For today’s meat free recipe, I found another recipe that is part of the Whole Living 28-Day Challenge that I wanted to try! And if you are a mushroom lover like I am, this recipe is for you. If you’re not, well, you may want to pass, or cut down on the amount of mushrooms you use!
I have to admit, I was a little worried this recipe wouldn’t make the cut. I have ordered a mushroom tart from our local Clyde’s restaurant before and it was DE-LICIOUS (as is everything at that restaurant!)! So this recipe had quite a high standard to live up to. And to my surprise, it lived up to it! I have actually forgotten what the Clyde’s one tasted like! The goat cheese flavor really comes through on this one so I think you can go heavier or lighter depending on your personal preference (I LOVE goat cheese, and the suggested 6 oz. was a perfect amount for me). And although it tastes like a very rich dish, the spinach and the extremely beneficial mushrooms (contains antioxidants, and 80-90% water making it low-calorie, and it’s said to be a cancer reducer) make this a healthy meal that I will be adding to my regular rotation.
The only thing I did not like about this recipe is the phyllo dough. I’ve never worked with it before and found it very tedious. You have to brush each thin sheet with oil before you layer it and the sheets kept breaking apart on me. I also didn’t get a real good edge to my tart like the picture from the Whole Living site (see above). Part of the reason was I did not have a rectangle tart pan, so I had to use my round pan. I’m pretty sure the phyllo dough is healthier than refrigerated crescent rolls, but I think in the future I may substitute just because it would be easier. Of course the phyllo dough came in a package with FORTY sheets, so I either need to find other uses for it, or make another 3 of these tarts to use it up!
This time around I decided to take some pictures from my own kitchen:
They don’t call it a mushroom tart for nothing!
Here’s the finished product. Yum-o!
Mushroom, Spinach and Scallion Tart
click here for printable version
Ingredients
- 1 pound mushrooms (combination of button and shiitake), trimmed and sliced 1/2-inch thick
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 12 scallions, ends trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces, washed and shaken dry
- 3 1/2 cups (about 4 ounces) flat-leaf spinach, stemmed, washed, and shaken dry
- 10 (14-by-9-inch) sheets phyllo dough
- 6 ounces fresh goat cheese (about 2/3 cup)
- 3 large eggs
- 1/3 cup milk
- 3 tablespoons chopped mixed fresh herbs, such as dill and cilantro
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- On a baking sheet, toss mushrooms with 2 tablespoons oil and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Roast for 10 minutes. Toss in the scallions and roast for 15 minutes more. Push mushrooms and scallions to one side and place spinach on empty side, roast until wilted, about 3 minutes. Let cool briefly, then squeeze spinach dry.
- Brush an 11-by-7-inch rectangular tart pan with a removable bottom (or a 10-inch round pan) lightly with some of the remaining oil. Working with one piece of phyllo at a time and keeping the rest covered with plastic wrap, brush a sheet of the pastry very lightly with olive oil. Fit into tart pan, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Brush a second sheet with oil and fit into pan. Repeat with remaining sheets, creating a crust that is at least five layers thick over the bottom of the pan. Fold edges at top.
- Crumple a double layer of aluminum foil into a rectangle the size of the bottom of the tart and fit into crust to weight down center. Place on a baking sheet and bake until edges are golden and begin to set, about 7 minutes. Remove foil and bake until golden all over, about 3 minutes more. (Remove from oven, leaving baking sheet. Tent edges with foil if browning too quick.)
- Reduce oven to 375 degrees. In a blender, puree the goat cheese, eggs, milk, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt until smooth. Add herbs and pulse to combine. Spread vegetables over crust and pour custard over top.
- Place tart back on baking sheet in oven and bake until custard is set, 20 to 23 minutes. Pull tart from oven and let cool 10 minutes on wire rack. Remove sides of pan and cool at least 10 minutes more, until ready to serve. If not serving right away, slide off of bottom and onto wire rack.
