JB’s French Mushroom Tart – RecipeTin Eats

Do you remember our easy Apple Tart? Well, think the same idea, but savoury. Introducing my mushroom tart recipe – call it “Tarte Fine aux Champignons” in French if you feel fancy! Flaky puff pastry topped with melted Gruyère, sautéed mushrooms and baked until crispy and golden. Let’s go!

Nagi’s Notes

I feel like French food has a reputation for being time consuming and complicated. But for homestyle dishes, it usually isn’t. More often than not, it’s about a couple of hero ingredients making a dish shine – and this Mushroom Tart is exactly that. Just 4 ingredients – puff pastry, mushroom, cheese and butter, Simple and ridiculously good!

A Simple French Mushroom Tart

This is something I used to whip up back home when we needed a quick lunch or dinner that made everyone happy. Crispy and flaky butter puff pastry layered with melting cheese and sautéed mushrooms, all baked to perfection – Tarte Fine aux Champignons as we call it. What could go wrong!?

To enjoy it at its best, finish it with a sprinkle of salt flakes and fresh thyme leaves. A drizzle of truffle oil will bring it to another level if you have some. You’ll be surprised by the work-to-reward ratio here. A true winner!

Ingredients

Here is what you need to make this Tarte Fine aux Champignons. Please do your best to get a puff pastry made with butter rather than oil. Butter beats oil everyday when it comes to flavour. Take it from a Frenchman!

• Frozen puff pastry – As I say above, butter is better! Butter puff rises more beautifully and gives you more delicate flaky layers and importantly, it has better flavour. Look for a packet that clearly says, “butter puff pastry.” If it doesn’t mention butter, it usually means it’s made with oil instead, which is still ok to use but won’t have the same flavour. 

  Size – This recipe calls for a 25cm / 10″ square of puff pastry which is the standard size here in Australia. If your sheet is larger, simply trim it to size. If you only have smaller pieces, press the offcuts together to form one larger sheet.

• Swiss brown mushrooms – Also called cremini mushrooms in some countries. They have more flavour than white cup / button mushrooms, though they will work fine too. You could also use larger mushrooms like portobello, just slice them up into smaller pieces.

• Gruyère cheese – My logical pick for this recipe because I used it so much in France. Gruyère is a staple cheese in France like cheddar and tasty cheese here in Australia. It’s a firm Swiss-style cheese with a nutty flavour that melts beautifully and has a rich flavour that doesn’t overpower the mushrooms.

  Other cheese options – Comté would elevate it even more if it’s reasonably priced where you are but it is expensive here in Australia which is why I don’t use it. Swiss cheese / Emmental would be my next choice. Otherwise, use any good melting cheese you enjoy such as mild Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Colby or Tasty.

• Unsalted butter – Adds flavour to the mushrooms and is also brushed on the pastry edges to help them turn golden.

• Cooking salt / kosher salt – Used to season the mushrooms. If you’ve only got table salt, halve the amount. For salt flakes, increase by 50%. (We also use some salt flakes at the end as a lovely touch to finish the dish.)

• Black pepper – Cracked black pepper, the one we usually use.

• Thyme leaves – Thyme and mushrooms are a classic pairing. I like it best sprinkled at the end rather than cooked in the mushrooms because you get a better flavour for this dish.

• Truffle oil or extra virgin olive oil – If you happen to have truffle oil, this a great opportunity to use it because it goes so well with mushrooms and adds a really gourmet touch to it. A small drizzle is enough to deliver a big impact and elevate the dish. I know it’s a bit pricey so I wouldn’t go and get it especially. You can always use a good extra virgin olive oil instead.

How To Make Mushroom and Gruyère Tart

This tart comes together in three simple steps: cook the mushrooms, assemble the tart, then bake until the pastry is crisp and golden. There is an actual fourth step “Eat it!”  but I didn’t bother writing it down because the moment you see it come out of the oven, you’ll understand.

1. Preheat the oven and tray – Place a baking tray in the oven and preheat to 210°C / 410°F (190°C fan). Starting the tart on a hot tray helps the pastry cook immediately and become crisp underneath.

2. Cook the mushrooms – Heat the olive oil and butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the mushrooms soften.

3. Transfer to a colander over a bowl to drain. When testing this recipe, my mushrooms didn’t release much liquid. Draining them is mostly a safety step, just in case they do because this would soften the puff pastry.

4. Edges – Place a sheet of baking / parchment paper on the bench and lay the puff pastry on top. Fold the edges inward to create a 1 cm / 0.4″ border around the pastry. No need to use egg or anything to hold in place.

5. Brush the pastry edges with melted butter.

6. Cheese – Spread the grated Gruyère evenly over the pastry. Mostly avoiding the rim.

7. Mushrooms – Top with the cooked mushrooms, spreading them evenly too.

8. Bake – Lift the baking paper and tart onto the hot tray. Bake for 30 minutes, until the pastry is golden, puffed and crisp, including underneath.

9. Finish – Sprinkle the tart with fresh thyme leaves and salt flakes. Drizzle with truffle oil or extra virgin olive oil.

