Savory Tart

This is one of the best savory tarts ever. It’s got goat cheese, mushrooms, leeks, and garlic, which are all ingredients for goodness. This is actually a combination of two tarts I found from epicurious.com because I couldn’t decide between the two and knew I wanted goat cheese and mushrooms. The leeks were actually an afterthought, and the one I have pictured here was made with green onions because leeks were unavailable. I think this tart is tasty comfort food for the fall or winter, but also works anytime of year. Not much else to say, make it now and you’ll see what I’m talking about.



Goat Cheese, Mushroom, and Leek Tart

crust
1 ½ c flour
¼ tsp salt
¾ (1 ½ sticks) chilled unsalted butter
¼ c ice water

filling
1 ½ c whipping cream
5 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 large egg
¼ tsp salt

1 Tbsp olive oil
8 oz button mushrooms
2-3 leeks (can substitute 6-8 green onions)

4 oz soft fresh goat cheese, room temperature

To make the crust, blend flour and salt, then add butter and with a pastry cutter mix until in crumbs. Add ice water, and mix with a fork or your hands until clumps form. Gather dough into a ball, flatten into a disk and wrap in plastic, then chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 F. Roll out dough on a floured surface into a large circle, then press into a 9-inch tart pan. Trim off excess dough. Line crust with foil and fill with beans or coins or some sort of pie weights. Bake until sides are set, about 20 minutes. Remove foil and beans, then bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Cool, but leave the oven on.
Now for the filling, bring the cream and garlic to boil in a heavy medium saucepan. Watch carefully: remember when cream boils it bubbles and will boil over. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until it’s reduced to about 1 cup, whisking occasionally, for about 15 minutes. Cool and puree in a processor. Then blend in egg and salt.
While you’re letting the cream cool, you can prepare the mushrooms and leeks. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add leeks and let soften for about 8-10 minutes, then add the mushrooms and continue to sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Put the tart pan on a baking sheet in case cream spills over. Finally, spread goat cheese over the bottom of the crust. Spoon mushrooms and leeks over, then pour the cream filling on top of everything. Bake until the filling is set, about 20 minutes. Serve warm.