For me, the holidays scream decadence, and decadence to me means butter and crust and rich ingredients, like pesto, pâte sablée, and ricotta cheese. For the first days of October, The Kitchn had a “baking school” where participants would get an email in their inbox every business day with a different baking challenge. When I heard of this pâte sablée, I instantly started drooling and couldn’t wait to try to make one! Mushrooms, shallots, and pesto were calling my name for this decadent, savory tart!
Pâte sablée is a sandy, tender crust that is quite different than a regular pie crust which tends to be much more flaky than sandy. This kind of crust enables one to easily break off a piece with not much trouble at all, and is mostly used for fruit tarts. I followed the links at the bottom of this particular post, and saw some really great savory applications, so I just had to do it. I haven’t been this excited about a cooking/baking technique in a long time!
The key to this crust is softened butter rather than cold butter. We want to coat all of the flour granules in order to inhibit gluten production. This makes the texture of the crust sandy and tender. To eliminate the need for extra flour, you can roll it out between two pieces of wax paper or parchment to prevent sticking.
Then, gently drape the crust over the tart pan, and press into the pan, without stretching it out too much. Cut the excess crust off with a knife, or you can also run your rolling pin across the top to cut off the excess dough.
I love the earthiness of the mushrooms, pesto and shallots. The lemony, creamy ricotta is a welcome surprise, and contrasts nicely with the buttery, sandy crust and earthy veggies. It’s absolutely wonderful by itself, but is also great for breakfast too! Just add a perfectly poached egg on top!
Happy Baking!
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- For The Crust
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- 1 1/2 Cups Flour
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- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
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- 1 Large Egg Yolk
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- 4 Ounces Softened Butter (1 stick)
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- 1 Tablespoon Water
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- For The Tart
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- 1 Pound Cremini Mushrooms, washed, de-stemmed, and sliced 1/4″ thick
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- 1/2 Cup Pesto
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- 1 Pound Shallots, peeled and halved
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- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
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- 2 Teaspoons Balsamic Vinegar
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- 1 1/4 Cup Ricotta Cheese
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- 1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
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- 1 Large Egg
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- 1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice
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- 1/2 Teaspoon Lemon Zest
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- 1 Teaspoon Salt, divided
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- 1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Cracked Black Pepper, divided
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- Equipment
- 11″ Fluted Tart Pan
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- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter. Add in the yolk, and mix until it’s incorporated well. Add in the flour and salt and continue to mix well.
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- When all the flour is coated with the butter, add in the water, and mix until just combined.
- Shape into a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
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- Preheat oven to 400°F, and prepare two large sheet pans with parchment paper or silpats.
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- In a large bowl, toss together the shallots, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Spread evenly on one of the sheet pans.
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- Using the same bowl, gently toss the mushrooms with the pesto, coating them evenly, and spread evenly on one of the pans.
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- Roast the mushrooms and shallots in the oven for about 25-30 minutes until golden brown, and most of the liquid has evaporated. When done, remove from the oven until cool enough to handle.
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- While the vegetables are roasting, remove the crust from the refrigerator, and roll out between two sheets of parchment or wax paper. Gently press into the tart shell, and up the sides carefully. Cut off the excess dough at the edge, prick the bottom multiple times with a fork to prevent too much rising. When the veggies are done roasting, turn the oven down to 350°F, and par-bake the shell for about 13 minutes until slightly browned. When the time is up, remove from the oven and let cool.
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- In a small bowl, mix the ricotta cheese, Parmesan, lemon juice, lemon zest, egg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix well.
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- Spread the ricotta mixture evenly on the bottom of the tart shell, and artfully arrange the roasted shallots and mushrooms so that each piece will have a good amount of both.
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- Place the tart on a sheet pan and place in the oven for 45-50 minutes until the crust is golden brown.
- Let cool for 5-7 minutes, then serve!
That recipe looks amazing. I agree with you, holidays are about decadence. Good think they only come a few times a year!
Love this!!! Can’t wait to try this decadent morsel.
Ohhh man! That crust! It looks amazing, Natalie!
8 oz butter? or one stick (4 oz)?