10. Serve – Cut into 4 or 6 pieces or more if you want smaller. Enjoy while hot!

How To Serve Mushroom and Gruyère Tart

Serve the tart warm, straight from the oven. For a lovely French meal, add a French Bistro Salad or my Baby Gem Salad that we shared last week. It also pairs well with other fresh salads like our Favourite Tomato Salad, the Garden Salad, a Mega Italian Salad or more classic like a Rocket with Balsamic Dressing.

It would also work great cut it into small squares and passed around as an appetiser or canapés.

That’s it for this one! If you make it, please let me know how it goes. I always enjoy reading your feedback or seeing your versions. Bon appétit! – JB

Watch How to Make It

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JB’s Mushroom Tart

Author: Chef JB (RecipeTin)

Prep: 20 minutes mins

Cook: 30 minutes mins

Total: 50 minutes mins

Lunch, Main, Starter, Vegetarian

French

Servings4 – 6

Tap or hover to scale

Recipe video above. This is a simple mushroom tart that I used to make for my family back in France. Called “Tarte Fine aux Champignons” in French, buttery puff pastry is topped with melted Gruyère, sautéed mushrooms and baked until crispy and golden. It’s simple but delicious as a light meal with a fresh salad on the side.You’ll probably be surprised by the volume of mushrooms once sliced but it will reduce significantly as it cooks and bakes to an even layer on the puff.

Cook ModePrevent screen from sleeping

Instructions

ABBREVIATED RECIPE

• Sauté mushrooms 5 minutes. Place puff pastry on baking paper, fold a 1 cm / 0.4″ border, brush edges with butter, top with Gruyère and mushrooms. Bake on the preheated tray for 30 minutes. Finish with fresh thyme, salt flakes and truffle oil.

FULL RECIPE

• Hot tray – Place a baking tray in the oven. Turn the oven on and preheat to 210°C / 410°F (190°C fan).

• Cook the mushrooms – Heat the olive oil and butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until soft. Transfer mushrooms to a colander over a bowl to drain in case of excess liquid.

• Prepare the base – Place a sheet of baking paper / parchment paper on the bench. Put the puff pastry on top. Fold the edges inwards to create a 1 cm / 0.4″ border and brush them with melted butter.

• Assemble – Spread the grated Gruyère evenly over the pastry. Top with the mushrooms, spreading them evenly too.

• Bake – Lift the baking paper and tart onto the hot tray in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, until the pastry is golden and crisp (sides and underneath).

• Finish and serve – Sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves and salt flakes. Drizzle with truffle oil or a good virgin olive oil (optional but highly recommended). Cut and serve hot.

Recipe Notes:

1. Puff pastry – In Australia, it’s typically sold in 25cm / 10″ squares. If yours is larger, trim it down; if smaller, press pieces together to form one larger sheet.
2. Gruyère – My go-to for this recipe, as I used it often in France. Gruyère is a firm Swiss-style cheese with a great flavour that melts smoothly. Comté is the closest substitute (though pricier in Australia), followed by Swiss or Emmental. Otherwise, use a mild melting cheese like Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Colby or Tasty.
3. Swiss brown mushroom – Also called cremini, Swiss brown mushrooms have more flavour than white cup / button mushrooms (which still work fine). Portobello can also be used if sliced. Stick to mushrooms with a similar shape so they slice neatly and sit flat, avoid irregular varieties as they don’t layer evenly or have the same texture.
4. Truffle oil – If you have truffle oil, this is a great place to use it. It’s optional but highly recommended, as it pairs beautifully with mushrooms and adds a refined finish. A small drizzle is enough. If you don’t have it, a good extra virgin olive oil works just as well.
Leftovers and storage – Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. Store the tart in an airtight container. To reheat, place in a 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan-forced) oven for 10 minutes so the pastry crisps up again Avoid reheating in the microwave as it will soften it. Not suitable for freezing.
Nutrition per serving.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 304cal (15%)Carbohydrates: 3g (1%)Protein: 10g (20%)Fat: 28g (43%)Saturated Fat: 15g (94%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 66mg (22%)Sodium: 588mg (26%)Potassium: 44mg (1%)Fiber: 0.2g (1%)Sugar: 0.2gVitamin A: 736IU (15%)Vitamin C: 1mg (1%)Calcium: 306mg (31%)Iron: 0.3mg (2%)

Keywords: mushroom tart, mushroom tart recipe, puff pastry tart

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Remembering Dozer

This photo takes me back to the early days at the old HQ, helping Nagi shooting recipes for the first cookbook “Dinner”. The studio downstairs was being renovated so we had to make do with what we had, I am sure you’ll appreciate the garbage bags taped on the window! And Dozer, of course, right where he believed he should be. Sitting between my legs, convinced he wasn’t taking up any space at all. Always there, watching, making sure things were done properly, or at least in a way that involved snacks! But we all know he was a meat lover and this time I don’t think he realised we were shooting our stuffed butternut pumpkin! 😅