Ina Paarman’s mushroom & onion tart

Ina Paarman’s mushroom & onion tart

Ina Paarman shares her quick and easy mushroom & onion tart. It’s a delicious vegetarian dinner idea for the whole family!

This show stopper is ideal for vegetarians. When we tested the recipe we found it essential to blind bake the pastry first, before adding the filling.

SERVES 4-6

INGREDIENTS

CARAMELISED ONIONS

• 2 onions, peeled and sliced into half rings
• 2 T (30 ml) white vinegar
• ½ cup (125 ml) water
• 2 T (30 ml) balsamic vinegar
• ¼ cup (60 ml) soft brown sugar
• 1 t (5 ml) Ina Paarman’s Seasoned Sea Salt

PASTRY

• 500 g Ina’s Sour Cream Pastry or shop bought all-butter puff pastry
• 1 egg yolk
• a pinch of salt
• a pinch of sugar

FILLING

• 1 x 125 g Ina Paarman’s Mushroom Pesto
• caramelised onions
• 1 x 200 ml Ina Paarman’s Ready to Serve Cheese Sauce
• 8 brown mushrooms, different sizes
• Ina Paarman’s Garlic Pepper Seasoning
• olive oil

GARNISH

sprigs of thyme

METHOD

CARAMELISED ONIONS

Place the sliced onions in a saucepan. Add the white vinegar and water. Boil open for 5 minutes, stirring now and again. Strain and discard the vinegar water.

To the same saucepan with the onions, add the balsamic vinegar, sugar and Seasoned Sea Salt. Simmer open for ±20 minutes until thick and jammy.

TART

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 200°C.

Roll out the sour cream pastry on baking paper and cut into a rectangle of 44 cm x 22 cm. If using bought pastry, join 2 sheets to form a rectangle of ±44 cm x 22 cm.

Using a pizza wheel or small sharp knife, cut off a 1 cm wide pastry strip all round to build up the edges. Make an egg wash by beating the egg, salt and sugar together. Glue the edge strips down with egg wash. Prick the centre all over with a fork.

Cover the centre with baking paper and weigh down the middle using ceramic baking beans or dried beans. Bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove the baking paper and beans.

Spread the Mushroom Pesto over the prebaked pastry centre. Top with the caramelised onion mixture. Squeeze Cheese Sauce over the onion and carefully spread. Be sure not to go onto the outer edges.

Position the mushrooms stem side up on the tart. Season the mushrooms with Garlic Pepper Seasoning and drizzle with olive oil.

Brush the outer edge of the pastry with egg wash to give it a glossy finish.

Bake for ±20 minutes. Garnish with sprigs of thyme.

Print Recipe

Ina Paarman's mushroom & onion tart

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• CARAMELISED ONIONS
• 2 onions, peeled and sliced into half rings
• 2 T (30 ml) white vinegar
• ½ cup (125 ml) water
• 2 T (30 ml) balsamic vinegar
• ¼ cup (60 ml) soft brown sugar
• 1 t (5 ml) Ina Paarman’s Seasoned Sea Salt
• PASTRY
• 500 g Ina’s Sour Cream Pastry or shop bought all-butter puff pastry
• 1 egg yolk
• a pinch of salt
• a pinch of sugar
• FILLING
• 1 x 125 g Ina Paarman’s Mushroom Pesto
• caramelised onions
• 1 x 200 ml Ina Paarman’s Ready to Serve Cheese Sauce
• 8 brown mushrooms, different sizes
• Ina Paarman’s Garlic Pepper Seasoning
• olive oil
• GARNISH
• sprigs of thyme

Instructions

CARAMELISED ONIONS

1

Place the sliced onions in a saucepan. Add the white vinegar and water. Boil open for 5 minutes, stirring now and again. Strain and discard the vinegar water.

2

To the same saucepan with the onions, add the balsamic vinegar, sugar and Seasoned Sea Salt. Simmer open for ±20 minutes until thick and jammy.

TART

3

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 200°C.

4

Roll out the sour cream pastry on baking paper and cut into a rectangle of 44 cm x 22 cm. If using bought pastry, join 2 sheets to form a rectangle of ±44 cm x 22 cm.

5

Using a pizza wheel or small sharp knife, cut off a 1 cm wide pastry strip all round to build up the edges. Make an egg wash by beating the egg, salt and sugar together. Glue the edge strips down with egg wash. Prick the centre all over with a fork.

6

Cover the centre with baking paper and weigh down the middle using ceramic baking beans or dried beans. Bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove the baking paper and beans.

7

Spread the Mushroom Pesto over the prebaked pastry centre. Top with the caramelised onion mixture. Squeeze Cheese Sauce over the onion and carefully spread. Be sure not to go onto the outer edges.

8

Position the mushrooms stem side up on the tart. Season the mushrooms with Garlic Pepper Seasoning and drizzle with olive oil.

9

Brush the outer edge of the pastry with egg wash to give it a glossy finish.

10

Bake for ±20 minutes. Garnish with sprigs of thyme.

ALSO SEE: At home with Ina Paarman

At home with Ina Paarman

Feature image: Matthew Keeson Photography