Mushroom and Goat Cheese Tart

Whether you're looking to make a substantial vegetarian dish for your Thanksgiving table, or whether you just love making savory tarts any time of year, this recipe is super easy, delicious, and endlessly modifiable.

Yes, it uses store bought puff pastry. In terms of pre-made things, puff pastry and phyllo dough are two of things I prefer to buy already made. They're complicated and time consuming pastry to make at home, and there are excellent versions of both at the market.

In the picture above I made the tart without egg and creme fraiche/sour cream. The egg and cream will bind the mushrooms a little better, but frankly, I didn't mind it with the mushrooms coming apart a bit. It tasted more mushroomy. If you do use the egg binder, then make sure you're mixture isn't too wet or your tart will get soggy.

If you're not a mushroom fan, you can take the same principles for making this tart, and make it with a combination of any other kind of filling: roasted squash and fennel, sautéed zucchini pepper and feta, potato leek... you get the idea. Basically, you want the filling to be mostly or partially cooked, so that you're really just putting the tart in the oven for the pastry's sake.

You can check out a video of this recipe on our Thanksgiving Pies series over at The Assembly Line . You can also follow us on Instagram or Facebook for weekly recipes and videos.

Mushroom Goat Cheese Tart

Makes one tart, serves 6-8

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 shallots, sliced thin

1 lb. mushrooms, sliced thin (crimini, oyster, hen of the woods, chanterelles or

whatever is available)

3 cloves garlic, minced fine

splash of sherry vinegar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

freshly ground pepper

¼ cup sour cream (or creme fraiche)

1 medium egg

⅓ cup goat cheese, crumbled (or to taste)

2 sprigs thyme, leaves removed from stem

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed and cold

chopped chives, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In a large skillet, add the butter and olive oil. Add the sliced shallots to the butter and oil. Stir and let the shallots heat up for 2 minutes, until just fragrant and slightly softened. Add the mushrooms to the shallots, and cook until the mushrooms are softened and the moisture has evaporated, about 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic and sherry vinegar to the pan and sauté for an additional 1-2 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, and allow the mushrooms to fully cool.

In a small bowl combine the sour cream and egg until the egg is fully incorporated. Add the sour cream mixture to the cooled mushroom mixture in the bowl, stir until fully combined.

Roll out your puff pastry so that it is larger in size than a large dinner plate. Using the dinner plate upside down as a stencil, cut a circle out of the puff pastry. Using a smaller salad plate, gently score an inner circle inside of the larger puff pastry circle. Using a fork, gently poke the inner circle of the puff pastry.

To assemble the tart-

Add the mushroom mixture to the inner circle of pastry. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the mushrooms, any extra liquid can remain in the bowl. Top with goat cheese and thyme. Brush the outer edges of the pastry with egg wash.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the pastry is browned and fully cooked.  Once fully cooked, top with fresh chives. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Pear, Rosemary and Goat Cheese Crostata

I never tire of making crostata's and galettes (as is obvious on this blog). I love that they can be sweet or savory, or walk the line between sweet or savory. I also love that the pastry is simple, with very little wait time. And most importantly, it's a great way to use up some extra ripe fruit.

This pear and goat cheese crostata walks the line between sweet and savory. It's great as an afternoon snack with a cup of tea or coffee (or glass of wine!), or sliced into small wedges as an appetizer at a dinner party. It could also be a dessert, if you're into serving something not too sweet. Also, add more sugar, it will be sweeter. Take away the goat cheese, it will be less savory. The rosemary adds such a nice hit of green and aromatic flavor with or without cheese. If you don't have rosemary, try something else: thyme, black pepper, tarragon, or maybe even marjoram. 

If you don't have a food processor, you can even make the crostata dough by hand (and it's arguably better that way). A food processor helps if you're nervous about mixing it all up evenly and well. Also, good butter helps. This is a good place to splurge on a nicer brand as there really aren't too many ingredients in this pastry. For flour, I prefer King Arthur brand, for its high protein content, but any kind will do. And if you don't want dairy, you could use a quality vegan margarine (like Earth Balance) in the dough; it will make the pastry a little saltier (so omit any additional salt), and it's not quite as great as butter, but it 100% works. 

And lastly, the pears. You want good pears. I like them in this dish when they're really ripe. Even a little bruised is ok. If they're too hard the tart doesn't bake as evenly. You use Bosc, Anjou, or whatever you can get your hands on that's good at the market. You don't need to peel them, and they add such a nice pop of color. 

