RECIPE: Hearty Mushroom and Leek Tart (2024)

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This Mushroom and Leek Tart is rich and hearty, an absolute delight for true mushroom lovers. The puff pastry crust keeps things simple, and the cheesy, creamy filling is full of flavor and absolutely delicious.

Puff pastry is a type of laminated dough similar to croissants. It’s made by layering dough with fat (usually butter in homemade versions and vegetable fats in store-bought) which gives it a light, flaky texture.

It’s delicious! And it’s easy to work with too. You buy it frozen from the store, thaw it at room temperature, and it’s ready to go. Here, we use it to make a free-form crust filled with creamy, cheesy, mushroom-and-leek filling. If you don’t feel like handling puff pastry, try this mushroom and leek filling in a tart crust.

It’s hearty and rich and perfect for special lunches, dinner parties, or a lazy weekend of therapeutic time in the kitchen.

Recipe ingredients

Ingredient notes

• Leeks: Leeks are grown by having sand and dirt piled up around the base of the plant (the part under the dirt stays white). Because of this, leeks tend to be quite dirty and need to be washed carefully. To clean leeks, trim both the root end and the top where the dark green leaves begin. Cut the remaining white section in half lengthwise to expose the layers. Rinse the layers thoroughly in a basin of water until no dirt remains. Transfer to a cutting board and slice thinly.
• Mushrooms: Use any combination of baby portobello, white button, or wild mushrooms, aiming for 8 ounces total. If you hate mushrooms, substitute 8 ounces of soft, quick-cooking vegetables you DO love such as bell peppers, asparagus, or zucchini. Just sauté the vegetables with the leeks in Step 2.
• Havarti cheese: Or substitute Monterey jack cheese.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Arrange two oven racks to the upper and lower middle positions and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. In a large skillet, melt butter until foaming. Add mushrooms, leeks, and a pinch of salt and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes (the first 7 minutes will be the mushrooms releasing their liquid, and then it will evaporate). Stir in the garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

2. Add Havarti cheese, thyme, basil, and the heavy cream. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir until the mixture has thickened, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I used just a pinch of salt because the cheese was rather salty). Remove from heat and cool slightly (you’ll have about 2 cups filling).

3. Unfold both sheets of puff pastry and place one on each prepared baking sheet.

3. Spoon half the cheese mixture onto the middle of each crust (about 1 cup per crust). Fold the edges over to form the rim of the tart.

5. In a small bowl, whisk the egg and water together to create an egg wash. Using a pastry brush, brush the edges of each of the tarts. Divide the Parmesan between the tarts, sprinkling it over the top.

6. Bake until the pastry is deep golden brown in color, approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe tips and variations

• Yield:This recipe makes 2 tarts, enough for 8 servings, ¼ tart each.
• Storage:Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• No mushrooms: Hate mushrooms? Substitute 8 ounces of soft, quick-cooking vegetables you DO love such as bell peppers, asparagus, or zucchini. Just sauté the vegetables with the leeks in Step 2.
• Finger food: For parties, consider cutting each tart in half and then into strips so everyone has a piece of the crust to hold (or cut into wedges like pizza).

Recipe FAQs