Although it’s pretty easy to make your own puff pastry, shop-bought is a good vehicle for piling high with an assortment of delicious toppings, and you can get it in most supermarkets. A tart made with this is also a great snack or starter for when you have friends around as you can make something relatively easy but impressive. Just cut it up into smaller wedges and serve it. I don’t know why, I always want puff pastry to be cold before cooking it, as this will give you the best puff, so leave it in the refrigerator until just before you need it.
How to Make Wild Mushroom, Ricotta and Caramelised Onion Tart
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) and line a baking sheet with baking parchment (use a drizzle of oil under the parchment to secure it).
Put 2 tablespoons of the oil, the balsamic vinegar and onions into a frying pan over a low heat, season with salt and cook for 20–30 minutes until very soft and sweet. The key is to keep your heat low as the onions will want to catch and burn. If the onions start to burn, add about 1 tablespoon of water and give them a stir.
While the onions are cooking, clean, trim and slice the mushrooms into halves or thirds – you want to keep the mushrooms quite big to give the tart some body and texture. Put the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil into a heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat along with the garlic, mushrooms and wine vinegar. Season with sea salt and pepper, then cook for around 10 minutes until the mushrooms have softened and reduced in size.
Once everything is ready, lightly flour a surface and roll out the pastry slightly, just one roll on all four sides. Slide the pastry onto the prepared baking sheet, then spread the ricotta onto the pastry, leaving a border of about 3cm (1¼ inches) on all sides. Score a border of about 1cm. Top the ricotta with the caramelised onions, followed by the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Brush the beaten egg onto the scored pastry borders, then bake the tart in the oven for 10–15 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown. Slice and serve immediately.
