Mushroom Tart

Awhile back I ran across this interesting recipe for a mushroom tart. We like the flavor and texture that mushrooms add to a dish, and use them often. While
I really liked this tart, Greg wasn't as enthusiastic, but he did eat it. The recipe comes from Designs by Gollum where she hosts a Foodie Friday event each week. Lots of yummy things to check out.
Here's the recipe as she wrote it with my comments in red:
Mushroom Tart
Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry sheets -- 2 I used just one and made a small tart - it was plenty for the two of us for supper, and lunch for me the next day.
mushrooms (shitake, etc) 1 box shitakes, 1 box button mushrooms. I used a box of crimini mushrooms.
shredded swiss cheese -- 1 c, more if you like it cheesier
rosemary -- sprigs for garnishing and 2 sprigs (cut with scissors) to scatter over the tart
chopped onions 1/4 c.
leftover vegetables (peas) 1/2 c I used steamed fresh broccoli cut into small pieces.
Sautee onions in butter. Add mushrooms, plus a little red wine (1 T) . Fold in peas. Line a deep pan with a thawed puff pastry sheet. Add mushrooms. Sprinkle with cheese. Place remaining sheet on top of mushroom mixture. Crimp edges. Wash pastry with 1 egg plus a little water (whip with fork).
Bake at 400 degrees 20 minutes or until pastry puffs and browns.
Garnish the tart with rosemary. But let it cool, or your rosemary will blacken in a flash. I didn't have any fresh rosemary, so just skipped this step. Next time I'll make sure I have it, since I think it would add a nice touch to the finished tart.

Menu review

No Menu Monday this week since I won't be cooking here all week. Tonight we ate deli meat sandwiches and chips after having lunch at an Italian restaurant in Lincoln. Tomorrow afternoon I leave for Sioux City for the rest of the week, so Greg will be having frozen pizzas and who-knows-what-else from the freezer aisle at the store. And he's okay with that - in fact, I think he looks forward to it whenever I'm gone for a few days.

I did want to talk a little bit about a couple of the recipes I made last week. Pecan-crusted pork chops was a new recipe, and it was wonderful! If you follow the link in that post, and read the reviews, you'll see that several people felt the coating needed some brown sugar or honey. I don't particulary like a sweet glaze on my meat, except for K.C. Masterpiece BBQ sauce, so I made the recipe as it was printed. The chops were juicy and flavorful, and I like the texture the nuts provide. Neither of us thought it needed sugar.

The other hit of the week was the chicken ceaser pita sandwiches. I grilled the chicken instead of poaching it, and used the herbs for a rub before grilling. The pitas were whole wheat, and I popped them into the toaster before filling with the salad mixture. We only used a couple of pieces of bacon instead of half a pound. Oy! There was a little bit of chicken and half a piece of bacon leftover, so I made the sandwich again for myself for lunch the next day. We'll have this quite often over the summer, I think. The brand of Ceasar dressing we use is Cardini's.

Strawberry Mascarpone Tart with Port Glaze

When we vacationed in Seattle, we made a side trip to some wineries near Woodinville. Our favorite was Chateau St. Michelle, and we brought home several bottles of wine after enjoying a generous tasting session. One of those bottles was a port - a sweet, dark red dessert wine. This wasn't supposed to be included in the tasting, but the gentleman who was pouring was kind of flirting with this one woman who was giggly and flirting back, so we all benefited from his trying to impress her. It worked - on us, anyway. We spent more on this one bottle than all the others combined, it was that tasty. It was so good, in fact, that Greg wouldn't open it after we got home. It was tucked away and all but forgotten.
Last week he was perusing the Gourmet magazine web site and came across this tart recipe with a port glaze. He thought it sounded good, and apparently this was impetus enough to warrant the opening of the special bottle. Oh, and it was yummy!
We followed the recipe as it is written. The crust is very flavorful - we used vanilla from Mexico, and the house smelled so good while it baked.

The mascarpone filling was tasty, but I don't think we need to spend the $$ for mascarpone next time. Regular cream cheese will work fine, considering the price difference.

The strawberries were from Sam's club, a pretty decent price, but they weren't real sweet. Next time I would cut them a bit smaller.

The port glaze was syrupy and reminded me of grapes. Go figure, huh?

