Serves 6 • Time: 1 hour 15 minutes, plus 2 hours cooling time
Christian Potier’s peppercorn sauce is most commonly served with steak, but who says it has to be a meat-eater exclusive? The sauce is delicious in this vegetarian recipe, too, where mushrooms get a boost of flavor from the sauce.
© The Frynamic Duo
INGREDIENTS
- ¼ oz. dried mushrooms, preferably wild
- ½ cup chicken stock, heated
- 4 Tbsp. butter
- 2 shallots, sliced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 4 oz. cremini mushrooms, cleaned, stemmed, and thinly sliced
- 4 oz. white button mushrooms, cleaned, stemmed, and thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup Christian Potier peppercorn sauce
- Salt
- Flour, for dusting
- One 14 oz. sheet puff pastry, thawed
- 1 egg, mixed with 1 Tbsp. water, for egg wash
DIRECTIONS
1. In a small bowl, combine the dried mushrooms and stock. Cover and allow to steep 45 minutes. Drain the mushrooms through a cheesecloth or a fine mesh sieve over another small bowl so as to reserve the stock. Coarsely chop the mushrooms and set aside.
2. In a heavy skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add the shallots and garlic and cook until the shallots soften, about 2 minutes. Working in 2 batches, add the cremini and button mushrooms and cook until browned, 3 to 5 minutes for each batch. If the mixture get too dry, add more butter.
3. Once the mushrooms are browned, add the chopped wild mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes. Add the peppercorn sauce and allow to reduce by half. Taste and season with salt. Transfer to a bowl, cover with foil, and place in the refrigerator to cool, 2 hours or overnight.
4. Meanwhile, preheat the oven 400°F. Lightly grease 6 tartlet pans.
5. Dust a clean surface with flour. Place the puff pastry over the prepared surface and roll it out, then cut out 12 circles using a 6-inch cutter. Transfer the circles to the prepared tartlet pans and divide the filling among the pans, heaping slightly in the center. Lay the remaining pastry rounds over each tart and crimp the edges to seal. Using a sharp knife, cut 3 slits into the top of each tart. Brush with egg wash.
4. Bake until golden, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool slightly. Remove tartlets from the pans and serve hot or warm.
