Wild Mushroom Tort Food

MUSHROOM TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Heat 2 large saute pans over high heat. Working in batches divide the olive oil between the 2 pans. When the oil is hot but not quite smoking, add the mushrooms, season with gray salt and pepper, add the butter to each pan and allow to caramelize. Once mushrooms have cooked down to half their volume, transfer all mushrooms to 1 pan. Add the shallots and garlic and cook until the light brown and fragrant. Add the thyme until it crackles. Add the cream and bring up to a simmer. Reduce the cream by about half and stir in the grated parmesan, and the lemon juice. Shut off the flame and quickly stir in the beaten egg. Remove from the stove and let cool to room temperature. Add parsley and stir.
• While mushroom mixture is cooling, roll out the pastry dough on a floured surface. Roll the dough out so that it will line a 10-inch removable bottom tart pan. Line the dough with parchment paper and fill with the dry beans. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature. Remove beans and paper.
• Lower oven temperature to 400 degrees F.
• When both the filling and shell have cooled to room temperature fill the shell with the mushroom mixture and top with the crumbled blue cheese. Arrange the tart mold on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before serving. Slice in wedges and serve.

WILD MUSHROOM TART

Steps:

• Make shell:
• Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into an 11-inch round and fit into tart pan, trimming excess dough. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.
• Lightly prick bottom of shell all over with a fork, then line with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until side is set and edge is pale golden, 18 to 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and bake shell until bottom is golden, 10 to 15 minutes more.
• Cool completely in pan on a rack, about 15 minutes.
• Make filling while shell bakes:
• Heat butter and oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté mushrooms, shallot, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are tender and any liquid given off is evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cool to room temperature.
• Whisk together crème fraîche, heavy cream, whole egg, yolk, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl until combined.
• Fill and bake tart:
• Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
• Scatter mushrooms evenly in tart shell and pour custard over them. Bake tart in pan on a baking sheet until custard is just set and slightly puffed, 35 to 45 minutes.
• Cool tart in pan on rack at least 20 minutes, then remove side of pan. Serve tart warm or at room temperature.

WILD MUSHROOM AND GRUYèRE TART WITH FRESH HERB SALAD

Steps:

• For tart:
• Puree ricotta in processor until smooth, about 1 minute. Add 1 yolk and 2 teaspoons oil and blend. Transfer ricotta mixture to bowl; fold in crème fraîche.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and sauté 7 minutes. Mix in thyme. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add butter and sauté until mushrooms are tender, about 4 minutes longer. Mix in green onions.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll out puff pastry on lightly floured surface to 13x9-inch rectangle. Using sharp knife and starting 1/4 inch in from edge, cut score line around entire perimeter of dough, cutting halfway through. Brush 1/4-inch dough border with glaze. Transfer dough to ungreased heavy baking sheet. Spread ricotta mixture over dough, inside border. Top with half of mushrooms, half of Gruyère, then remaining mushrooms and Gruyère. Bake tart until crust is golden and Gruyère melts, about 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare salad:
• Toss herbs with oil and lemon juice in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cut tart into rectangles. Transfer to plates. Garnish with herb salad.

WILD MUSHROOM BROTH

Steps:

• Set porcini and warm water in a skillet and bring to a simmer; let mushrooms soak for 20 minutes or until tender. (Take advantage of this time to make your scallop and raddichio salad.)
• Drain the soaked porcini and rinse them to remove any grit and chop. Strain soaking liquid through a paper lined sieve to remove any grit; reserve.
• Saute shallots in 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add all but the reserved mushroom caps, cover and cook over low heat or until mushrooms are tender. Add minced soaked porcini, reserved liquid and broth; bring to a simmer and season to taste; garnish with sliced raw mushroom.