Strawberry Mascarpone Tart with Port Glaze

Serves 8

Active time:30 min

Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr (includes cooling)

For tart shell:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

Rounded 1/4 tsp salt

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 large egg yolk

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons cold water

For filling:

1 1/2 lb strawberries (about 1 1/2 qt), trimmed and halved lengthwise

1/3 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup ruby Port

1 lb mascarpone (about 2 cups)

1/4 cup confectioners sugar

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Equipment: a 10-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom (we used a regular Springform pan); pie weights or dried beans

Make tart shell:

Blend together flour, sugar, salt, and butter in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps.

Beat together yolk, vanilla, lemon juice, and water with a fork, then drizzle over flour mixture and stir with fork (or pulse) until mixture comes together. Gently knead with floured hands on a lightly floured surface until a dough forms, then gently knead 4 or 5 times. Press into a 5-inch disk. Place in center of tart pan and cover with plastic wrap. Using your fingers and bottom of a flat-bottomed measuring cup, spread and push dough to evenly cover bottom and side of pan. Prick bottom of tart shell all over with a fork and freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle. Line tart shell with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until side is set and edge is pale golden, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and continue to bake until shell is deep golden all over, about 20 minutes more. Cool in pan, about 45 minutes.

Make Filling While Tart Shell Cools:

Stir together strawberries and granulated sugar in a bowl and let stand, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. Strain in a sieve set over a small saucepan, reserving berries. Add Port to liquid in saucepan and boil until reduced to about 1/4 cup, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl to cool slightly. Meanwhile, whisk together mascarpone, confectioners sugar, lemon juice, zest, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until stiff. (We found a wooden spoon worked better than a whisk with the texture of the mascarpone.)

Assemble Tart: Spread mascarpone mixture evenly in cooled tart shell, then top with strawberries. Drizzle Port glaze all over tart.

Cooks' note: Tart shell can be baked 1 day ahead and kept at room temperature.

Menu Monday

Another winter/spring week ahead, so I'm using the oven, the crockpot, and the grill depending the weather du jour.
Sunday - grilled bratwurst, baked beans, strawberry/mascarpone tart
Monday - chicken francese, brown rice, steamed broccoli, strawberry tart
Tuesday - Beef tips (crockpot), egg noodles, green beans
Wednesday - Pecan crusted pork chops, baked sweet potato, steamed asparagus
Thursday - Chicken ceasar pita sandwiches, sun chips, fruit salad
Friday - grilled burgers, green salad, cottage cheese, chips

Chicken Francese
Recipe from Once in a Blue Moon

thin cut chicken breasts, pounded flat (I will butterfly two regular breasts, then pound them)
coat in flour, dip in egg, parmesan, and parsley
brown in olive oil, then remove to a warm oven

1/2 C white wine
1 C chicken broth
5 lemon slices
2 Tbs. butter (I'll use half butter, half olive oil)
cook down to thick sauce and spoon over chicken

Edited after I cooked this: The chicken was really good. The sauce, not so much. I don't know what I was thinking, but I cooked it in a cast iron skillet - never make a lemon sauce in cast iron... At least there was enough chicken with no sauce that Greg got a nice sandwich from it - he was happy. :o)

Country-Style Chicken Pot Pie

This recipe came to me from the wife of an interim pastor we had many years ago. I think she got it from a Country Woman magazine or cookbook.
I used the leftover rotisserie chicken from Sunday's lunch, including boiling the carcass to make the broth. (I love having homemade broth in the freezer.)
This makes so much filling that I put about a third of it in the frig for Greg's lunch later.

Country-Style Chicken Pot Pie
3 TBS butter (I used part butter, part olive oil)
3 TBS flour
2 C chicken broth
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2-1 can cream of chicken soup (I use Healthy Request)
3 carrots, cooked and diced
frozen green peas, cooked (I steamed the carrots and peas together in a zip 'n steam bag)
1/8 tsp curry & pepper, mixed
1 tsp salt
2 large potatoes, cooked and diced (I had a can of potatoes, used those)
chicken, cooked and cut up
Melt the butter. Add flour and allow to bubble one minute. Add broth and stir w/ wooden spoon. Bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes. Remove from heat. Add lemon juice and soup. Drain veggies, add to sauce (by steaming, there was nothing to drain), add seasonings and chicken. Pour into a deep 2 quart casserole. Top with biscuits or crescents.
Bake @ 350 for 45 minutes.

