cake," © 2019 Workman Publishing Company, Photograph by Stephen Hamilton