Wild Mushroom Tart

Summary
Prep time	~1 hour
Cook time	35-40 min @ 350°
Source	The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman (pg 95-98)
Yield / serves	6-8 servings
Rating	(unrated)

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 c plus 2 T all-purpose flour
• 1/4 c yellow cornmeal
• 1/4 t table salt
• 6 T unsalted butter, chilled, diced, plus additional for greasing
• 1 large egg

Filling:

• 1 T olive oil
• 1 T unsalted butter
• 2 medium shallots
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 lb cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 t chopped fresh thyme
• 1 lb assorted wild mushrooms, sliced or torn into small segments
• 1 t Kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 c (60 g) mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
• 1/4 c milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 c grated provolone or Italian fontina cheese
• 1/4 c finely grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Preparation

Making the crust by hand:

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal and salt. Work the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender, fork, or your fingers until only tiny bits of it remain visible. Add the egg, and mix with a fork until a dough forms. If this does not happen easily, toss the dough onto the counter and knead it briefly together. This dough can be rather tough, but with a little elbow grease it does come together nicely.

Making the crust with food processor:

Combine the flour, cornmeal, and salt in the work bowl of your food processor. Add the butter, and pulse machine on and off until the butter is in very tiny bits. Add the egg, and run the machine until the dough starts to clump together.

Form the crust:

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a 12-inch circle. I find that rolling this dough between two pieces of plastic wrap makes it a cinch--just keep pulling out the wrinkles in the plastic to keep it smooth. Once the dough has been rolled to the correct size, carefully peel back the top sheet of plastic, and invert the dough and bottom piece of plastic over a 9-inch fluted, removable-bottom tart pan. You can use the plastic and your fingers underneath to gently lift and lay the dough down centered in the pan. Once you've got the dough where you want it, carefully peel back the remaining piece of plastic, and press the dough against the bottom and sides. Run your rolling pin firmly over the top edge of your pastry pan to remove the excess dough. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet, and transfer to the freezer for 20-30 minutes.

Parbake the crust:

If you will be parbaking your crust, preheat your oven to 375°. Once the crust is firm and cold to the touch, lightly butter one side of a 12-inch square of aluminum foil, and press the foil, butter side down, firmly against the base and sides of the crust. Bake with foil (no pie weights needed) for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the foil, and bake for another 5-8 minutes, until the crust is firm and lightly golden at the edges. Set tart shelll on a cooling rack until needed. Reduce oven temperature to 350°.

Make the filling:

If you did not parbake your crust, go ahead and preheat your oven to 350° now.

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat, and add the oil and butter together. Add the shallots, and saute, stirring occasionally, until they are soft, for about 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Increase the heat to medium-high, then add the mushrooms and thyme. Of course, you'll likely realize right now that you don't have a chance of fitting your mound of mushrooms in the pan, but if you keep turning the cooked mushrooms from the bottom out over the uncooked ones on top, you'll find that within a minute or so you have room for all of your remaining mushrooms. Saute the mushrooms until they are tender and the liquid they release has completely evaporated, about 9-10 minutes. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper, and transfer to a plate to cool.

Scoop your mascarpone into a medium bowl. Drizzle in the milk, while whisking continuously, until the milk and cheese combine smoothly. (If you forgot to take your mascarpone out of the fridge, drizzle the milk in slowly while you whisk them together.) Whisk in the eggs. Stir in the provolone/fontina and Parmesan, then the mushrooms.

Bake the tart:

Pour the mixture into your tart shell, and bake for 35-40 minutes, until it is puffed and golden on top, and the tip of a knife inserted into the center and turned releases no wet custard. Let the tart cool for 10 minutes on a rack, and serve warm. It's also delicious served at room temperature.