Ingredients
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
2 extra-large egg yolks
½ pound wild mushrooms, cleaned
5 slices applewood-smoked bacon, cooked
5 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ½ cups sliced young onions
¼ cup sliced young onion tops
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
½ cup whole milk ricotta, drained if wet
¼ cup crème fraiche
¼ pound Gruyere cheese, thinly sliced or grated
½ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
¼ cup tarragon leaves
¼ cup chervil sprigs
¼ cup sliced chives
A drizzle of super-good extra virgin olive oil
½ lemon for juicing
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
To make
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Defrost the puff pastry slightly and unroll onto parchment-lined baking sheet.
Use a small knife to score a border around the edge of the pastry. Make an egg wash by whisking 1 egg yok with ¼ teaspoon of water. Brush the egg wash along the border. Return the pastry to the freezer until you are ready to use it.
Cook the bacon until crisp, drain on paper towels, tear into pieces and set aside.
Tear the bigger mushrooms into bite-size pieces, leaving the larger pieces whole.
Heat a large saute pan over high heat for 2 minutes. Swirl in 2 Tablespoons of olive oil and wait 1 minute. Add 1 Tablespoon butter, and when it foams, scatter the mushrooms into the pan. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper. Saute the mushrooms 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until they are tender and a little crispy (cooking time depends on the kind of mushrooms you use).
When the mushrooms are cooked, reduce the heat to low and scatter in the spring onions, thyme and ½ teaspoon salt. Stir gently 1 to 2 minutes until the onions are just wilted. Stir in the onion tops. Transfer to a baking sheet and set aside.
Place the ricotta, remaining egg yolk and Tablespoon of olive oil in a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth. Remove to a mixing bowl and gently fold in the crème fraiche and season with a healthy pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper.
Spread the ricotta mixture over the puff pastry within the border. Place the gruyere over the ricotta. Arrange the bacon, mushrooms and spring onions on top.
If you aren’t ready to bake it yet, cover the tart and chill it.
Bake the tart 20 – 25 minutes rotating the tart after the first 10 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and the crust is golden brown. (Lift the crust to look underneath to be sure it is cooked, otherwise it will be soggy.)
Toss the herbs in a small bowl with salt, pepper, a drizzle of great olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Let the tart cool a bit before cutting. Serve the herb salad on the side or scattered over the top.
Adapted from Sunday Suppers at Lucques by Suzanne Goin
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