Wild mushroom & thyme tart with San Daniele Ham

Hay, Hay, It's Donna Day. There are so many events in the food-blogging world these days that that you'd be forgiven to lose track of them. Although I've only just discovered it, tomorrow's is actually the 5th instalment of Donna Day (initiated by winosandfoodies) and it's got an interesting mechanic as well, namely that, unlike IMBB or SHF, the hosts are not set in stone months and months in advance, but the next host is always the winner of the last round.
Today's theme is Savoury Tarts* and I have to admit I haven't done my homework... I don't know if I am actually to choose a recipe by Donna Hay (which I didn't) - all of the posts I have seen so far do just that. Well, maybe I have just gone through making a batch of tart twice (oh yes, I forgot to take pictures again) only to find that I will be disqualified for ad-libbing...
Never mind, though, because the tart turned out really yummy. I chose wild mushrooms as a filling, very appropriate around here as we're celebrating the start of autumn soon (although it feels like it's already in full swing) and decided to add a bit of oomph with thin slivers of San Daniele ham. Ham seems to feature prominently in my tart recipes, I have gone back through the archives a bit and also found this asparagus, parma & egg tart, a brilliant brunch treat.
Whether you're making this as a light lunch or a starter, you can make this tart in various shapes and formats (I tried 3 over the last 24 hours) - I had a quiche dish, a rectangular loaf tin and also individual tartlets using fluted flan tins with a loose bottom... they're such clever baking forms which I don't use nearly as often as they deserve! So experiment a little depending on which tins or dishes you have at hand, just make sure that you adjust the cooking time to the size of your tart or it might be a pretty chewy affair!

*I will confess here that until seeing "Bridget Jones' Diary", I was mightily confused by the term "Vicars and Tarts parties", eternally wondering what type of food vicars might be... don't laugh, after seeing a dish called Spotted Dick on a menu, I thought anything possible...

Wild mushroom & thyme tart with San Daniele Ham
(serves 3 as a light lunch, 6 as a starter)

375 g puff pastry
25 g butter
2 shallots (finely chopped)
150 g wild mushrooms (go for shitake if wild are scarce)
1 handful of dried porcini mushrooms (soaked in warm water for 10 min)
3 eggs
125 mascarpone
1 handful finely grated parmesan
1 handful fresh thyme leaves
6 ultra-thin slices of San Daniele (or Parma or Serrano ham)
thyme leaves to decorate

Pre-heat the oven to 200 C.
Use the butter to grease your tins (unless you have chosen a non-stick, Teflon-coated one, in which case the puff pastry contains enough fat to easily come out), then heat the remainder in a heavy-based pan.
Choose an appropriate recipient, e.g. a quiche dish with a diameter of ca. 20 cm, 6 fluted flan tins with a loose bottom (10 cm diameter) or a 1.2 l loaf tin, preferably non-stick. Line with the puff pastry (for the loaf tin, it doesn't need to go up all the way to the rim) and set aside.
When the butter has melted, add the shallots and fry until golden brown and softened through. Thoroughly clean the mushrooms and chop them roughly, about 1 cm thick. Add to the pan and cook until any liquid that might form has evaporated. Do bot cover, as this will prolong the cooking time and might make your mushrooms chewy or hopelessly slimy.
Cop the porcini and add to the mushrooms.
In the meantime, beat the mascarpone and eggs with a mixer, add the parmesan and thyme. Fold in the mushrooms.
Pour this filling into the tin/dish and place in the oven on a medium height.
If using a quiche form or a single loaf tin, bake for 20 minutes, if going for individual tartlets, 10 minutes will be sufficient.

Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 5 minutes.
Decorate with the San Daniele and some thyme and serve with a fresh salad on the side.

Comments

[angelika]

Hhhmmm. I love tarts. I have just got me the book "Mes tartes" by Christine Ferber. I only have to find time to read it...

Speaking about foodblogging events, I have just dared to launch my own version. Of course I have "tagged" or rather invited you and hope to receive your menu proposal which I know will be highly interesting to read...

[Ivonne]

Johanna,

That is simply stunning!

[Bea at La Tartine Gourmande]

Your tarts look simply gorgeous! I know I would love the combination of flavors!

[s'kat]

Wild mushrooms and thin slices of salty ham make for a great mix!

[Brilynn]

Haha! This is my first HHDD as well and I also thought I might get booted out for not following a Donna Hay recipe, apparently we're ok and I think your tart looks great, I love wild mushrooms.

[barbara]

Hi Johanna - I love the sound of your tart. What a great combination. Thanks for entering.

[jenjen]

These are some of the pretiest tarts ever. Well done, these look wonderful!

[CookingChat]

that looks like a great combo!

[claudine]

let me know if u get it