Deb Perelman saved me this past Saturday – let me tell you why. I had an extremely busy workweek and no time to meal plan for the weekend, which is when I get to spend the most time in the kitchen. On top of that, my first few submissions and one resubmission to foodgawker were all declined. I had no idea they had such a rigorous evaluation process, so was devastated and demoralized. And, for the first time in months, I didn’t feel like cooking or baking anything.
Usually, my dilemma is deciding which recipe of many I want to tackle first. But lately, the pressure to find and recreate something worthy of eating and writing about has been paralyzing. By Friday, I was tired and uninspired and the thought of putting food on the table – much less photographing it – made me sick.
But Saturday morning rolled around and suddenly I had more energy. I wanted to make dinner, but what? I wasn’t ready to browse foodgawker for ideas and when I asked my husband if he had any requests, he was indifferent. So I pulled out Deb’s cookbook, a gift from my brother two Christmases ago. I’ve made several recipes from her book and blog – and they’ve never let me down.
The moment I flipped to Page 95, I knew exactly what we’d be dining on that night: a rendition of Deb’s wild mushroom tart – 1.5 pounds of mushrooms and three types of cheese piled into a buttery cornmeal crust. And to round it out, I’d also make Deb’s flat-roasted chicken with tiny potatoes.
It’s no surprise both dishes were knockouts – but it was the mushroom tart we were fighting over, literally. It is amazing – something I would definitely make at least twice. (Yes, I said it.) But don’t take my word for it. Try the recipe and taste for yourself.
Recipe adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. To get the recipe for Deb’s Flat-Roasted Chicken With Tiny Potatoes, buy her book!
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup yellow cornmeal
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 pound cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
- ¼ pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and thinly sliced (see notes)
- ¼ pound oyster mushrooms, torn into pieces (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup mascarpone cheese, room temperature
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup grated Fontina cheese
- ¼ cup grated Asiago cheese
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal and salt. Add the butter and rub it into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it resembles coarse meal. Add the egg and mix with a fork. When the ingredients start to come together, use your hands to lightly knead the dough in the bowl until it forms a ball. Flatten the ball into a disc, wrap in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to a 12" circle. Carefully transfer the dough to a 9" tart pan, pressing it against the bottom and sides; trim excess dough by running a rolling pin over the pan. Transfer the crust to the freezer and let chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Heat a large fry pan over medium heat and add the olive oil and butter. Once the butter melts, add the shallots and sauté for about 3 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and sauté for an additional minute. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the mushrooms and thyme. Sauté the mushrooms until they are tender and the liquid has evaporated completely, about 10 minutes. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper, and transfer to a bowl to cool.
- In another medium bowl, combine the mascarpone cheese and milk and whisk until smooth. Add the eggs and whisk until smooth. Stir in the Fontina and Asiago cheese, and then the mushrooms.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove the crust from the freezer. Carefully pour the mushroom mixture into the crust and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the filling is slightly puffed and golden, and the tip of a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the tart cool for 10 minutes on a rack before removing from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.
