How are your holidays going? Are you tired of cooking yet? Are you tired of eating leftovers? Looking for an easy dish that works for a casual lunch or dinner or even as a party hors d’oeuvre? I’ve just the thing for you today!
Earlier this year I shared a recipe over on Mushrooms Canada for a simple tart inspired by last summer’s travels to France. Travelling around the wine-growing regions surrounding Bordeaux, we stopped in a small town in search of lunch. The only thing that seemed to be open was a “Maison du Vin” which had a tiny restaurant with just a handful of tables attached to it. The menu looked promising with everything “fait maison” (made in-house) and some regional specialties on offer. We were travelling with a vegetarian friend so were excited to see an actual vegetarian offering on the menu – a “Croustillant de Champignons à la Crème de Thym” which we figured was some sort of pastry filled with mushrooms and cream. What could possibly be bad about that, right? When it came out, it was a little fancier – a kind of deconstructed tartlet which was absolutely scrumptious. I made a note to try to recreate this at home and it’s one of the first dishes I set to making once I was back in my kitchen!
I successfully re-created the flavours of this dish at home and have since made this a few times over, including in one of my adult cooking classes where everyone was blown away by how a few simple ingredients produced such a fancy looking and tasting dish.
I went the traditional tart route with this recipe (as opposed to the deconstructed version) as it makes it very do-able even for a weeknight. It comes together in no time and makes a lovely light dinner paired with a green salad or you could cut it into smaller pieces and serve as an hors d’oeuvre at a party. Either way, it’s so very good!
Creamy mushroom and thyme tart
Easy enough for a weeknight dinner but fancy enough for a cocktail hors d'oeuvre!
Ingredients
- 1 roll puff pastry (mine was 25cm x 25cm), thawed but still cool
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 shallots, minced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- approx. 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves plus more for garnish
- 100g white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 100g cream cheese, softened
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 400˚F.
- Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the shallots and garlic and cook over medium heat until fragrant and translucent (you don’t want them to colour at all), approximately 5 minutes.
- Add the thyme and mushrooms and cook down until the mushrooms have released most of their liquid.
- Turn the heat down to low and add the cream cheese. Use a wooden spoon to stir until it’s fully melted and the mixture looks like a creamy sauce. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Roll the puff pastry out and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Fold in the edges of the pastry approximately 3cm and press them down all along the edges with the tines of a fork.
- Brush the edges with the egg wash them pile the mushroom mixture on top of the pastry, making sure to keep inside the borders.
- Bake at 400˚F for 30-35 minutes until the edges are golden brown and the mixture has puffed up in the middle.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before slicing and serving.
Looks a bit better than those leftovers, doesn’t it? 😉
What a delicious way to transform mushrooms. I love the addition of thyme – I don’t think I’ve ever cooked with it. Looking forward to it!
Fresh thyme is the best!
I am a big fan of mushrooms 🙂 I made a post in mushrooms only today :D! this looks so yum!
Thanks – it really is!
I love making mushrooms tart, I usually add onion jam also, it gives such a delicate sweet taste 😉
That sounds like a great sub for the cream cheese – might be a bit rich with both 🙂 Love that idea though!
This looks yummy! Love the flavor mix; cream cheese with mushrooms, sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing!
It is a mix that really works well!
This looks delicious! What a great reminder of what must have been a wonderful time in France!
Definitely – my favourite way to relive vacation memories!
That’s is a must for us making one tomorrow yummy!!!!!!!
I hope you enjoy!
Hello Mardi Michels,
I am going to receive a basket of mushroom from a local farm later today. I know my mushrooms will not keep in the fridge long enough to make it fresh in three weeks. Therefore, I was wondering, can I make the “filling” now and freeze it to serve it later (with Easter dinner on April 4th)?
Any advice or ideas is very welcome!
Thanks,
Laura
p.s. – I LOVE YOUR WEBSITE!!!!!
Hi, I wouldn’t make anything in advance and freeze it in this recipe. Looks like you CAN freeze mushrooms for future use though! https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/can-you-freeze-mushrooms Enjoy!
OOh! Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. Thank you for the link! You are sooooo thoughtful! I really appreciate it!
(Again, I love your recipes!!!)
Best,
Laura