Caramelized Mushroom Tarts are a wafer-thin puff pastry covered with a layer of creamy onion puree, then topped with caramelized mushrooms, shallots, and cheese. I found the recipe in Gordon Ramsey's "In The Heat Of The Kitchen", a book I recently read while traveling over to eastern Washington.Many recipes are online, so you can be adaptive and flexible, choosing ingredients at hand. Rather than use bacon for seasoning, I used shaved prosciutto. I used provolone rather than parmesan, and I used white wine vinegar in the pastry dough to compliment the flavors in the onion puree.
Make the puff pastry first, as it has to be refrigerated for 20 minutes before rolling out. (Store-bought puff pastry is easier, but the freshness of home-made cannot be underestimated.)
The onion puree is made from onions sauteed with a tablespoon or two of white wine or chicken stock and a dash of cream. The mushrooms and shallots are seasoned with fresh herbs, salt and pepper - I had only oregano from my garden, but thyme is recommended.
Once the individual tarts are baked they are topped with a layer of the onion puree, then the mushrooms, shallots, and cheese. I served these tarts as an appetizer before our dinner - matpe dhal with brown basmati rice, and a sweet-sour oil-vinegar coleslaw. This coleslaw recipe boasts that it is:"a delicious gfcf, gluten free, family-friendly recipe! It is also (if you double check ingredients!) a wheat free, dairy free, soy free, egg free, tree nut free, peanut free, fish free, shellfish free, corn free, top 8 allergen free, vegan/vegetarian, and South Beach phase 2 safe recipe."
