This summer I have served mushroom leek tartlets a few times when hosting friends. Having made different versions of Mushroom tarts and galettes, I find these bite size version is the best and has been a crowd pleaser every time. Thanks to Chef Chao for inspiring me years back in 2015! I have been continually improving on this recipe 😊. This is the best so far. Both crust and filling are spot on!

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Ingredients

Tart Shell

• 1 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup water
• 3 cups + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 cup + 5 Tbsp unsalted butter, very cold

Filling

• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
• 1 lb baby bella mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 Tbsp white wine, optional
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 large leeks, washed, trimmed, and cut in quarters lengthwise and sliced cross-wise
• 1 cup finely sliced shallots
• 1/3 cup grated aged white cheddar
• 1/8 cup grated Parmesan cheese for garnish
• Chopped fresh thyme leaves
• Ground black pepper

Directions

Tart Shell

1. Add salt to the water, stir to dissolve. Keep solution very cold in the refrigerator until ready to use.
2. Cut butter into 1/2 inch chunks, keep in the refrigerator.
3. Add flour to the work bowl of a food processor.
4. Scatter the butter chunks over the flour.
5. Pulse briefly until the mixture forms large crumbs, and some of the butter is still in pieces the size of peas.
6. Add the salt water and pulse for several seconds until the dough begins to come together in a ball but is not completely smooth.
7. On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into 10 equal portions for tartlets.
8. Roll each portion into a disc about half-inch thick.  Separate the discs with parchment or wax paper. Place the stack of dough discs in a plastic storage bag. Seal tight. Refrigerate the dough overnight. Freeze unused portions of the dough for future baking sessions.

Filling

1. Melt the butter over medium high heat.
2. Sauté the shallots and garlic until softened and beginning to brown.
3. Add the leek and sauté for another 10-15 minutes until brown.
4. Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté another 10-15 minutes until the liquid released from the mushrooms has evaporated.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Add the white wine to deglaze the pan if needed/desired.
7. Stir in the grated aged cheddar.
8. Remove from heat to cool.

Assembly

1. When ready to assemble the tart.
2. Take each disc out of the refrigerator, one at a time. For my mini tart pan, each dough disc is divided in half to fill two tart molds. Adjust according to the size of your tart pan.
3. Roll each dough portion out into a circle slightly larger than the tart mold. Lay the disc over the tart mold. Press the dough into the mold and crimp the edges. Keep the tart pan in the refrigerator while working on the next disc. Repeat for the number of tarts desired.
4. Chill the lined tart pan until the dough is firm.
5. Remove from the refrigerator and fill each tart with the mushroom filling.
6. Sprinkle the top with grated Parmasean and chopped fresh thyme leaves.
7. Return to the refrigerator to chill.
8. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
9. Remove tart pan from the refrigerator and bake until the shells are brown. About 30 minutes.
10. Remove from oven and cool.
11. Serve warm.