Mushroom, Leek and Gruyere Tart

If vegetables were looking to elect a spokesperson, I’d nominate mushrooms. A bit of heat brings out the best in them. And when things get downright hot, they maintain their composure, refusing to dissolve into an incoherent mash. They work graciously with almost any herb, are effusively complementary to dairy, and are as comfortable with fancy-dress pastry as they are with a Casual Friday slice of toast. With a support staff of herbs, cheese, and garlic, this recipe lets the earthiness of mushrooms shine.

Recipe courtesy of Charmian from The Messy Baker.

Prep Time: 30 mins. | Cook Time: 20 mins. | Serves: 4-6
NOTE: This tart is best eaten as soon as it is cool enough to handle. Leftovers can be wrapped and refrigerated, but the pastry will suffer. To reheat, pop under the broiler for a few minutes. Do not reheat in the microwave.

Ingredients

1 sheet commercial puff pastry or homemade Cheater’s Puff Pastry (page 44), defrosted
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic
2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only (see tip)
2 cups thinly sliced leeks, white parts only, sliced lengthwise and slivered into half moons
16 ounces cremini or Portobello mushrooms, cut into 1″ pieces
Ground black pepper (optional)
3 ounces grated Gruyère cheese
Tip: 
To strip the thyme leaves from the stem in seconds, simply grasp the top of the sprig between your thumb and index finger. Using your other hand, gently pull the stem through your pinched fingers. The leaves will strip right off, no chopping required. This also works for rosemary, although you might want to mince the rosemary leaves, depending on the use.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
2. On a sheet of parchment paper cut to fit a rimmed baking sheet, roll the puff pastry sheet out to a 10″ square. Using a sharp knife, gently score the pastry an inch inside the outer edge, being careful not to cut all the way through. Place the parchment with the scored pastry onto a rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.
3. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. When it bubbles, grate the garlic on a microplane into the pan. Add the thyme. Cook gently for 1 minute. Add the leeks and cook until they begin to soften. Add the mushrooms and cook until they are soft but not weeping juices. Place the mushroom filling into a strainer and let drain for a few minutes.
4. Spoon the mushroom filling onto the pastry, being careful to keep inside the score marks. Add a grinding of fresh black pepper, if using. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the tart from the oven and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake for 5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the pastry is golden brown. Serve while hot.
0 comments

Mushroom Bourekas by At The Immigrant’s Table

Recipe and photo courtesy of Ksenia from At The Immigrant’s Table.

Prep Time: 20 mins. | Cook Time: 1 hr. 10 mins.

Ingredients

½ a package of store-bought phyllo dough
2 pounds mushrooms
2 red onions (or a combination of sweet and red onions)
2 Tb of margarine (or butter, if you’re not vegan or lactose-intolerant)
1 Tb of olive oil
2 teaspoons dry thyme, or 2 Tb fresh thyme (fresh is better)
½ teaspoon salt (or more, to taste)
Juice of a lemon
1 Tb margarine (or butter), melted

Method

1. If working with frozen dough, defrost your phyllo dough overnight in the fridge, or leave on the counter for a few hours.
2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Chop onions finely.
4. Preheat a pan over medium heat. Once pan is hot, add your margarine and oil and let it melt. Add onions to the pan and cook over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, until they are starting to turn translucent. Lower heat to low, and let onions reduce and caramelize for 20 minutes.
5. Slice mushrooms, taking care to not slice too thinly or too thickly. Chop the larger slices into smaller pieces. You want your mushrooms to retain their meatiness, but also be small enough to fit into phyllo triangles.
6. Add mushrooms to the pan with the onions, and raise heat to medium. Let cook until mushrooms brown, about 10-15, stirring occasionally.
7. Add herbs, salt, and lemon, tasting and correcting flavours as necessary. You want the filling to be rich, earthy, sweet and salty, but with a burst of bright acidity that cuts through the meatiness.
8. Prepare your phyllo dough. Cover your work surface with parchment paper. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper, and oil them slightly. If you haven’t done so yet, melt 1 tablespoon of margarine in a small bowl, and dilute it with 1 teaspoon of water.
9. Carefully spread out one phyllo sheet on your work surface, covering the rest with a towel so they don’t dry out. With a pastry brush, lightly brush your sheet with the melted margarine and water mixture. Cover it in half lengthwise, and dab lightly with the margarine mixture.
10. To prepare the bourekas, spoon 1 tablespoon of the mushrooms and onion filling at the right end of the strip. Fold the end of the strip diagonally over the filling to form a neat triangle, pushing in the corners to ensure it’s nice and snug around the filling. Continue folding the strip over on top of itself, keeping it in a neat triangle after each fold, until you reach the strip’s end (take care to fold the triangles tightly around the filling, as phyllo dough without filling tends to dry out and crisp in the oven). If any errant dough remains at the end of your strip, cut it off. Brush your triangle with the margarine-water mixture, and lay out on the parchment paper-covered cookie sheet.
11. Repeat as necessary, until you run out of dough or filling. Any remaining filling will taste great piled on toast.
12. Bake the pastries for 15-20 minutes, until they are golden brown. Check periodically after 10 minutes to ensure the pastries are not burning.
13. Serve bourekas warm, or hot, or in room temperature, with a light salad or a simple brothy soup. They taste best when eaten fresh, and do not keep well. Reheat the bourekas only in the oven – the microwave will make it soggy.
0 comments

Mushroom and Chevre Hand Pies

Whether you serve them as an appetizer or to round out a soup-and-salad meal, hand pies always hit the spot. The only trick is to serve them hot. Should they need reheating, don’t microwave them. That will heat the filling but make the pastry soggy. Instead, pop them in a 350°F oven for a few minutes, They’ll emerge hot, fragrant, and fully revived.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Charmian from The Messy Baker.

