Hog Wild for Mushrooms

This year has been one of the best mushroom years that I can remember. Every time it rains I sit back with a big smile on my face, thinking about all the great edible mushrooms I am going to gather, and all the great food that I will then make. Here is a picture of my favorite kinds of mushrooms, called hedgehogs. They look so pretty lined up like that.

With the mushrooms, I made a tart. It uses my favorite things about winter. Cheese, wild mushrooms, and Meyer lemons. I recently cooked this tart on a sailboat that was transporting organic wine down the California coast. Matthew, my contractor, is also a film guy and was making a show called Wine by Sail. Here is a trailer for the show.

If you don’t have hedgehog mushrooms, you can use black trumpet mushrooms, yellow feet mushrooms, or regular button mushrooms from the store.  I like to use white spelt in the crust instead of flour. People who do not want to eat wheat will often eat spelt.  I adapted this recipe from a great cookbook by Deborah Madison, “Local Flavors”.

1 (9-inch) prebaked Tart Shell

3 large leeks

2 tablespoon unsalted butter

6 ounces goat cheese

1 egg

½ cup crème fraiche

½ cup milk

1-cup hedgehog mushrooms, whole if small, chopped if large

Sea salt and white pepper

2 teaspoons chopped thyme leaves

To make the tart filling:

1.  Preheat the oven to 400. Keep the pre-baked tart shell in its pan.

2.  Slice the leeks in to rounds, separate them, then wash well and strain. Melt 1tablespoon butter in a skillet, add leeks, and cook till tender, 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from skillet.

3.  Add 1-tablespoon butter to skillet and melt over medium heat.  Add mushrooms and cook on medium heat till soft, about 5 minutes.

4.  Beat the goat cheese with the egg until smooth. Add the milk, crème fraiche, salt, and white pepper and stir.

5.  Line the bottom of the tart with the leeks and mushrooms. Pour the custard over this. Bake until golden, about 30 minutes. Garnish with thyme leaves and Meyer lemon zest. Remove from tart ring and transfer to a serving platter. Serve warm.

To make the tart crust:

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons white spelt flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1-teaspoon organic sugar

½ cup (one stick) unsalted butter, in chunks

2-3 tablespoons ice water

Zest from one Meyer lemon

*Using a mixer with a paddle attachment or a food processor, blend the flour, salt and sugar and zest, and then work in butter until coarse crumbs are formed. Add just enough ice water for the dough to come together. Shape into a ball. Wrap in plastic and chill for 20 minutes.

* Roll the tough into a 10-inch circle and lay over a 9-inch tart pan with the removable rim. The dough should be ¼ inch above the rim and about ¼ inch thick. Prick the bottom with a fork several times then freeze for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Place frozen tart in oven for 25 minutes, until its lightly colored. Fix any holes with extra pastry scraps.

To make the tart filling:

1.Preheat the oven to 400. Keep the pre-baked tart shell in its pan.

2.Slice the leeks in to rounds, separate them, then wash well and strain. Melt 1-tablespoon butter in a skillet, add leeks, and cook till tender, 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from skillet.

3.Add 1-tablespoon butter to skillet and melt over medium heat.  Add mushrooms and cook on medium heat till soft, about 5 minutes.

4.Beat the goat cheese with the egg until smooth. Add the milk, crème fraiche, salt, and white pepper and stir.

5.Line the bottom of the tart with the leeks and mushrooms. Pour the custard over this. Bake until golden, about 30 minutes. Garnish with thyme leaves and Meyer lemon zest. Remove from tart ring and transfer to a serving platter. Serve warm.