I didn't have any biscuits or crescents, so I dug out an old recipe by Mollie Katzan in a Moosewood cookbook:
Baking Powder Biscuits
3 C flour
scat 1/2 tsp sal
1 TBS baking powder
6 TBS cold butter
3/4 C buttermilk, yogurt, or sour milk
Preheat oven to 450. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
Put dry ingredients in a food processor bowl w/ a steel blade. Cut in butter until uniformly integrated and mixture has texture of coarse meal
Add buttermilk/yogurt/sourmilk and process for a few more seconds (til dough holds together).
Turn out and knead briefly. Roll out to 1/2-3/4" thickness. Arrange close together on baking sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes.
To freeze: Roll dough into a log shape. Wrap tightly in foil and freeze.
To use: Let sit at room temp 5-10 minutes. Slice 1/2-3/4" thick and bake.

Chicken Piccata

It's been several years since I first used capers in a recipe and discovered how much I like them. Chicken piccata makes wonderful use of these flavorful little flower buds.This is a lighter version of the traditional dish and comes from an old South Beach Diet newsletter.
So sorry I didn't get a photo - I wasn't feeling well and was happy to just get supper on the table. :o)

Serves 2

IngredientsNote: Omit the brown rice, and this is a Phase 1 recipe.

3/4 pound whole skinless boneless chicken breast, halved lengthwise

2 tablespoons dry sherry

1 tablespoon capers

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons trans-free margarine

1/4 teaspoon paprika

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Pound the chicken pieces to flatten them slightly. Season them with salt and pepper to taste. Heat an empty pan on high heat, then add the oil and one tablespoon of the margarine and allow that to get hot (but not smoking), then carefully add the chicken, making sure the oil doesn't splatter. Doing this process will prevent the chicken from sticking. If you heat the oil and pan together, or if the pan isn't hot enough, the chicken will stick.

Sauté the chicken pieces for 1 minute on each side, or until they are cooked through. Transfer the chicken with tongs to a platter and cover it loosely to keep it warm.

Pour off any remaining fat and oil from the skillet. Return it to the stovetop and add the remaining 1 tablespoon margarine, the sherry, and the lemon juice, and bring the mixture to a boil. Stir in the capers, the parsley, the paprika, and salt and pepper to taste, and spoon the sauce over the chicken.

Serve with 1/2 cup brown rice per person.

Menu Monday & recipes

While planning menus this morning, I kept in mind some things in the frig that needed to be used up, and which meats I already have in the freezer. Grocery shopping will be minimal this week, and that's always a good thing.
Monday: Green salad w/ warm goat cheese and stuffed mushrooms (recipes at the end of this post). I meant to make bread this afternoon to go with this, but got busy around the house and forgot until it was too late.

Tuesday: chicken piccata, angel hair pasta, steamed broccoli, focaccia bread

Wednesday: grilled steak and shrimp kabobs, couscous, grilled veggies

Thursday: grilled burgers, baked beans, fresh veggies w/ dip

Friday: crock pot pot roast w/ veggies, homemade artisan bread

Recipes for tonight's supper:

Salad w/ Warm Goat Cheese

(adapted from Ina Garten)

1 (11 oz.) log plain or herbed Montrachet (I used plain goat cheese)
2 extra large egg whites, beaten w/ 1 TBS water

fresh white bread crumbs (I don't buy white bread, so mine were wheat bread crumbs - no big deal)

Slice the Montrachet into 12 (1/2" thick) slices (use dental floss). Dip each slice into the beaten egg whites, then the bread crumbs, being sure the cheese is thoroughly coated. Place the slices on a rack and chill them for at least 15 minutes.

Melt 1 TBS oil and 1 TBS butter in a saute pan over medium-high heat and just under smoking. Cook the goat cheese rounds quickly on both sides until browned on the outside, but not melted inside. Top each salad with 2 warm rounds and serve. (I used only one round per salad.)

I used a combination of romaine lettuce and mixed baby greens, tossed with a low-cal balsamic vinaigrette.

Stuffed Mushrooms

(Allrecipes "Andie's Stuffed Mushrooms")

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
2 pounds fresh mushrooms-stems removed,
chopped and reserved
1/4 cup margarine
1/2 cup chopped green bell peppers
2 teaspoons minced garlic
3 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves, crushed
2/3 cup dry bread crumbs
1/3 cup soft bread crumbs
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

(I add a little salt and pepper, too)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Place ground beef in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the margarine and stir in the mushroom stems, green bell peppers, garlic, parsley and basil.

In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, mushroom stem mixture, dry bread crumbs, soft bread crumbs and Cheddar cheese.

Place the mushroom caps, upside down, on a large baking pan. Generously stuff each cap with the mixture.
Bake in the preheated oven 15 to 20 minutes, or until the filling is golden brown.