Ingredients

Method

For the pastry:
• 180 g cake flour
• salt, a pinch
• 100 g chilled butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 free-range egg yolk
• 1 T iced water
• 1 brandy (or 1 T iced water)
For the filling:
• 1 T butter
• 1 olive oil
• 150 g shallots (or 1 medium onion), peeled and finely chopped
• sea salt, to taste
• 300 g shiitake mushrooms, trimmed, cleaned and finely chopped
• 1 T flour
• ½ cup milk
• 1 large free-range egg
• ½ cup cream
• 1 lemon, zested
• 2 T dill or chives, finely chopped, plus extra to garnish
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

Ingredients

1. To make the pastry, process the flour, salt and butter until crumbly. Whisk the oil, egg yolk, iced water and brandy. Add to the flour mixture and process until it forms a ball of dough.
2. Roll out the pastry thinly between 2 sheets of baking paper. Chill while preparing the filling.
3. To make the filling, heat the butter and oil in a pan. Stir in the shallots and a little salt. Cook gently for 5–8 minutes until soft, but still pale. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes, or until just cooked. Stir in the flour.
4. Remove from the heat and stir in the milk. Return to the heat and cook, stirring, until thickened. Remove from the heat, beat the egg and cream and mix with the mushrooms. Add the lemon zest and herbs. Season to taste and cool.
5. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll out. Stamp out 18 rounds to fit small patty pan tins. Grease the pans, place a round of pastry into each cavity and fill with the mushrooms. Bake for 15 minutes. Serve garnished with dill.

Cook’s note: You can use a small muffin pan instead of patty pans. Serve these tartlets as a light meal or as snacks with a glass of wine – an earthy Pinot Noir or Grenache is a good match.

Browse more tart recipes here.