Still working on appetizers for New Years. I guess I don’t think about a meal as much as I think about appetizers so I’ll have time for one more after this recipe, before New Years Eve! If you want to use steak, since it seems to be on sale everywhere this week, try the Steak Appetizer.
I made the tart in this picture with crab. And yes I have a square tart pan. If you saw the number of tart pans I have you’d think I make tarts all the time, or I’m selling tart pans on the side!
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
- 3/4 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese or Gruyere cheese
- 4 TBSP butter
- 3 cups mushrooms, sliced (use 2 or 3 different kinds if possible)
- 1/4 tsp dried marjoram
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup grated Swiss cheese
- 1 TBSP chopped green onions
- 1/2 cup ham, cut in small cubes or lump crab meat
- Dash ground red pepper, optional
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400°F.
- Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet large enough to fit into your pan. Press the pastry into a tart pan with a removable bottom, or use a disposable aluminum baking pan (so you can cut the sides after it’s cooked and remove the tart), or line one of your pans with foil, or use a springform pan. Trim any excess pastry. Place a piece of aluminum foil on the pastry. Add dried beans or pie weights.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until the pastry is golden. Remove the beans/weights and foil. You will have to let the pastry pastry cool a bit so the pastry doesn't stick to the foil. I had to remove the weights first to help it cool faster. After cool, lay Monterey Jack on top of pastry.
- Heat 2 TBSP butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add about 1/2 the mushrooms and cook in one layer (do not crowd the pan or they will stew). Sprinkle with marjoram. Let the mushrooms caramelize at least on one side. Remove to cool. Repeat with the rest of the mushrooms
- Combine eggs and cream. Add Swiss cheese, onions, mushrooms, ham, and red pepper, mix well. If you’re using crab, lay it on the Monterey cheese on top of the puff pastry. Carefully pour the egg and cream mixture into the pastry shell.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until the tart is golden brown.
- Note: You can substitute a pie crust for the puff pastry.
Tart pans come in several shapes and sizes. Below are pictures of a round and a square one. Both have removable bottoms. When the tart is done baking, you place the center of the bottom of the tart pan on top of something like a can, and the fluted ring should just fall off.
