Wild Mushroom and Fontina Tartlets

From The Best-Ever Pastry Cookbook by Catherine Atkinson. Yum. Times are estimates and does not include chilling time (especially as you can make the filling while the pastry chills).

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• Pastry

• 1  cup whole wheat flour
• 1⁄4 cup butter, diced
• 1⁄2 cup ground walnuts (roasted if desired)
• 1  egg, lightly beaten

• Filling

• 1⁄2 cup  dried wild mushrooms (1 oz.)
• 1 1⁄2 cups water, boiling
• 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 1  red onion, chopped
• 2  cloves garlic, minced
• 2  tablespoons dry sherry
• 1  egg
• 1  cup  light cream
• 1  ounce Fontina cheese, sliced very thin (grated would also be fine)
•  salt and pepper, to taste
•  arugula, to serve

Directions

1. >>Pastry:Sift flour into a large mixing bowl.
2. Be sure to add any bits of bran that get caught in the sifter.
3. Rub or cut in the butter until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
4. Stir in the ground walnuts.
5. Add egg and mix to form a soft dough.
6. Form a disc of the pastry (this helps minimize the handling after the dough has been chilled when you roll it out) and cover in plastic wrap.
7. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
8. If you refrigerate longer than this, let dough sit at room temperature for a few minutes or until workable.
9. >>TARTLETS:While your dough is chilling, soak the mushrooms in the boiling water.
10. Drain through a fine sieve and reserve the liquid.
11. Heat your oil in a large frying pan.
12. Sautee the onions for about 5 minutes over medium-high heat, until softened and very lightly golden.
13. Add the garlic and sautee for about 2 more minutes.
14. Add the soaked mushrooms to the pan and cook for about 7 minutes over high heat.
15. Add the sherry and reserved liquid left from the mushrooms.
16. Cook until all the liquid has evaporated.
17. Season as desired with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.
18. Preheat your oven to 400F.
19. Butter four 4" tartlet tins or mini-quiche pans.
20. Roll your chilled pastry out on a lightly floured work surface and line the tins.
21. Prick the pastries all over with a fork, line with foil and fill with beans, rice or the beads specifically designed for blind baking pie crust.
22. Bake for about 10 minutes, then remove the foil and beans/beads/rice.
23. This is called"blind baking" your crust.
24. Lightly whisk together your egg and cream.
25. Add the mushroom mixture and season to taste.
26. Spoon this mixture into the pastry shells and top with cheese.
27. Bake at 400F about 20 minutes or until the filling is set.
28. Serve warm with arugula.