Pear, Rosemary and Goat Cheese Crostata

Serves 4

For the pastry-

1¼  cup all purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup (1 stick) cold butter, cubed

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons ice cold water

1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten

turbinado or raw sugar, for sprinkling

For the filling-

2 pears (about 1 lbs / 450 grams), ripe but still firm, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

2 tablespoons honey, plus more for garnish (local honey)

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, roughly chopped

juice of ½ a lemon

4 oz. fresh goat cheese

To a food processor, add the flour sugar and salt. Pulse a few times to combine the mixture. Add the cubed butter to the dry ingredients, pulse until pea-sized pieces of dough are formed. Alternatively, you can use your hands or a pastry cutter to combine the dry ingredients with the butter.

To the dough, add the apple cider vinegar and 1 tablespoon of water at a time. Pulse until the dough comes together into a ball but is not too wet. It should stick together between your fingers when squeezed. Roll the dough into a ball, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least one hour.

While your dough is chilling, prepare the fruit and cheese. To a bowl, add the sliced pear, sugar, honey, rosemary, and lemon juice.

Preheat your oven to 400°F (205°C)

Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper. The dough should roll out to about 12-13 inches in diameter, or about ½ an inch thick. The edges do not have to be perfect. Leaving a 1.5-2 inch border, pile the sliced pears into the middle of the crust. Dollop the goat cheese over the top of the pears. Fold the edges of dough over the pears.


Brush the top of the dough with the beaten egg yolk. Sprinkle the Turbinado or raw sugar over the brushed dough. Transfer the crostata with the parchment paper onto a baking sheet.

Bake the crostata for 45-50 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the pears are tender. If the crust starts to brown too much before the pears are cooked, cover the the exposed crust with foil. Drizzle a little honey over the hot crostata. Slice and serve warm or room temp.

Before going in the oven

Quick Pickled Grapes

People often thinking of pickling as a daunting task. It can involve sterilizing mason jars, extended wait times, and washing and cutting huge batches of vegetables or fruits. I love pickled things, and I love the craft of food preservation. But one of the things I love most about pickles is their flavor: briny acidic notes that wake up your taste buds with tang and oomph. A quick pickling process can achieve great flavor when you don't as much time or patience.

I'll never say no to a classic dill pickle, but I've also fallen in love with pickled fruits.  Fruits are perfect for pickling; their sweetness allows for that sweet/sour combination of flavor that is so complex and satisfying. From watermelon to peaches, strawberries to plums, there are so many options. It all depends on the season and what's available. In fall, I love to quick pickle grapes. I'll serve them as an accompaniment to a cheese platter, or thinly sliced in a salad (with hearty greens, toasted almonds, ricotta salata, and a good vinaigrette). They're sweet and acidic, aromatic and crisp.

A few notes: You definitely taste the garlic in these grapes. If that's not a flavor you're into, skip the clove of garlic. If you can't get your hands on pink peppercorn, you can skip that ingredient or just add more black peppercorn. In fact, you can skip a lot of the spices. They key elements are vinegar, salt, and sugar - the rest is up to you. I use this brine for lots of pickles. Aside from grapes, I also love it for shallots or red onion. A pickled onion is a great addition to sandwiches, salads, or as a topping for grilled meats.

These quick pickled grapes are easy to make and look great on a plate. They're not for long-term preserving, but they'll do great in the fridge for a week or so (they'll develop more pickle flavor the longer they cure). And you can easily swap out the grapes for another fall fruit: like persimmon or late autumn plums

Quick Pickled Grapes

1 lb. red seedless grapes (about 4 cups)

1½  cups white wine vinegar

½ cup water

juice of 1 orange

3 strips orange zest

2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon sugar

½ tablespoon pink peppercorn

½ tablespoon black peppercorn

5 cloves

1 bay leaf

1 stick cinnamon

1 garlic clove

Trim the tops off of the grapes. This will allow the pickling brine to fully penetrate and flavor the grape. Place the grapes in a heatproof mason jar or bowl.

In a small pot, bring the vinegar, water, orange juice and zest, salt, sugar, peppercorn, cloves, bay leaf, and cinnamon stick to a boil.

Simmer for 2-3 minutes until the salt and sugar has fully dissolved, and all of the flavors have melded together. Pour the brine mixture over the grapes.

Transfer the grapes to a jar or air tight container. Let the grapes marinade for at least 1 hour, or preferably overnight in the fridge. Grapes will keep for up to one week in the fridge.

Roasted Delicata Squash

Squash season is my favorite time of year, and in my book Delicata holds the title for "best squash."

