Alexandra Dudley
This tart works beautifully for entertaining or even a midweek supper. The Grana Padano adds a flavourful almost nuttiness to the pastry and the filling is rich in flavour of wild mushrooms, thyme and more Grana Padano. I use winter girolles for this but any mushroom would work well.
Ingredients
- 250g white spelt flour
- 50g grated Grana Padano
- pinch of fine sea salt
- 140g cold unsalted butter cut into cubes
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1-2 tsp ice cold water
- For the filling:
- 100g spinach
- knob of butter
- 1 clove of garlic, finely grated
- 3 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 250g wild mushrooms, I used girolles
- 3 eggs
- 100g ricotta
- 100ml double cream
- 120g Grana Padano, finely grated
Preparation
Heat the oven to 180C fan setting. Place the flour, Grana Padano and salt into the bowl of your food processor and blitz to combine. Add the cold butter and blitz until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Then add the egg and just 1tsp water, then pulse again until the mixture starts to come together as a pastry.
Add more water if needed. Tip onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a disc with your hands, then wrap tightly and chill for at least an hour
Lightly flour a surface and roll out the pastry until it is about ½ cm thick. (about 30cm round). Use it to line a 22cm fluted tart tin, trim off the edges then blind bake.
Line the pastry case with baking parchment and baking beans and bake for 15 mins. Remove the beans and parchment and bake for 10 mins more.
As the pastry cooks, wilt the spinach in a small saucepan, then allow it to cool until mild enough to handle and squeeze out as much water as you can. Roughly chop the spinach and set aside.
Melt the butter with the garlic and 2 tbsp of the thyme in a large frying pan. Add the mushrooms and cook on a medium heat for about 5 mins until softened with all the liquid evaporated. Then allow them to cool for 10 mins.
Transfer them to a kitchen roll lined plate if some liquid still remains.
In a large bowl, beat together the eggs loosely with a whisk. Whisk in the ricotta, cream, remaining thyme, spinach a good pinch of salt and cracked black pepper and ¾ of the Grana Padano.
Arrange ½ the mushrooms in the tart case. Pour in the filling and top with remaining mushrooms followed by the remaining Grana Padano. Sprinkle over some more fresh thyme Bake for 30-35 mins until golden and set. Leave to settle for 5 mins, then carefully remove from the tin and allow to cool a little on a wire rack.
