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Recipe Detail Page
Sherry-Glazed Mushroom Tart with Peppery Salad
Early Summer 2013
Nuts can go stale quickly and since they are such a focus of this dish, it is important to get the freshest possible. You will have the best result if you grind them yourself, with a mortar and pestle or coffee grinder. Walnuts taste nuttier when they are toasted before using. To toast walnuts, spread on a cookie sheet and bake at 350°F (180°C) for 7 to 10 minutes or until golden with nutty aromas. Toast the pieces before grinding them.
Serves 6 to 8
1½ tbsp (22 mL) walnut oil
3 tbsp (45 mL) unsalted butter
8 oz (250 g) sliced button or cremini mushrooms
6 oz (175 g) sliced king oyster mushrooms
4 oz (125 g) oyster mushrooms, torn into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces
1/3 cup (80 mL) dry sherry
3 tbsp (45 mL) chicken or veal stock
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup (250 mL) mascarpone
½ cup (125 mL) walnut pieces, toasted, finely ground
1 tbsp (15 mL) finely chopped fresh thyme, plus extra for garnish
Cooked Walnut Pastry (recipe follows)
PEPPERY SALAD
1 tbsp (15 mL) cider vinegar
2 tbsp (30 mL) walnut oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup (250 mL) radicchio
1 cup (250 mL) endive
2 cups (500 mL) arugula
1 Heat 1½ tbsp (22 mL) walnut oil and 2 tbsp (30 mL) butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When the butter has melted and is foaming, add mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms are golden brown on both sides, stirring occasionally, 15 to 20 minutes. Add sherry, stock and remaining butter, and let simmer until the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are glossy, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool in pan. Season with salt and pepper. Reserve.
2 Beat mascarpone with walnuts and thyme in a medium bowl using an electric mixer until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
3 Spread the mascarpone mixture into the cooked Walnut Pastry pie shell.
4 Top tart with mushrooms and garnish with extra thyme.
5 For salad, whisk cider vinegar and walnut oil in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. When ready to serve, toss greens together and dress lightly. Serve alongside slices of tart.
Serves 6 to 8
WALNUT PASTRY
This delicate, buttery, walnut crust can be made a day ahead and adds a comforting richness to the Sherry-Glazed Mushroom Tart. Use it as a substitute in your favourite desserts, turning them into walnut-crusted apple pie, walnut banana cream pie and walnut chocolate tart.
1¼ cups (310 mL) all-purpose flour
¼ cup (60 mL) walnut pieces, toasted, finely ground
½ tsp (2 mL) salt
½ tsp (2 mL) sugar
½ cup (125 mL) cold, salted butter, cut into cubes
1 tbsp (15 mL) cold water
1 tsp (5 mL) apple cider vinegar
1 Using your fingertips, rub flour with walnuts, salt, sugar and cold butter in a medium bowl until the mixture looks like oat flakes and sticks together when squeezed. Drizzle in cold water and vinegar. Gather together into a ball and press into disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2 Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
3 Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface, until 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick. Lift pastry into a 9-inch (23-cm) fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Press in pastry and trim around the edges using a knife. Prick the bottom all over with a fork. Cover with parchment and fill with dried beans or pie weights.
4 Bake for 20 minutes. Remove beans and parchment and return pie shell to oven. Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to rack and let cool. Save the beans for the next time you require pie weights, as the beans can no longer be eaten.
Makes one 9-inch (23-cm) pie shell
