Mushroom Tartlets
Mushroom filling turns grey and watery for one reason — the mushrooms hit the fat too early. Button mushrooms are roughly two thirds water, so let that water boil off in a dry hot pan first and only then add butter. They brown, the filling thickens, and the whole thing tastes nutty rather than damp.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Rest
- 10 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Servings
- 8
- Level
- Easy
- Per serving
- 210 kcal
Ingredients
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What to use instead
Sour cream can replace the cream, but stir it in off the heat — boiled, it splits into grainy flecks.
Makes: 24 tartlets, serves 8
Shopping list
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Method
Oven
180 °C · top and bottom heat, no fan
With a fan: 160 °C
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Step 1: Slice the mushrooms
Wipe them with a damp cloth rather than washing, slice 5 mm thick and cut the slices in half so the pieces fit inside a shell.
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Step 2: Drive off the water
Put them in a dry hot pan. They release liquid; keep cooking 6–7 minutes until it has gone and they start to squeak against the pan.
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Step 3: Brown them
Now add the butter and oil and fry another 3–4 minutes until genuinely golden. This is where the nutty flavour comes from.
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Step 4: Add the onion
Stir in the finely chopped onion and cook 4 minutes until soft, then the garlic and thyme for another 30 seconds.
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Step 5: Pour in the cream
Add the cream and simmer 3–4 minutes until the sauce thickens and coats the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper.
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Step 6: Let it cool a little
Give the filling 10 minutes off the heat. Piping hot filling steams the pastry from inside and softens the base before it ever reaches the oven.
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Step 7: Fill and bake
Spoon into the shells, scatter with cheese and bake 5 minutes at 180°C until the cheese melts. Serve warm with parsley.
Tips & variations
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Tip
Do not salt the mushrooms at the start of frying: salt draws water out and they go back to stewing instead of browning.
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Variation
A handful of soaked dried porcini alongside the buttons gives a far deeper, woodland flavour.
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Swap
Sour cream can replace the cream, but stir it in off the heat — boiled, it splits into grainy flecks.
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Storage
The filling keeps 2 days refrigerated and improves. Fill and bake the shells only just before serving.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 8 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 210 kcal | 1,680 kcal |
| Protein | 6 g | 48 g |
| Fat | 14 g | 112 g |
| Carbohydrates | 14 g | 112 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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