Mushroom tart
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
Mushroom tart
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
Bruno Loubet
Born and brought up in France, chef Bruno Loubet has worked in many of Britain's top restaurants. His award-winning London restaurant Grain Store drove the trend for giving vegetables equal billing with meat. He loves to experiment with produce grown in his own garden.
Bruno Loubet
Born and brought up in France, chef Bruno Loubet has worked in many of Britain's top restaurants. His award-winning London restaurant Grain Store drove the trend for giving vegetables equal billing with meat. He loves to experiment with produce grown in his own garden.
Ingredients
- 1 x 375g pack ready-rolled shortcrust pastry
- plain flour, for dusting
- 25g dried porcini
- 1 egg white
- 300g chestnut mushrooms
- 2-3 shallots (about 60g), finely sliced
- 60g unsalted butter
- 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
- 225ml double cream
- 1 tbsp finely chopped tarragon leaves, plus extra to garnish
- 4 large egg yolks, beaten
- 40g Parmesan or vegetarian alternative, finely grated
Step by step
■ Bake the pastry case and cook the mushroom filling to the end of step 3 the day before, then chill.
■ Fill and cook it a few hours ahead; don’t chill.
■ You can reheat the tart for 10 mins at 160°C, fan 140°C, gas 3, in the tin before serving.
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Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface; you only need to roll it a little bit wider, not longer. Use it to line a deep 20cm diameter tart tin, trim the edges with a serrated knife and chill for 30 minutes if possible, to minimise shrinkage. Put the porcini mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with 100ml boiling water; leave to soak
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Line the pastry case with crumpled baking paper and add some baking beans or dried beans. Blind bake for 15 minutes, then take out the beans and paper and cook for another 3-5 minutes or until the pastry looks dry and golden. Lightly whisk the egg white with a pinch of salt. Brush over the inside of the case and bake for 3 minutes to create a protective film (which will prevent leaks). Set aside to cool and lower the oven to 160°C, fan 140°C, gas 3.
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For the filling, reserve 1 or 2 chestnut mushrooms to garnish and roughly chop the remainder. Drain the porcini, reserving the liquid. Fry the shallots in the butter for 2 minutes in a large frying pan, then add the chopped mushrooms, drained porcini and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes until the mushrooms start to colour and the shallots are tender. Take off the heat and add the cream, tarragon and the reserved porcini liquid (discard the last bit of liquid in the bowl, as it may contain some grit). Return to the heat and simmer to reduce the liquid by about a third. Tip into a bowl and set aside to cool for 30 minutes.
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Add the egg yolks and grated Parmesan to the cooled mushroom mixture, mixing well.
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Pour the mix into a blender, or use a stick blender, and whiz until smooth. Season to taste. Pour the mix into the pastry case and transfer carefully to the oven. Cook at the reduced temperature for 30-35 minutes, or until the tart is set. Leave to cool.
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Unmould the tart from the tin and transfer to a plate or board. Slice the raw remaining mushrooms very finely, to garnish the tart, and scatter a little extra tarragon on top. Serve just warm, or at room temperature.
Recipe by Bruno Loubet
