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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Brush the pastry edges with melted butter.
Cheese – Spread the grated Gruyère evenly over the pastry. Mostly avoiding the rim.
Mushrooms – Top with the cooked mushrooms, spreading them evenly too.
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.
Finish – Sprinkle the tart with fresh thyme leaves and salt flakes. Drizzle with truffle oil or extra virgin olive oil.
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
FAQ – Mushroom and Gruyère Tart
Yes. Assemble the tart and keep it in the fridge on a tray. Make sure the mushrooms are fully cooled before assembling and keep the pastry cold so it puffs properly. Bake straight from the fridge on a preheated hot tray. I haven’t tried to assemble, freeze and cook. But please let me know if you do!
See ingredients list above. ☝️😊
Yes, if they have a similar shape and structure to Swiss brown mushrooms. White cup / button mushrooms or portobello work well because they slice neatly and sit flat on the pastry.
Avoid other mushrooms with irregular shapes. They don’t layer evenly, so you won’t get a consistent topping, and they don’t give the same texture once baked on a flat tart like this.
Yes. Reheat at 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan-forced) for about 10 minutes until the pastry crips again.
Watch How to Make It
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JB’s Mushroom Tart
Ingredients
- 1 square sheet butter puff pastry (25cm / 10″ square), barely thawed (Note 1)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp (30g) unsalted butter
- 400g / 14oz Swiss brown mushrooms , sliced 0.5cm (Note 3)
- 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt , use half for table salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups (tightly packed) Gruyère cheese , grated (Note 2)
- 2 tsp (10g) unsalted butter , melted (for brushing)
Toppings
- 1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 pinch sea salt flakes
- truffle oil or good extra virgin olive oil , to drizzle (optional) (Note 4)
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:
Nutrition Information:
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! 😅
Hi JB, this looks so delicious!
Would you be able to make the mushroom mixture the day before and assemble and bake the next day when having guests for dinner?
I always seem to run out of time when I try to do things like this at the time!!
You had me at butter puff pastry an Gruyère.
Very tasty! Served it with steak and salad. Thank you.
Proper dinner right there! Thanks Wendy!
JB your mushroom tart sounds heavenly. Unfortunately, my husband hates mushrooms, but I think I’m going to need to make this one anyway. It just sounds too good to pass up. JB I’m enjoying your recipes as much as Nagi’s.
And that is just a great photo of you and Dozer. Nagi has so many precious pictures of him that I think she should publish a Life of Dozer book. Between her fans and his it would be a best seller.
That’s more tart for you Debbie! Your husband will be missing out haha 🙂 A life of Dozer book! Amazing idea!
We had this for dinner tonight, it was so delicious. Husband said we should have it again.
Perfect Karen! Can’t ask for more 🙂
Hello Nagi & JB. Thanks for the lovely recipe. I lost my dog on Saturday afternoon. Completely unexpected, due to heart failure, so I know you will understand how I’m feeling right now. Worst thimg in the World.
Hi Emma, we are really sorry to hear this and we hope you have the right support to go through this terrible time. We send you lots of love ❤️
Did anyone else get out their copy of Dinner just to see how the photos of the stuffed butternut pumpkin worked out? That is some serious dedication to food photography JB!
Hi Michele, thanks for checking the book haha! But I’ll be honest I was just have a go with the camera, Nagi is the one who took the photo in the book.
Definitely caught my eye JB. But these days I have to do GF! So everything seems so much more of a hurdle! But not this!!!! Some store-bought puff pastry -2 pieces to make a standard looking puff slice with a bit of egg wash to seal them up! And this gloriously easy recipe! I had the gruyere and the mushrooms in the frig! SOOOOO easy and my beautiful pastry puffed up just like a butter puff. My hubby thought I was a star!!! Thanks for making me look like such. clever cook! And not even any stress to make it! I’m in love!
Hi Chris, I’m so happy it worked out for you! I hope you got all the credits for it!
Just made this looks delicious.
Though I think “shrinkflation” has hit my regular brand of pastry. Squares now 1cm smaller.😂
Thanks Shezzie!! They do shrink a bit 😅
So delicious and easy. I felt like a fancy French chef making and eating this.
Hi Jacinda, that’s what I want to hear!!
Just made this. It is amazing. Relatively easy. Thank you so much for all you do to bring us these amazing recipes.
Thanks Deb for commenting. I’m happy you loved it 🙂
I often make your baked cheesecake recipe.
I wonder if it can be made ahead and frozen?
I have a lunch for about 20 in a few weeks, and thought if I could, I would make this ahead.
I love your recipes, and will make the French Mushroom Tart as starters
Hi Gabrielle, yes you can make ahead and freeze. make sure to wrap it properly before freezing it. I recommend cling wrap then foil. And mushroom tart as a starter sounds great too! 🙂
Absolutely delicious! And so easy!
Hi Susan, thank you so much for making it! ♥️
Can I follow these directions and sub carmelized onions for the mushrooms to make an onion tart?
Hi Kathy, of course you can! It actually sounds really good!
Mushroom pizza move aside!
Haha yes Liz! You are totally right!
Hi JB. Butter and cheese are a rarity in African homes because of how we prepare our food, late alone puff pastries. Never the less, the visual looks heavenly.
But as usual, a dose of Dozer is always a delight.
Hi Annette, I really hope you get to try the tart someday. Thank you for your comment about Dozer 🙂
Does the centre section need fork pricks in it? I have made other tarts using puff before doing this and it meant you didn’t get just a big raised sheet of puff ( not that that is a bad thing) or does the weight of the cheese and mushrooms ‘hold it down’
Hi Ammi, great question! I have tested both ways and you are right about the mushrooms and cheese keeping it down. You don’t need to prick the pastry, great analyse!
Thanks for clearing that up for me.
Can you give the weight for the puff pastry. I’m in Canada and our pastry doesn’t come in 10″ sheets. I thought I might try and make my own.
This is so easy and 100% delicious. A terrific lunch dish and perfect for my vegetarian friends. I will make it again – and again. Thank you.
Thanks Nicola! I’m glad you liked it 🙂
The “PC brand Butter puff pastry”in the freezer section comes with two rolls in the box and each roll is 10” square. Hope this helps .
Thanks for your suggestion Deb. The problem is PC Puff isn’t all butter. It also contains vegetable oils and palm oils, and I prefer to avoid palm oils.
Ingredients
Enriched Wheat Flour, Water, Butter (milk), Vegetable And Palm Oil Shortening Product (vegetable And Palm Oil, Water), Corn Starch, Wheat Gluten. May Contain: Egg, Soy, Sesame, Mustard.
Great recipe JB! Husband who is not entirely sold by veg dishes even commented yum!! 🌟🌟🌟
Hi Beverley! Thank you for commenting! I’m glad you guys liked it 🙂