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Monday, September 12, 2011

Goat Cheese Tart with Basil, Mushrooms, and Shallots

Why does cheese have to taste so good? I would be a generous ten pounds skinnier if I gave up eating cheese, but, well, that's just not going to happen, so I made this tart full of goat cheese. Bon Appétit!


Basil and sauteed mushrooms & shallots are strewn through a creamy goat cheese filling inside of a classic Pâte Brisée crust. It's like a quiche, but with goat cheese instead of just eggs, and therefore more delicious. Cheeeeeeeeeeese...


This recipe works great for lunch or dinner, and can even be made into mini tarts as appetizers. I chose to flavor my tart with basil, mushrooms, and shallots, but feel free to play around with other herbs and veggies. I also imagine smearing a layer of jam or chutney on the tart crust before adding the filling could yield some interesting sweet/savory creations. Cherries and goat cheese is another great combo.

I can only vouch for this specific tart, which happens to be fantastic.







Goat Cheese Tart with Basil, Mushrooms, and Shallots

yields 1 8 in x 8 in tart, or 1 8 in round tart + a little extra (I made some mini tarts!)

Ingredients:
Tart:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
pinch of nutmeg (optional)
1/4 cup ice water

Goat Cheese Filling:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 shallots
1/2 pound mushrooms
8 ounces goat cheese
3/4 cup milk (I used soy milk. You can use half-and-half or cream, too, for an even richer filling)
2 eggs
1/2 cup packed basil leaves
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

For the tart: Cut chilled butter into pieces. Place butter, flour, salt, sugar, and nutmeg (optional) in a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal (about 10 seconds). Leave food processor on and add ice water in a steady stream until the mixture resembles dough. Remove dough from food processor, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour (Dough can be frozen and used at a later time as well). While the tart dough is chilling, make the filling.

For the filling: Heat butter and olive oil in a saute pan over medium low heat. Chop shallots and mushrooms and saute for about 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat. In a food processor, pulse the goat cheese, milk, eggs, basil, and pepper until smooth. Transfer filling to a bowl and stir in the shallots and mushrooms.

Preheat oven to 350 F. On a floured surface, roll out tart dough. Transfer to tart pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and add filling. Return to over and bake for 30-40 minutes (or until the filling is set). Remove from oven and cool on a rack.

Enjoy.

5 comments:

  1. I love, love, love these guys! I have a cocktail party to attend in a few weeks, I think mini versions of these would work wonderfully. Love it!

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  2. Great combination of flavours, I know what I will be making for the next dinner party. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

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  3. Thanks! Yes this is a good crowd pleaser :) and it's so creamy!

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  4. This quiche is phenomenal. I have made it at least three times using a 6-spot tart pan from Williams-Sonoma (and reduced the parbake to 10 minutes and the cooking time to about 20 minutes) and it turns out awesome every time. The flavor of the basil and the slight tint of green are just so wonderful! My husband has begged me to add bacon to this, and I did so once, but I didn't really feel like it added much and frankly, it competed with the bright basil flavor. The goat cheese really adds a wonderful creaminess to the tart as well. This is absolutely one of my go-to meals!

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