Belly Up To The Bar: Mushroom Tart and Beaujolais Day

Posted on November 26, 2014 by Miriam Zelinsky

We are counting down to the biggest eating day of the year in hours at this point. Whether or not you are hosting the main event or contributing to the hors d’oeuvres, everyone wants their dishes to be delicious and memorable. Lately many people are changing their diets and more people are going vegetarian than ever before. Our mushroom tart can be served as a meatless main, light first course or during a cocktail hour before the bird is done. Thanksgiving is a day when oven space is at a premium.

What makes this dish the perfect pairing is that you can serve it hot or room temperature. In addition, it travels well so whatever your culinary restrictions you will wow your relatives with this tart. If you are low on time you can even make the filling ahead and chill until you want to bake. Meeting the parents?

Add a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau Villages as a hostess gift. The lightness of the Beaujolais won’t overpower the delicateness of the mushroom flavor. We prefer red wine in general and serve it with the turkey as well. And since Beaujolais Day is right before Thanksgiving each year it makes a timely pairing.

Happy Thanksgiving!

-M. Perrelli

Mushroom Tart

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

2 tbsp minced red onion

1 tbsp olive oil

1 minced clove of garlic

5 oz mushrooms, reserve 2 for slicing as garnish and chop the rest

1 tsp herbs de Provence

2 tbsp white wine

4 oz Neufchatel cheese

1/3 cup shredded swiss cheese

1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Unfold pastry and place on baking sheet.

3. In a sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium heat.

4. Add onion and sauté 1-2 minutes.

5. Add mushrooms and herbs de Provence and cook until the mushrooms have released their liquids and the mixture has cooked down.

6. Add the white wine. It is finished cooking once the wine evaporates.

7. Place mixture in a bowl and mix with the three cheeses until smooth.

8. Season with salt and pepper (you can also do this during the cooking stage above).

9. Use an icing spatula to spread mixture over the puff pastry leaving a half in border around the edge to create a crust.

10. Top with reserved mushroom slices.

11. Bake 20 minutes. It can be cut in any shape that suits your use.