Wild Mushroom Tart

Why This Wild Mushroom Tart Works

As the mushrooms cook in the hot pan with olive oil, they let go of a lot of their water. At first they look wet and steamy, but after a few minutes the liquid cooks off and the mushrooms start to brown. Once that extra moisture is gone, the mushrooms taste stronger and feel meaty instead of soggy. The garlic, thyme, and rosemary cling to the mushroom pieces while they cook, so every bite ends up seasoned instead of the herbs just sitting on top.

In the oven, the puff pastry and the mushroom topping change in opposite ways that work well together. The pastry heats from the bottom and sides, and all those thin layers of dough puff up and turn crisp and flaky. Because the mushrooms were already cooked and dried out a bit in the pan, they don’t soak the pastry and it stays light instead of heavy. As the tart bakes, the goat cheese softens and settles into the gaps between the mushroom slices, so it holds the topping in place and gives creamy spots against the crisp crust.

Mistakes To Avoid

Rolling the puff pastry too thick or not rolling it evenly makes the base puff in some spots and stay doughy in others. The thick parts don’t cook through in the center while the edges brown, so the tart can end up with a soggy, underdone middle under the mushrooms.

Crowding the mushrooms in a small pan causes them to steam instead of brown. They release a lot of liquid that never really cooks off, so the topping stays wet and can soak into the pastry, leaving the bottom soft and limp instead of crisp.

Adding salt to the mushrooms too late in the cooking keeps them from releasing enough moisture early on. The pan stays dry at first, then suddenly fills with liquid, so the mushrooms turn rubbery and the mixture becomes watery on the tart.

Skipping the short cooling time before slicing means the filling is still very loose and the pastry is fragile. Cutting right away makes the hot topping slide off and the soft pastry tear, so the slices don’t hold their shape.