Mushroom and Thyme Tart

Serves - 4–6

You’ll need

• 1 sheet all-butter puff pastry
• 400g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
• 150g oyster mushrooms or mixed mushrooms, torn if large
• 1 small shallot or onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 20g butter
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, plus a few extra to finish
• 100g crème fraîche
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 40g Parmesan or vegetarian hard cheese, finely grated
• 1 egg, beaten, for glazing
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

Method

1. Prep the pastry

Preheat the oven to 200°C fan.

Unroll the puff pastry onto a lined baking tray. Score a border about 2cm in from the edge all the way around, being careful not to cut right through. Prick the centre lightly with a fork, leaving the border alone.

Brush the border with the beaten egg, then chill the tray in the fridge while you make the filling. This helps the pastry keep its shape and puff properly.

2. Cook the mushrooms properly

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring now and then, until they have given off their moisture and started to colour nicely.

Add the shallot or onion and cook for another 3–4 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook for a final minute. Season well with salt and black pepper.

Take the pan off the heat and let the mixture cool for a few minutes so it is not aggressively hot when it goes onto the pastry.

3. Make the base

In a small bowl, mix the crème fraîche with the Dijon mustard and half of the grated cheese. Season with a little black pepper.

Spread this mixture over the middle of the pastry, staying within the scored border.

4. Assemble the tart

Spoon the mushroom mixture evenly over the crème fraîche base. Scatter over the remaining cheese and a few extra thyme leaves.

5. Bake

Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the pastry is golden and puffed at the edges and the top looks properly bronzed rather than pale and apologetic.

6. Serve

Leave it to sit for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve warm, either on its own with a green salad or as part of a bigger spread.

A couple of helpful notes

- A handful of caramelised onions folded into the mushrooms would do very nice things here.
- If the mushrooms look crowded in the pan, cook them in batches. Too many at once and they steam, which is not the route to glory.
- This is best warm rather than piping hot, when the flavour settles and the pastry has a moment to compose itself.