This Fine Cooking recipe was pretty good, but I wasn’t really a fan of the crust. I suppose you could make this with a more traditional pizza-style crust, but then it would just be a kind of pizza.
If you like a pizza crust that’s a little like a savory—instead of sweet—shortbread, you’re going to love this.
One note is that I did not follow any of the directions for smoking the mushrooms, because as hi-rise dwellers, we don’t have an outdoor grill or a smoker. Instead, I just sliced and sautéed the mushrooms in butter for a few minutes and added liquid smoke while cooking. But if you have an outdoor grill for smoking, have at it!
What you’ll need for the crust:
- 1.5 cups (241g) all-purpose flour
- 0.5 cups stone-ground flour
- 0.5t baking powder
- 0.5t kosher salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
- 0.5 cups (113g) sour cream
What you’ll need for the topping:
- 8 oz. cremini or baby bella mushrooms, stems trimmed
- 8 oz. ripe Roma tomatoes (about 3-4)
- Kosher salt
- 2 eggs
- 6 oz. mayonnaise
- 0.5 cups sour cream
- 1T cracked black pepper
- 1t Dijon mustard
- 8 oz. sharp white cheddar cheese—shredded
- 8 oz. Monterey Jack cheese—shredded
- 0.5 cups chopped fresh basil + more for optional garnish
What to do for the crust:
In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, and salt. Transfer it to a food processor, along with the cut-up butter. Process until coarse crumbles form, about 35 seconds. Now add the sour cream, and process everything until a smooth dough forms, about 20 seconds.
Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and shape it into an 8×10-inch rectangle. Fold it into thirds, and sprinkle with flour. Then roll it out to an 8×10-inch rectangle. Refold it into thirds, rotate it 90 degrees, and re-roll out to an 8×10-inch rectangle. Wrap the rectangle in plastic wrap and let it chill for a least 30 minutes or overnight, to use later. If you chill it for more than 30 minutes, you’ll have to let it warm up a bit for rolling into its final shape.
What to do for smoking the mushrooms
I actually think you could skip this step, as it’s a lot of work for smoking a rather minor ingredient.
Prepare a charcoal chimney, heating charcoal until ashed over and glowing. Meanwhile, soak wood chips in water for at least 20 minutes. Be sure the bottom vents are just open. Gently pour the heated charcoal in an even layer. Drain the wood chips and carefully sprinkle over the charcoal. They will begin to smoke immediately. Add the grilling grate. Place the whole mushrooms in a disposable foil pan on the grill grate and cover the grill with the top vents slightly open. Smoke for 10 to 15 minutes. The mushrooms should still be soft and some liquid will have accumulated. Remove from the heat and let cool. After they’ve cooled, slice the smoked mushrooms into thirds, keeping the stem intact, and set aside.
What to do to assemble and bake the tart
Remove the pie crust from the refrigerator and let it warm up so it’s pliable enough to roll out.
Meanwhile, slice the tomatoes into 0.25-inch rounds, removing any pulp. Place on paper towels, and sprinkle with a little salt. Let stand 10 minutes to help remove any excess liquid. Blot the tops with another paper towel to get even more liquid out of them.
When the dough is nearly pliable enough to roll, heat your oven to 425°F. Roll out the pie dough between two sheets of parchment paper to a 17×12-inch rectangle (the crust will be thin). Remove the top sheet of parchment paper and invert the crust into a 15×10- inch baking pan, and gently remove the bottom sheet of parchment. You could also use a larger baking pan, knowing you’ll need to pinch up the dough edges to reduce the size from 17×12 inches to 15 x 10 inches.
If you’re using a 15 x 10-inch pan, ease the crust into the pan and gently press it into edges of pan, allowing it to hang over the edges, if needed. Trim off any excess dough overhang.
Prick the dough all over with a fork to prevent bubbles. Cover it with a sheet of parchment paper and cover the dough with a smaller pan, pie weights or some other item that will press the dough down during its initial bake. Bake until nearly done, about 15-20 minutes. Remove the weights and parchment paper and let it stand and cool for about 10 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 400°F.
While the dough is cooling, whisk together the eggs, mayonnaise, sour cream, pepper, and mustard in a large bowl. Fold in the cheese and basil and mix until well combined. Using a spatula or large spoon, spread the cheese mixture evenly over the crust. Add the tomato and mushroom slices, gently pressing them into the topping. Bake until the filling is just set and light golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it stand for about 20 minutes before slicing and serving. Garnish with basil leaves.
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