mushroom tarts

Last year the vego side of the family lucked onto whipping up some simple savoury tarts to adorn the non-meat end of the Christmas lunch table. In a part of the world where the weather is warm at this time of year, these little beauties are as popular as the roast.

While using whole portabella mushrooms would look pretty, for transporting over the long winding hill and easier eating I opted to slice the fungi. Having played with these a few times now, the longer you get to marinate the mushrooms in the garlicky oil, the better they will taste!

Simple mushroom tarts

1 large mushroom per tart
1/2 clove (or more) of garlic per mushroom
1 tablespoon of olive oil per mushroom
sea salt
black pepper
green herbs to garnish
puff pastry

Crush garlic and mix with olive oil in a flat bottomed dish. Add seasoning to taste. Slice mushrooms (or if leave whole you may need to add more oil to baste) and leave to marinate in the garlicky oil. Baste occasionally. Marinate for about an hour.

While the mushrooms are doing their thing, thaw required amount of sheets of puff pastry. You will get 4 tarts from a regular square of frozen pastry. Crank oven up to 200c.

Cut pastry into 4 even squares. Fold over edges to create a rim. Gently prick the inner square with a fork. Lay mushroom slices into the inner square and cook on a non-stick baking tray (or lined with baking paper or alfoil). Bake approximately 20 minutes til golden. Keep an eye on them while cooking.

Garnish with some chopped green herbs.

Can be eaten hot or cold. Goes well with a salad, especially some bitter leaves and a little acidity to cut through the fat in the pastry. Alternatively, lightly dress some rocket and place on top of the cooked tarts (with a shave of parmesan for the non-vegans).


fresh from the oven, waiting to cool before packing up for the journey