Today’s recipe comes to the Channel from Chelsee- one half of the dynamic We Are Not Martha duo.  Tartine is a mutually beloved spot in San Francisco’s Mission district. Looks like their cookbook is as good as their shiitake croque monsieur!

One of my favorite things about cooking is trying out a recipe for the first time and absolutely falling in love with it. Of course when in the kitchen, trying new things, and experimenting, not everything will always be perfect. But when it is perfect and you wouldn’t want to change a thing, that’s cause for big smiles and happy stomachs. To me, it’s the ultimate feeling of success when all five senses can be involved!

When I received my Tartine cookbook last week, I immediately sat down with it and decided since I’m not a big baker that my goal would be to learn as much as I can by recreating as many recipes from the book. Most of them are desserts, so when I stumbled across the savory Wild Mushroom Tart I thought, along with a nice salad, it would be a great dinner.

Who am I kidding? Breakfast or lunch, too!

Tartine’s Wild Mushroom Tart

Partially baked and cooled 9-inch Flaky Tart Dough tart shell (see recipe below)
1 lb Assorted fresh mushrooms (don’t need to be wild, just a variety)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 packed cup shallots, halved and thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
lemon juice (from 1/2 lemon)
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, coarsely chopped
1 cup creme fraiche or heavy cream
3 large egg yolks

Wild Mushroom Tart recipe

Have tart shell ready for filling. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare the mushrooms by removing stems if necessary. Slice mushrooms depending on shape and size and how large or small you’d like them to be.

In a heavy saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add shallots and saute for a few minutes until they start to color. Increase heat to high, add mushrooms, salt, and pepper, and saute until the mushrooms are soft, about 5-10 minutes. When the mushrooms are ready push them to one side of the saucepan, add lemon juice and water, and scrape up any brown bits from the pan. Remove from heat.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the heavy cream and egg yolks until smooth. Add mushrooms and stir to combine. Gently pour the mixture into the tart shell.

Bake until the custard is barely firm in the center, about 20 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. The tart will continue to set as it cools. You can serve warm or at room temperature, sprinkled with thyme and freshly cracked nutmeg.

Flaky Tart Dough (makes two 9-inch tarts. For the wild mushroom tart you only need one, so be sure to freeze the other for another time.)
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup water, very cold
3 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup + 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold

In a small bowl, add salt to the water and stir to dissolve. Keep cold until you’re ready to use.

Add flour to the bowl of a food processor. Cut the butter into 1-inch pieces and add to the flour. Pulse briefly until the mixture combines into large crumbs and some of the butter is still in pieces about the size of peas. Add the water-and-salt mixture and pulse for several seconds until the dough begins to come together in a ball, but is not entirely smooth. Some chunks of butter should still be visible.

On a lightly floured work surface, divide the dough into 2 equal balls and shape each into a disk that’s 1″ thick. Wrap well in plastic wrap and chill for about 30 minutes.

The wild mushroom tart calls for a partially baked crust, so preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Place a disk of dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out to about 1/8″ thick, rolling from the center toward the edge in all directions. Add flour to surface to prevent the dough from sticking. Transfer dough to tart pan, easing it into the bottom and sides and pressing into place. Trim the dough even with the rim of the pan with a sharp knife. Bake until the crust looks dry and pale, about 20 minutes. If it rises in the center, gently poke with the tip of a knife (making sure not to create a large hole).

Let the crust completely cool on a cooling rack before filling.