WILD MUSHROOM TART

Steps:

• For crust:
• Blend flour and salt in processor. Cut in butter using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add enough water to blend dough. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic, chill 45 minutes.
• Roll out dough on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Trim edges, leaving 1/2-inch overhang. Fold overhang in to form double-thick sides. Press tart edges to raise dough 1/8 inch above pan. Chill 30 minutes.
• For filling:
• Bring 1 cup water to boil in saucepan. Add porcini; remove from heat and let stand 30 minutes. Spoon porcini from liquid; reserve liquid. Coarsely chop porcini.
• Melt butter in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add porcini and crimini mushrooms. Season with salt; sauté until deep golden, about 10 minutes. Add shallots; sauté 2 minutes. Add Cognac and reserved porcini liquid, leaving any sand behind in saucepan. Boil until almost all liquid is absorbed, about 3 minutes. Mix in 1 tablespoon herbs. Cool.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Line crust with foil. Fill with dried beans; bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.
• Sprinkle 1/3 cup cheese in crust. Cover with mushrooms. Whisk cream, yolks, egg and 1 tablespoon herbs in bowl. Pour custard over mushrooms. Top with remaining cheese. Bake until filling is set and top is golden, about 30 minutes. Cool on rack 15 minutes.

WILD MUSHROOM FRITTATA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet, with oven safe handle over medium to medium-high heat. Wrapping a rubber handle in foil will allow the pan to transfer to oven as well.
• To hot pan, add oil and mushrooms. Season mushrooms with thyme, salt and pepper. Cook 3 to 5 minutes until all of the veggies are tender. Beat eggs with salt and pepper, dash of half-and-half, lemon zest, scallions and hot sauce. Pour over the mushrooms. Lift and settle eggs in the pan as they brown on the bottom. When the eggs are set but remain uncooked on top, transfer to oven for 7 or 8 minutes, until frittata is golden brown and puffy. Sprinkle the frittata with cheese and return to the oven for 1 or 2 minutes.
• Serve frittata from the hot pan and cut into 6 wedges at the table.

REALLY WILD MUSHROOM SOUP

Steps:

• Wash all the mushrooms in lukewarm water in a deep bowl. Mix the mushrooms well to loosen the dirt. Remove them from the water by hand, leaving the dirt in the bottom of the bowl. Repeat until there is no dirt. Remove the stems from the oyster and shiitake mushrooms, then slice all the mushrooms. Keep the domestic mushrooms separate from the other types.
• Heat an 8-quart sauce pot over moderately high heat. Add the olive oil, the domestic mushrooms, and the minced shallots, and cook until the mushrooms are soft. Add the remaining mushrooms, and saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the vermouth, and reduce for 5 minutes.
• Add the milk, fresh thyme, garlic, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, and lower to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes, then remove the thyme sprig, and season with salt and pepper. Allow to cool slightly, then puree in the blender.
• Meanwhile, quickly blanch the strips of black trumpet mushrooms in salted water. Cool and add to enoki mushrooms and chives.
• To serve, reheat the soup in a sauce pot or in the microwave. Divide the tossed Enoki and black trumpet mushrooms into 6 equal portions, and place them in the center of 6 bowls. Pour the soup into the bowls at the table, pouring over the mushroom mixture to heat it up.

WILD MUSHROOM PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare pizza dough and roll it out to fit a 14inch pan. Spread My Marinara over the dough. In a skillet, saute the mushrooms in the olive oil. Spread the mushrooms on top of the sauce and cover them with dollops of the roasted garlic. Sprinkle all over with the cheeses and bake until all of the cheese melts, about 15 minutes.
• Mix the yeast, sugar and water in a small bowl. Proof the yeast by letting it stand 5 to 10 minutes until bubbles form. Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the oil and yeast mixture to the dry ingredients. With a wooden spoon, mix thoroughly until the dough is smooth. After the dough forms, continue kneading and working until all of the flour is incorporated and the texture is smooth. Let the dough rest in an oiled mixing bowl for 20 to 30 minutes. Punch down before rolling.
• Saute the onion, garlic and the red bell pepper in the oil in a large pot for 5 to 7 minutes. Add the mushrooms, canned tomatoes with the juice, and the fresh tomatoes, stirring well to combine all ingredients. Add the olives, the stir in the tomato paste. Sprinkle the sugar, salt, pepper, oregano and basil over the mixture, and place the bay leaves in the pot. Mix well. Bring the mixture to a boil, lower to simmer, cover and cook about 2 hours. Remove the bay leaves before serving.

