Mushroom Goat Cheese and Thyme Tartlettes

These savory quiche-like Mushroom Goat Cheese and Thyme Tartlettes can be an appetizer or a light lunch.  Each pastry case is filled with a mixture of mushrooms, shallots and a rich custard of eggs, cream and goat cheese. 

Tarts come in all manner of sizes and shapes, from sweet to savory but I’m loving the flavors of these savory, quiche-like tartlettes.  The meaty mushrooms are infused with nuances of fresh thyme.   Soft goat cheese is blended with a bit of cream making a creamy custard filling for these tartlettes.

How to Make the Flakey Pastry Cases:

We used a typical two-crust pastry dough that was rolled like rolling for a pie.  Next, the dough was cut into six-inch circles to fit into the small stainless-steel ring molds to form the pastry cases.  If you do not have any of these cute little ring molds they are available online.    Here are some substitute ideas:

• Four-inch tart pans with removable bottom
• English muffin rings
• Fluted ramekins
• Small shallow ovenproof dishes

I have even seen tartlettes where wide-mouth Mason jar bands had been used as forms for the cases, although they are a bit shallow.   Another creative idea is to save your empty tuna cans and remove the bottoms so you have a nice size metal ring.

To Make The Mushroom Goat Cheese and Thyme Tartlettes

Making these mushroom goat cheese and thyme tartlettes is fairly straightforward and uncomplicated.  Simply line your ring molds with circles of dough from your favorite flaky pie crust recipe.  Sautée the mushrooms, shallot, garlic and thyme, then whisk together the cream, eggs, goat cheese and seasoning.  Fill the pastry and bake for thirty minutes.

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Mushroom Goat Cheese and Thyme Tartlettes

These savory quiche-like Mushroom Goat Cheese and Thyme Tartlettes can be an appetizer or a light lunch. Each individual pastry case is filled with a rich mixture of mushrooms, fresh thyme and a rich custard of eggs, cream and goat cheese.

5 from 18 votes

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Prep Time: 1 hour hour

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 379kcal

Author: Pat Nyswonger

Ingredients

For the Goat Cheese Custard:

• 2 eggs
• 4 ounces soft goat cheese room temperature
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• Pinch of cayenne pepper

For the Mushrooms:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 16 ounces sliced Crimini mushrooms
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 medium shallots chopped
• 1 garlic clove finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

Double-Crust Pastry

• 2 1/2 cups 300 grams all-purpose four
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup 2 sticks cold unsalted butter
• 6 or 7 tablespoons of ice cold water

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Instructions

For the custard:

• In a medium size bowl, using an electric hand mixer or food blender, blend the eggs and cheese together. Add the heavy cream, sour cream, salt and cayenne pepper. Combine until smooth and creamy. Set aside while preparing the mushrooms.

For the Mushroom-Thyme Mixture:

• Heat a large skillet set over medium-high heat and when hot, add the olive oil and the mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have released their liquid and are golden brown, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
• Reduce heat to medium low and, using a spatula, push the mushrooms to the edges of the skillet and add the shallots and garlic to the center of the skillet. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes or until the shallots have become translucent, approximately 3 to 4 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the thyme leaves. Set aside to cool while preparing the baking rings.
• For the Double-Crust Pastry
• Add the flour and salt to the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times to combine.
• Cut the butter into small pieces, or grate on a box-grater, add to the flour and pulse for 30 seconds or until only small pea-size bits of butter remain. Sprinkle the mixture with 6 or 7 tablespoons of ice water and pulse the processor for about 30 seconds or until the flour mixture comes together in a mass. Do not over-process, any remaining crumbs in the processor bowl can be worked into the dough on the work surface.
• Transfer the dough to a work surface that has been dusted with flour. Shape the dough (incorporating any of the remaining flour mixture crumbs) into a ball. Divide the pastry ball into two sections, one a little larger than the other and flatten each into a disk.

To assemble:

• Preheat the oven to 325°F.  Coat 8, 3 1/8-inch tart baking rings with oil spray and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Roll the dough 1/8″ thick. Cut 8, 6-inch circles, and fit the dough into the rings, trimming the top even with the edges.
• Spoon 2 tablespoons of the custard into the bottom of each tartlet then add 1/4 cup of the mushrooms. Pour enough of the custard to cover the mushrooms.
• Bake the tartlets for 25-30 minutes, or until they are puffed and the tops are just golden.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet. 
• To serve: Using a metal spatula, lift each tartlet off the baking sheet and set on an individual serving plate. Lift the ring up and off the tartlet. If necessary, run a thin-bladed knife around the inside edge of the baking ring to loosen, then lift the ring. 
• Garnish the top of each tartlet with a sprig of fresh thyme.
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Notes

Rolling the pastry dough thinly will allow you to fill and bake the tartlettes at the same time without pre-baking the pastry cases.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 379kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 136mg | Sodium: 562mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g

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