Delicata has such a buttery soft texture when roasted, it is naturally sweet, and the skin is fairly thin and edible. Sometimes it's nice not to have to bother with peeling hard squash. 

The seeds are also edible. In fact, they're delicious. You can cut the squash into rings and leave the seeds in tact. They'll roast along with the squash, and they add a nutty crunchy element to your dish. My dear friend over at The Yellow Bungalow is also a big fan of this type of preparation.

I add rosemary and a splash of balsamic vinegar to the squash, salt and pepper to taste, and pop these guys in the oven. They cook fast. I like them slightly on the darker end of roasted, but feel free to leave them as long as you prefer.

I eat these as a side, on their own, or on top of a salad. 

Delicata is in the top righthand corner of this display

Roasted Rosemary Delicata Squash

Serves 2-4

One medium-sized Delicata squash

Olive oil (about 2 tablespoons)

Salt and pepper to taste

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves removed from stem

Drizzle of balsamic vinegar (about 1 tablespoon) 

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Cut the squash into rings about 1/4-1/2 an inch thick depending on your preference. The thicker you cut the squash the longer it will take to roast.

Lay the rings out on a foil or parchment-lined baking sheet (not 100% necessary, but makes for easier clean-up).

Drizzle the squash with olive oil. Season with rosemary, salt and pepper. Drizzle with balsamic.

Roast in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until the squash is browned and cooked through. Halfway through cooking, check the squash and carefully flip each side over so that the squash evenly browns on both sides.

Serve warm or at room temp. Drizzle with more balsamic if you prefer.

Roasted Delicata on top of a Kale, watermelon radish, cucumber salad dressed with a simple dijon and balsamic vinaigrette 

Apple Cheddar Biscuits

I've been working on a series that had me (very very happily) traveling to vineyards around the country, and between travel and recipe testing these posts slipped through the cracks. But I've been cooking like crazy for the past few months, and I hope to update the blog with lots of new recipes.

This past weekend, after returning from the last leg of our travels, I embarked on opening my first pop-up restaurant with two other chefs. In planning our autumn-themed dinner we had many conversations about what flavors make us think the change in seasons and dropping temperatures (even in LA, although very slightly). Apple cheddar combos are classic and available year-round, but I always get the hankering to make apple cheddar dishes when apples are fresh and at their best. As in: right now.

This biscuit recipe is solid, and it works without either the apple or cheddar. You can use any kind of apple; I like to bake with something tart and firm. You could also swap apple for pear, or cheddar for another hard cheese. You could add some fresh herbs (thyme) to the batter for another level of flavor.

These biscuits are best served warm with butter and a good jam on the side. Once out of the oven, they go fast!

Apple Cheddar Biscuits
Makes 24 small biscuits, or about 12-14 standard sized biscuits 

1/2 an apple, cubed small
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4  teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
9 tablespoons butter, cubed - very cold
1 cup buttermilk (or regular milk if buttermilk is unavailable) - very cold
1 cup freshly shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish
freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Start by cutting your apple into small cubes. Lay the apple cubes out on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake the apple for 15 minutes, or until tender and cooked. The idea behind this step is to release some of the moisture so that the apple doesn't make the biscuit too wet, and also so that it gets cooked and is a pleasing texture. You will need about 1/2 a cup of cooked apple cubes for your biscuit mixture. Extra apple can be used as a topping for oatmeal or yogurt.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisking the dry ingredients together will help with the ultimate fluffy texture you want.

Add the cold cubed butter to the flour. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture becomes a coarse meal (no bigger than pea sized pieces). Alternatively, you can use a food processor to cut your butter into the flour. Pulse the flour and butter together until a coarse meal forms.

Make a well in the center of your butter and flour mixture. Add the buttermilk, cheddar, and apples to the dough. Using a spatula, gently combine the dough with the buttermilk. Be careful not to over mix. Once the mixture just starts to hold together, transfer it onto your board. Knead the dough a few times until it fully incorporates. At this point, you can chill it until you're ready to use. You can also use it immediately.

On a lightly dusted surface, either roll or pat down your dough to about 1/2-inch-3/4-inch thick. Using biscuit cutters, cut out your biscuits and place them onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. Top each biscuit with a tiny bit of shredded cheese and freshly ground pepper. For a glossier top, you can brush the tops of the biscuits with buttermilk. You can use the scraps of dough to make more biscuits, but their texture won't be quite as good as the one's that are cute from less worked on dough.

Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes until the biscuits have risen and are a golden brown.

Serve warm.

At the pop-up we brought them out alongside some quince jam, and some homemade pickles.

Photo by Mark Hanauer