Tomato, Cheese & Mushroom Tart
Photo by: Lucy Alexander
I already told you the story about the first time I made a cake. We had to eat it in chunks because it split into three pieces as I iced it. I never even got that far with my first pie. I threw away the dough and ate the filling. You can buy frozen pie crusts in a pinch, and they are not too bad, but it is much more satisfying not to mention tastier to make it yourself.
Autumn is the season for savory pies and tarts. Use up some of those leftover tomatoes that are still clinging to the vines in your back garden, and bring this tart along to your next potluck. It would also be a welcome addition to your Thanksgiving table. You could make it vegetarian, and skip the bacon. You can make the dough and the filling the day before and just bake it the day you want to serve it. This tart travels well and is delicious for breakfast the next day, but you probably won’t have to worry about leftovers.
Make the dough first because it has to rest in the fridge for at least an hour.
Pâte Brisée:
1 ½ cups of all purpose flour
½ cup cake flour
1 teaspoon salt
8 ounces of cold unsalted butter cut into cubes (2 sticks)
½ cup ice water
In a medium sized bowl whisk flour and salt. Add butter and mince with your fingers until you get all the small pieces of butter broken down and the flour mixture has the consistency of coarse corn meal. Add half the water and gently pull the dough together with your fingers. As the mixture starts to form a ball add the more water 1 tablespoon at a time until the flour is incorporated. Don’t worry if there is still some flour left at the bottom, just get most of it combined. Mold into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and rest in the fridge for one to two hours. While the dough is resting make the filling.
Photo by: Lucy Alexander
Filling:
¾ lb. mushrooms sliced
2 cloves garlic
½ teaspoon thyme
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 slices of bacon (if using)
1 onion thinly sliced (about 1½ cups)
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons ½ & ½
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 medium tomatoes sliced
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 375°
Making the filling:
Position oven rack in the middle of the oven. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Place mushrooms on paper and toss with olive oil and thyme. Spread out in a single layer and place in the oven for 25 minutes until the mushrooms have lost all their liquid and are fragrant.
While mushrooms are cooking, place the bacon in a medium frying pan and cook until crisp. Drain on a paper towel and when cool, tear into bite-sized pieces. Drain all but 1 teaspoon of bacon fat from pan and add the butter and sliced onions. Sweat the onions covered at low heat until translucent and wilted—about 25 minutes. Add the bacon, mushrooms, ½ & ½ and mustard. Stir to blend, then cool.
Roll out the dough to fit a 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Let the dough hang over the side of the pan about ¼ inch. Spread half the grated cheese on the bottom of the dough and spoon the bacon mushroom mixture over the cheese. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of the tart and cover the top with the sliced tomatoes. Fold the edge of the dough back on to the edge of the tomatoes and crimp the dough to make an attractive border along the edge of the tart. Bake for about 50 minutes, until the top is golden.
Serve warm or at room temperature with a green salad.
Photo by: Lucy Alexander