Savoury Honey Fungus Tart is a modern British recipe (based on an Italian original) for a classic tart of honey mushrooms and smoked cheese in an egg and cream custard base baked in a shortcrust pastry shell. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Savoury Honey Fungus Tart.
(click this button to prevent the screen from sleeping so Cook Mode is 'ON')
This is originally a savoury north Italian recipe that makes the most of the honey fungus, which is the star of the dish.
Ingredients:
For the Pastry:
250g Type 00 flour
125g Butter, cold
1 medium eggs
1 tsp Coarse salt
For the Filling:
500g Honey mushrooms (young ones are best)
210g Smoked Scamorza cheese (or your choice of smoked cheese), cubed
120ml Fresh single cream
2 Eggs
Thyme leaves, to taste
Fine sea salt, to taste
freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Method:
Begin by preparing the shortcrust pastry: in a food processor with a steel blade, pour in the flour then add cold diced butter from the fridge, then add the coarse salt followed by the thyme.
Crack in the egg, then blend until you get a crumbly mixture. Transfer this mixture onto a work surface and quickly knead with your hands to form a dough ball Wrap the dough in clingfilm and let it rest and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Meanwhile, bring a pan of water to a boil and clean the mushrooms by removing the earthy part of the stem and gently scraping with a small knife. Add the mushrooms to the pan and boil for 10 minutes, removing the foam that forms on the surface with a skimmer. After blanching, drain the honey mushrooms and set them aside to cool.
After an hour's resting, roll out the pastry on a lightly-floured work surface to a thickness of 6mm. Use this to like a pastry baking tin with a bottom diameter of 20cm and a top diameter of about 22cm, trimming away any excess dough with a knife.
For the filling: beat the eggs in a bowl, then whip in the cream, salt, black pepper, and thyme.
Add the mushrooms and cubed Scamorza cheese, then mix well to so that everything is combined.
Pour the filling mixture into the prepared pastry shell, adding some more thyme leaves for flavour. Transfer to an oven preheated to 200C (180°C fan) and bake for 30 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 180°C and bake for another 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 10 minutes then cut into wedges and serve.
The savory tart can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. It can be frozen after being cooked and allowed to cool completely.