WARM WILD MUSHROOM AND ROASTED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Preheat oven 425 degrees F
• Place a large skillet on the cook top with the extra-virgin olive oil and the sliced garlic, spread out the garlic so it is in an even layer in the oil. Place the skillet over medium heat and slowly brown the garlic stirring every now and then until golden all over, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Once you have the garlic going, place the tomatoes on a cookie sheet and drizzle with some extra-virgin olive oil and season with some salt and pepper. Place in the oven and roast for 8 to 10 minutes or until the tomatoes start to burst.
• Once the garlic is brown remove it from the skillet and reserve. Turn the heat up under the skillet to high, once you see the oil ripple add the mushrooms and spread them out in an even layer. Let them cook for about 4 minutes without moving.. Go ahead and give them a stir, add the thyme sprigs and season with some freshly ground black pepper, continue to cook for another 5 minutes stirring every now and then. Add the white wine and cook until it has almost completely evaporated, add some salt and stir to combine.
• Remove the stems of thyme and discard. Transfer the mushrooms to a serving platter, add the roasted tomatoes and the parsley and stir to combine. Sprinkle with the garlic chips and serve hot, warm, room temperature.

WILD MUSHROOM TART

Steps:

• Make the tart dough: Put the 2 cups flour and salt in the chilled bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. (If you don't have one, you can prepare the dough by hand.) With the mixer set on low speed, work half of the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles wet sand. Add remaining butter cubes and ice water, and mix just until the dough comes together. The dough will be very soft, studded with butter chunks and a bit sticky - this is correct.
• You should have 550 grams/20 ounces of dough. Divide into 2 (275-gram/10-ounce) balls. Dust each with a little flour and press into a disk about 1-inch thick. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
• Dust the work surface with flour. Press one disk into a rough square, then roll it into a 6-by-12-inch sheet. Fold the sheet in half, making a 6-inch square. Dust with flour lightly, as necessary, and roll the square into a 6-by-12-inch sheet again, then fold in half to make a 6-inch square. Finally, roll dough into a 6-by-18-inch sheet, place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate, wrapped, for 30 minutes to keep dough from shrinking when baked, or freeze. (Roll out the rest of the dough at your leisure, then freeze for the future, or refrigerate and use within 2 days.)
• Make the filling: Set a wide skillet over medium-high heat and add olive oil. When oil is wavy, add onions. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Remove onions and set aside.
• In the same pan over medium-high heat, add mushrooms (and a little more oil if necessary). Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until softened and beginning to brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, thyme and red-pepper flakes (if using), stir well and turn off heat. Combine mushrooms and onions, set aside and let cool to room temperature. (Filling can be made several hours in advance and left at room temperature, if desired.)
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Using a small rubber spatula, spread crème fraîche over the pastry sheet, leaving a 1-inch border. Distribute onion-mushroom mixture evenly over the crème fraîche. Dust with Parmesan and fold pastry edges up, pinching at the corners to form a low rim. Bake until pastry is crisp and golden and top of mixture is lightly browned, about 30 to 35 minutes.
• Slide baked tart onto a cutting board and pull away the parchment. Let tart cool slightly before cutting. Sprinkle with parsley and cut tart crosswise into wide slices (or, if preferred, into wedges). Serve warm.

WILD MUSHROOM AND GRUYèRE TART

Steps:

• Puree ricotta in processor until smooth, about 1 minute. Add 1 yolk and 2 teaspoons oil and blend. .
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and sauté 7 minutes. Mix in thyme. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add butter and sauté until mushrooms are tender, about 4 minutes longer. Mix in green onions.
• Preheat oven to 400°F Roll out puff pastry on lightly floured surface to 13x9-inch rectangle. Using sharp knife and starting 1/4 inch in from edge, cut score line around entire perimeter of dough, cutting halfway through. Cut into quarters and score the middle of each quarter. (If you have a convection over you can bake it whole.).
• Pre-bake puff pastry for 10-15 minutes until just golden. Let cool for 5 minutes.
• Remove from oven and brush 1/4-inch border with glaze. Transfer pastry to ungreased heavy baking sheet. Spread ricotta mixture over dough, inside border. Top with Gruyère, then mushrooms. Bake tart until crust is golden and Gruyère melts, about 15 minutes.