Mushroom Blue Cheese Tart

I made this tart once before and it was a hit. I thought it would really fit in nicely with the Pinot Noir Wine Tasting. It's a recipe from Michael Chiarello. I must have originally seen it on FoodTV.



Mushroom Blue Cheese Tart
1/4 C extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 lbs cleaned, mixed mushrooms, (sliced or quartered depending on variety)
Gray salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 TBLS butter, divided
2 to 3 shallots, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 TBLS freshly chopped thyme leaves
1 C heavy cream
1/4 C grated Parmesan
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 egg, well beaten
2 TBLS freshly minced parsley leaves
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
Flour, for dusting work surface
8 oz crumbled blue cheese
1 lb dry beans, for baking tart shell

Preheat oven to 425F

Heat two large skillets and add half of the olive oil to each pan.
When oil is hot add half of the mushrooms to each pan.
Add butter to each pan and cook until mushrooms are caramelized.
When the mushrooms have cooked down, put them all in one pan.
Add shallots, garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant.
Add the cream and simmer until it has reduced by half.
Add parmesan and lemon juice. Turn off heat and stir in beaten egg.
Allow to cool to room temperature.
Stir in parsley.

While the mushrooms are cooling, roll out the puff pastry to fit into the bottom of a 10 in removable bottom pan. Cover the dough with parchment paper and layer the dried beans on top.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool to room temperature and remove beans and parchment paper.

Reduce oven to 400F
Fill the baked crust with the mushroom mixture then evenly sprinkle the crumbled blue cheese over the mushrooms.
Bake 20 - 30 minutes, until blue cheese is golden.

Cool on rack and serve at room temperature.

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Ok... I used button, cremini, shitake, and oyster mushrooms. But you just need two pounds of your favorite mushrooms. My grocery store had a really lame selection when I went shopping this time!


You'll need to big pans to start, because the mushrooms take a lot of space until they cook down. Heat up the oil.
(don't mind the taco meat in the background... I was making lunch too!)


Now add the mushrooms.


Add butter, salt & pepper to each pan.


Cook mushrooms until caramelized.


When the mushrooms have reduced... move them to one pan.


Add shallots, garlic and thyme... cook until fragrant.
(this smells amazing!)


Add heavy cream


Simmer until reduced by half.


Add parmesan and lemon juice.




Turn off heat and stir in beaten egg.
Let mixture cool to room temperature.


While the mushroom mix is cooling... roll out the puff pastry.


I traced the bottom of my 10in spring-form pan on parchment paper to get the size of the dough right.
And you need the parchment paper anyway.




I put parchment paper in the spring-form pan first... then the dough.


Then more parchment paper.
(it's kinda hard to see it on top of the dough)


Pour the dried beans into the crust and bake at 425F for 10 - 12 minutes.


Stir parsley into the cooled mushroom mixture.




When the tart has baked and cooled, remove the beans and the layer of parchment paper under them.
Double check to be sure no beans got stuck up in the edges of the crust.






Now add the mushroom mixture to the crust.


Cover the mushroom mix with the crumbled blue cheese.


Bake for 20 - 30 minutes until the cheese is golden.


Cool to room temp and serve!




Enjoy!