Leek Mushroom And Goat Cheese Tart Food

LEEK, MUSHROOM AND GOAT CHEESE TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Trim fennel of green top and root end, reserving fronds, and quarter bulb from top to bottom. Using a mandoline or very sharp knife, cut fennel and leeks into paper-thin slices. Clean and slice mushrooms.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium heat; add fennel and leeks and sauté until just tender but not brown, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Heat remaining teaspoon of oil in skillet over medium-high heat; add mushrooms and sauté until they release all their liquid and most of it boils away, about 5 minutes. Combine fennel mixture with mushrooms and sauté together briefly; season with salt and pepper. Remove pan from heat.
• Unfold puff pastry onto lightly floured surface; cut in half lengthwise to form two long rectangles. Gently roll out each rectangle to approximately 5 by 14 inches and place on cookie sheet (or cut into two circles, if desired). Trim edges by 1/4 inch strips all around; set strips aside. Break one egg into a small bowl; beat slightly. Brush edges of pastry with some egg. Use trimmed strips to make a raised border on each. (Or, fold pastry edges over to form a rim.) Brush entire surface with remaining beaten egg. Prick interior of pastry all over with a fork. Bake until pale gold, about 10 minutes. If pastry has puffed up inside edge, press it down gently. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, combine remaining eggs with 6 ounces goat cheese and blend until smooth. Spread onto pastry. Return to oven and bake just until set, about 4 minutes. Remove from oven and spread with mushroom-leek mixture. Crumble remaining cheese on top. Just before serving, broil tarts on low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until tarts are warm and cheese softens. Garnish with fennel fronds.

GOAT-CHEESE LEEK TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack on lowest shelf. In a medium bowl, toss leeks with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together goat cheese, cream cheese, milk, 2 egg yolks, and thyme. Lightly season with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, beat remaining egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash.
• Place pie crust on a rimmed baking sheet. Spread goat-cheese mixture on crust, leaving a 2-inch border. Top with leeks. Fold edge of dough over filling, pinching folds together to seal. Brush dough with egg wash.
• Bake until crust is golden brown, about 1 hour. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into wedges; serve.

MUSHROOM & GOAT'S CHEESE TARTLETS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Unroll the pastry and cut into 4 rectangles. Use a sharp knife to score a 1cm border around each, place on a baking tray, then chill until needed.
• Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan, add the mushrooms and cook over a high heat, stirring, for about 10 mins, or until golden brown and almost all the liquid has evaporated. Season, add the garlic and walnuts, and cook for 1 min. Set aside.
• Put the goat's cheese in a bowl, season and stir through the thyme leaves. Remove the pastry from the fridge and spread the cheese over the centres. Top with the mushroom mixture, then brush the edge of the pastry with beaten egg for a glossier finish, and bake for 20-25 mins or until the pastry is golden and crisp. Top with the remaining thyme sprigs and a good grinding of black pepper. Serve with a baby leaf salad.

CARAMELIZED ONION, MUSHROOM AND GOAT CHEESE TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Using a mandolin or super-sharp knife, cut onion into paper thin slices. Clean and slice the mushrooms.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium heat; add onion and saute until caramelized. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Heat remaining teaspoon of oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and saute until they release all their liquid and most of it boils away, should take about 5 minutes. Combine caramelized onions with mushrooms and saute together briefly; season with salt and pepper. Remove the pan from heat.
• Unfold puff pastry onto a floured surface; cut in half lengthwise to form 2 long rectangles. Gently roll out each rectangle to approximately 5 by 14 inches and place on cookie sheet. Trim edges by 1/4-inch strips all around; set strips aside. Break 1 egg into a small bowl; beat slightly. Brush edges of pastry with some of the egg. Use trimmed strips to make a raised border on each. Brush entire surface with remaining beaten egg. Prick the interior of pastry all over with a fork. Bake until pale gold, about 10 minutes. If pastry has puffed up inside edge, press it down gently. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, combine remaining eggs with 6 ounces goat cheese and blend until smooth. Spread the mixture onto pastry. Return to oven and bake just until set, about 4 minutes. Add the thyme to the mushroom mixture. Remove cookie sheet from oven and spread with thyme-mushroom mixture. Crumble remaining cheese on top. Just before serving, broil tarts on low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until tarts are warm and cheese softens.

LEEK & GOAT'S CHEESE TARTLETS

Steps:

• Wash the leeks in a colander but don't worry about drying them as you want a bit of water clinging on. Heat the butter in a wide saucepan until sizzling, then add the wet leeks and thyme leaves plus salt and pepper. Sweat the leeks really gently for 20-25 mins until they have practically melted but not coloured, adding a little more butter if needed. Set aside and allow to cool.
• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Roll the pastry out to the thickness of a £1 coin. Cut out 4 saucer-size circles and place on a baking sheet. Spread the leeks over the circles leaving a slight border around the edge. Put a slice of goat's cheese in the middle of each tart and top with a thyme sprig. Pinch the pastry edge together to slightly encase the leeks, then bake the tarts for 25 mins until puffed up and golden. Serve hot and drizzled with flavoured oil if you have it.

LEEK, MUSHROOM & GOAT'S CHEESE STRUDELS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the leeks and stock into a large pan, then cover and cook for 5-8 mins until starting to soften. Add the mushrooms, cover again and cook for 3 mins, then remove the lid and continue to cook until the juices have evaporated. Tip the veg onto a large plate to cool slightly.
• For each strudel, lightly brush half of each filo sheet with some olive oil. Fold the un-brushed side over to make a smaller sheet, 2 layers thick. Brush the edges with a little more oil, then spoon a quarter of the veg along one edge. Crumble over a quarter of the cheese, fold over the pastry edges, then roll up to seal in the filling.
• Put the strudels on a baking tray, brush with any remaining oil and scatter over the poppy seeds. Bake for 25 mins until crisp and golden brown.

SWISS CHARD, LEEK AND GOAT CHEESE TART

Steps:

• Place the flour, rosemary, thyme and salt in a food processor; process until blended. Add the butter; pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, with pieces no bigger than small peas, about 13 to 15 one-second pulses.
• Transfer dough to a medium bowl; drizzle with 1/4 cup of the water. Mix with a fork to form a "shaggy" dough. Squeeze some in your hand. If it doesn't hold together, add the remaining water, 1 Tbsps. at a time. Form into a disc; wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
• Position the oven rack in the lower third of the oven; heat oven to 400 degrees. Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 13-inch circle. Ease dough into a 10-inch tart pan, fitting it snugly against the sides and bottom; trim the excess. Prick the bottom of the tart with a fork; cover with parchment paper. Fill the tart with pie weights or beans; bake 25 minutes. Remove the weights and parchment; set shell aside to cool.
• Meanwhile, for the filling, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks; cover skillet. Cook, stirring often, until leeks soften, 8-10 minutes. Add the chard; cook, uncovered, until excess water evaporates, 6-8 minutes.
• Beat the eggs, cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Add the vegetable mixture; toss to coat. Pour the mixture into the tart shell. Sprinkle raisins and pine nuts over the top; dot with the goat cheese. Place on a baking sheet; bake until the filling is set and puffy, about 25 minutes. Cool on a rack to room temperature.