Just a note

Dropping a line to say I haven't forgotten about my blog and my followers- but I have been, and will be offline for a short while due to the passing of my nan. Rest in peace my gorgeous Nan Doreen.
We'll meet again.

Mushroom and Goats Cheese Tartlets

There's just something sweet about High Tea isn't there? And it's not just because of all the sweets you are surrounded by, but for me it's the sense of being taken back to a time where everything was quite elegant. You've probably heard me mention it in the past, my obsession with the 'olden days' when girls would wear skirts, and men would open the door for you. It's a place I find myself drifting off to on long afternoons when I'm caught day dreaming. There's just something so sweet about it, and High Tea takes me to that place.

I was recently asked to be a guest at a charity event, and the theme was of course, High Tea. Perfect. My only problem is that I don't have the biggest sweet tooth, so ideas of the traditional cucumber finger sandwiches and mini quiches began tumbling around in my head. But I thought I'd try something new. A fan for using anything I can find in my fridge, I set out to create this new little number. I had loads of mushies left over from a recent function, along with gorgeous goats cheese- yum! Surely this was the setting for something delicious- and it was.

Once served at the High Tea (on the most elegant stand don't you think?),  the hoards went diving for these little numbers and not the sweets.  I also made those salmon tarts you can see here, and a not so traditional High Tea appearance, Vietnamese rice paper rolls. The feedback however was all regarding the little mushroom numbers. People wanted the recipe there and then- but of course I had to share it with all my blog followers as well. Give them a try and let me know what you think.

On another note- I must say I had the best scones ever this day! They were so fluffy, light and addictive... I think I may have had three. It turned out it was Erin's (event organiser) grandmother who made them. I of course went straight up to talk to her about them. She was the sweetest woman (yes she grew up in the era I adore), and to my surprise handed her secrets over straight away, but I'll save that scone chapter for another day...

I'm happy to report that the event raised an amazing $1082 for the Global Vaddo Charity which provides assistance to the local communities and underprivileged children in Goa. Erin has been doing a fantastic job raising the awareness here in Hobart. To find out more or to make a donation click here.

Get This

2 onions

4 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil
500g button mushrooms
25g butter

100g goats cheese in oil

1 teaspoon truffle oil

Salt and Pepper

Pastry bases*

Creme fraiche (or sour cream)

Snow pea sprouts

*(I will be including a recipe in the near future for simple pastry bases, but on this occasion I went with the cheats version and bought pre-made ones from my local supermarket)

Cook Now

Add olive oil to a hot pan and add finely diced onions and garlic. Saute until translucent.

Gradually add mushrooms that have been roughly chopped. Mix to coat them in the onion mixture and let this cook down until the mushrooms have substantially reduced in size, approximately 5 minutes. Add the butter and season. Set aside and allow to cool slightly.

Add mushrooms to a small food processor or blender. Add a teaspoon of the oil in which the goats cheese sits in and blitz. Add the goats cheese and blitz again. Taste and season accordingly. Remember the goats cheese will add some bite, so don't go overboard with the seasoning until you taste it.

Lastly add the truffle oil. Be careful- you don't need a lot of this, it is very strong, but by far will set this dish apart from other tarts you may have tried. Blitz once more to ensure a smooth mixture. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.

Place tart shells on your platter. Top with a teaspoon of mushroom mixture, top with a tiny dollop of creme fraiche and garnish with a snow pea sprout.

Serve and watch as they disappear.

This mixture will make enough for about 20-25 tartlets