Berret’s Mushroom Tart

A special occasion dish.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: French

Ingredients

Pastry Crust

  • 2 ½ cups flour
  • 1 ¼ cups cold vegetable shortening
  • ½ cup ice water plus or minus
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons salt

Asparagus and Oyster Mushroom Filling

  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 2 to 3 cups coarsely grated dry Monterey Jack cheese about 6 ounces
  • ½ medium onion grated (not chopped)
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 ½ cups half and half
  • 1 ½ cup coarsely chopped oyster mushrooms
  • ½ pound asparagus cut into ½-inch slices
  • ¼ cup pimientos

Instructions

  • Pastry crust
  • Cut cold shortening into flour till mixture resembles a very coarse meal. Add sugar and salt to cold water and stir to dissolve then add to dry ingredients slowly and mix until all holds together.
  • Divide dough into 2 pieces. Freeze or refrigerate one piece for other uses. Roll the other piece out on a floured board to ¼ inch thick. Roll dough up on rolling pin and transfer to a 10-inch tart pan, leaving ½-inch overhang. Set aside.
  • Filling
  • Mix sour cream and dry Monterey Jack cheese in a bowl with a spoon. Add grated onion, nutmeg, salt and ground red pepper. Mix in eggs and half and half. Add oyster mushrooms, asparagus and pimientos.
  • Pour into prepared shell and bake at 325°F for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until filling is set and puffed. Let sit for ½ hour before cutting.