Prep Time: 45 mins. | Cook Time: 15 mins. | Makes: 40 hand pies.

Ingredients

1 pound white button mushrooms
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 300-gram package chèvre, room temperature
1 large egg
2 teaspoons milk
2 450-gram packages frozen puff pastry, thawed

Method

1. Quarter the mushrooms. In a food processor fitted with a blade or a blender, chop the mushrooms in batches until they resemble couscous.
2. Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions, garlic, thyme, salt and a good grinding of fresh black pepper. Cook until the onions begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and lemon zest, and cook until the mushrooms are soft. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
3. In a large bowl, mix the chèvre with the lemon juice until  smooth. Add the mushroom mixture and combine until well blended.  Cover and chill for an hour until set. This can be done the day before.
4. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line two baking pans with parchment.
5. In a small bowl, whisk the egg and milk together until smooth to make the egg wash. Set aside.
6. On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry to 1/8-inch thick. Using a tart cutter or empty 28-ounce (796 mL) can, cut 4-inch circles. You should get 10 per sheet.
7. Brush the edge of each circle with egg wash. Place 1 tablespoon of mushroom mixture in the centre, fold in half to form a half-moon, and pinch the edges shut. With the tines of a fork, crimp the edges, then poke vents in the top.  Place the hand pie on the parchment lined pan and brush top with more egg wash.  Repeat with remaining pastry sheets and filling.
8. Bake one sheet at a time for 13 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let rest 2 to 3 minutes before serving.

 

Note:
This recipe can be halved. However, if you want to have lots on hand for guests, you can make them ahead of time. Just prepare the recipe to the point of the final egg wash. Freeze the unbaked pies on a baking sheet until firm (about 30 to 60 minutes), then transfer to a plastic freezer bag. When ready to bake, let the hand pies warm at room temperature while the oven preheats. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes. Frozen unbaked hand pies will  keep for up to 3 months.
0 comments

Coconut Mushroom Puffs

Recipe and photo courtesy of Samantha from It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken.

Prep Time: 20 mins. | Cook Time: 25 mins.
Tip: If you like, you can make the mushroom mixture ahead of time and store in an airtight container until you are ready to full the puff pastry.

Ingredients

1 Puff Pastry, thawed (Check ingredients to make sure it is vegan, most are)
16 oz Mushrooms (two of those little boxes, or one of the big ones)
4 Cloves Garlic
½ Cup Canned Full Fat Coconut Milk (shaken well before measuring)
2 teaspoons Corn Starch
1 Tablespoons Coconut Oil or Canola Oil
1 Tablespoon Nutritional Yeast
½ teaspoon Dried Thyme
½ teaspoon Dired Oregano
¼ teaspoon Salt
Several Grinds of Pepper
Flour for rolling the puff pastry
Chives, Cilantro, or Parsley for Garnish (optional)

Method

To Make the Coconut Mixture:
1. Start by making the coconut mushroom filling. Slice the mushrooms and mince the garlic.
2. Mix together the coconut milk and corn starch and set aside.
3. Heat the coconut oil in a pan over medium high heat. When it’s hot, add the mushrooms and garlic.
4. Sauté the mushrooms for about 5 minutes until they soften and begin to release their juices.
5. Stir in the coconut milk mixture, nutritional yeast, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to a simmer.
6. Continue to cook for about another 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens a bit. Remove from heat.
To Make the Puffs:
7. Preheat the over to 400F (200C).
8. Lightly flour a clean work surface and use a rolling pin to roll out the puff pastry to a rectangle that’s about 9″ x 12″.
9. Use a long knife to cut the puff pastry into 24 squares. that’s 3 cuts down the longest direction, and 5 cuts across the shortest direction.
10. Push each puff pastry square into the mini cupcake pan, so that the edges of the puff pastry, come up the sides forming a little cup to hold the mushroom mixture. If any of your squares are a little too small, just use your rolling pin to roll it out a little more.
11. Divide the mushroom mixture evenly among the cups.
12. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes, rotating the pan once, until the edges of the puff pastry are golden. To remove them, use a knife to pop them out of the pan.
13. Finely chop chives, cilantro, or parsley, and sprinkle on the mushroom puffs for garnish.
0 comments

Bacon Double Cheeseburger Tart

The Blend and Extend method blends finely chopped mushrooms with ground beef to extend portions and add another serving of vegetables to dinner.

Recipe by Angie of Friday Is Cake Night.

Prep Time: 10 mins. | Cook Time: 45 mins.

Ingredients

2 squares puffed pastry thawed
1 medium onion
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
4 thick slices of bacon
8-10 mushrooms
1 lb lean ground beef
Pizza sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella and cheddar blend cheese
Arugula to garnish

 

Method

1. Peel and slice the onion
2. In a large pan heat the olive oil over medium heat.
3. Add the onions to the oil, season with salt and pepper and cook until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Set the onions aside in a bowl.
4. Cook the bacon and dice into small pieces. Set aside
5. Clean the mushrooms and pulse in a food processor until finely chopped.
6. Add the mushrooms to the frying pan along with the ground beef. Cook until no longer pink.
7. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
8. Roll both squares of the puffed pastry into roughly 9×13 sizes
9. Top with pizza sauce, beef mixture, bacon and onions. Finish with the grated cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes.
10. Cool 5 minutes before slicing.
11. Garnish with Arugula.
0 comments