Potato, Mushroom, Sausage, Cheese Tart...

This recipe almost did me in...it took half of Rachel Ray, all of Oprah and half of the Nightly News to make!  And I was "making" it the entire time - there is no down time with this one...so, when you've got hours to kill, this is the recipe for you.

(**For my children:  When the time comes to have me committed, like after you've found me sitting on the kitchen floor leading an imaginary orchestra with a whisk in one had and a spatula in the other - wearing my PJ bottoms and two strategicallly placed hot pads...THIS is the recipe you'll want to print out to take to the admitting physician....if he knows ANYTHING about cooking/baking/nut-jobs...then he'll know that this recipe was responsible for my meltdown - it's the "smoking gun" you'll need to lock me away.  Love, Mom**)

I made a HUGE mistake when I decided to make this recipe...I didn't read the entire recipe to the end...thought I'd save myself all of ten seconds...which, if I HAD read the recipe, I would have known this was an all day deal...and I would have called Dominoes instead!  But...once I got going, I had to keep going...

Maybe it wouldn't have been such an ordeal had I not simultaneously been making TWO batches of Cinnamon Rolls - (**For my children:  Mention this fact when you fill out the admitting papers, it will make things easier for you.**)

This all came about because of a cookbook, Once Upon A Tart, Soups, Salads, Muffins and More from New York City's Favorite Bakeshop and Cafe....wow, THAT'S a mouthful!  It's written by Frank Mentesana and Jerome Audureau and I purchased it because the of the photographs - they are beautiful and because I love tarts - and I also aspire to be one!  Kidding mom!    

After the 2 1/2 hours it took to make this, I will tell you that it IS worth the trouble.  It's a very good tart...the crust is crunchy and savory and the filling is, well, filling.  The sausage, potatoes, mushrooms and eggs make this more than just a side dish - it's a meal in itself.  It's also good reheated for breakfast!

Potato, Mushroom, Sausage, Cheese Tart - Adapted from Once Upon A Tart

(I added the sausage to this tart - the mister is a carnivore and if I'm going to serve him something "froo-froo" then it'd better have meat somewhere in it or his bite becomes worse than his growl!)

This recipe makes one 9-inch tart or one 8-inch by 10-inch tart

Savory Tart Crust:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons semolina flour

1 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

3 tablespoons cold solid vegetable shortening

glass of ice water

Position oven rack in center of 400 degree oven.  Put the flours and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, and pulse a couple of times just to integrate the flours and salt.  Add the butter and shortening all at once and pulse quite a few times, until the mixture forms little balls, like moist crumbs, and no chunks of butter or shortening remain.  You have to PULSE, not run, the food prosessor - you don't want the flours and fats to come together into a paste.  Remove the blade from the food processor and dump the dough crumbs into a big bowl.  Fill a tablespoon with ice water and sprinkle over the surface of the dough.  Repeat with 3 more tablespoons.  Using your hands, bring the dough together into a ball, adding more water if needed, 1 tablespoon at a time.  The dough should be just past crumbly, but holding together.  You don't want it to be so wet that it sticks together or turns white in color. 

Cut the dough in half, wrap each half in plastic wrap.  Press each half with the palm of your hand to form a disk.  Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before rolling out.  Roll out 1 disk of dough to 1/4-inch thickness. (I need to use about 1 1/2 disks of dough - my tart pan was a little bigger than a 9-inch round.) Fit it into your tart pan and chill for 30 minutes.  Then use the tines of a fork to prick holes over the bottom of the tart.  Line the dough with parchment paper or foil, and weigh down with pie weights or dried beans.  Place the tart shell on the center rack in the oven, and bake for 10 minutes.  remove the paper and the weights from the pan.  Return it to the oven and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until the crust is a golden brown.  This is now par-baked and ready for the filling.

Potato, Mushroom, Sausage, Cheese Tart:

1 pound red-skinned potatoes, well scrubbed, cut into 1/4-inch disks

1 pound smoked sausage - fully cooked, sliced into 1/4-inch slices

1/2 big yellow onion, diced fine

1/4 olive oil

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

salt and freshly ground black pepper (for roasting)

2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon

4 large eggs

1/2 cup light cream

1 teaspoon salt

1 few turns of freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2  pounds white mushrooms or a mix or mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and thinly sliced

1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese

(Think of this as an omelet in a tart shell - just make sure to cut the potatoes and the sausage thin.)

Heat oven to 400 degrees and postition rack in the center.  Toss the potatoes, sausage and onion with half of the olive oil, garlic, sprinkling of salt and pepper.  Spread the potatoes, sausage and onion out on a sheet pan and roast them for approximately 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes can be pierced easily with a fork.  Remove the sheet pan from the oven and allow to cool slightly.  Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees.

Sprinkle the tart shell with the chopped tarragon.  Scrape the cooled potatoes, sausage and onion evenly into the tart shell.  Whisk the eggs in a small bowl; whisk in the cream, salt and pepper.  This is the custard.  Pour the custard over the potato mixture until it comes to within 1/4 inch from the top edge of the crust.  Place the tart on the center rack in oven and bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour, or until the custard is set. 

While the tart is baking, warm the remaining olive oil in a large saute pan over high heat until the oil is almost at the smoking point.  Add the mushrooms and stir to coat them with the oil.  Saute the mushrooms, occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes, until mushrooms are glossy and dark.  Then sprinkle with salt and stir again.  Remove the pan from the heat. 

Remove the tart from the oven.  While the tart is still warm, sprinkle the cheese evenly over the tart filling.  Dump the mushrooms on top of the cheese, and use your fingers or a fork to spread them in an even blanket over the cheese.  Return the tart to the oven, and bake it until the cheese melts, about 5 minutes.  Remove the tart from the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool slightly.  Remove the sides of the tart carefully by resting it on a big can and sliding the outside ring down and off the tart.  Place the tart on your work surface and slide it off the bottom of the pan and onto a rimless serving dish or a cutting board.  Serve warm or a room temperature.  Serves 6. 

WHEW!!!  Now do you see why it took me all afternoon?!?!  If you make this, PLEASE let me know...I'll send you a TART BADGE that you can wear proudly in your kitchen!

"Men who never get carried away should be."  Malcolm Forbes

Comments

[Shauna]

Mmmm -that looks tasty. Does it have to be Semolina flour? Why the particularities -is there a difference? Semolina sounds like something I try to keep OUT of the kitchen ;) Yes these questions are important. While I realize this recipe is out of my league. It still must be attempted -if only for the "TART" badge. Plus I cannot fathom a situation where I would be trying to make this ~and~ cinnamon rolls.

[evil chef mom]

Oh wow! Yeah I would be banging my head against the fridge with this recipe.