Mushroom, chestnut & cranberry tart

Ingredients

• 230 g plain flour
• 60 g margarine
• 60 g vegetable shortening

• FILLING:

• 1 large onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 5-6 carrots , (450g)
• 250 g chestnut mushrooms
• 360 g peeled chestnuts
• olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 225 g cream cheese
• 250 g wild mushrooms
• fresh flat-leaf parsley , (15g)
• 2 tablespoons garlic oil
• 2 tablespoons dried cranberries

• REDCURRANT GRAVY:

• 1 tablespoon walnut oil , or garlic oil
• 1 tablespoon redcurrant jelly
• 300 ml hot vegetable stock
• 1 heaped tablespoon cornflour , mixed with 2 tbsp water

Method

1. Preheat the oven and a large baking tray to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
2. Start by making the pastry. Sift the flour and into a food processor, add the margarine, vegetable shortening and a pinch of sea salt, and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. If you don’t have a food processor, place the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and cut together with the flat of a knife.
3. Add 2 tablespoons of cold water, pulsing as you go until the mixture begins to pull together to form a dough.
4. Tip the pastry into a large bowl and, using your fingertips, pull together into a ball. Knead lightly for about 2 minutes or until smooth and elastic.
5. Shape the pastry into a ball and place between 2 large sheets of clingfilm, then roll it out into a circle slightly larger than the tart tin and no thinner than 3mm. Peel off the uppermost sheet of clingfilm and carefully flip the pastry into a deep 23cm tart tin. Peel away the remaining clingfilm and gently press the pastry into the sides of the tin. Trim the edges and set aside.
6. Finely chop the onion, crush the garlic, then finely grate the carrots. Trim the stalks from the chestnut mushrooms and slice into rounds. Halve 240g of the chestnuts (the rest will be used for the topping).
7. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy-based frying pan until hot, add the onions and cook gently over a low heat until softened. Add the carrots, garlic, thyme and mushrooms, and fry gently until softened and all of the liquid from the mushrooms has been absorbed – around 10 minutes.
8. Stir in the cream cheese and halved chestnuts and mix together gently until the cheese has softened and formed a creamy mixture. Season to taste, spoon the filling into the pastry case then level the top.
9. Place the tart on the baking tray on the top shelf of the oven and the potatoes on the bottom shelf. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the pastry is crisp.
10. Remove the tart from the oven, cover loosely in foil to retain its heat and set aside.
11. For the gravy, heat the walnut oil and redcurrant jelly in a small saucepan, stirring until melted and smooth. Add the hot stock, bring to a simmer and stir in the cornflour. Simmer gently and stir continuously until you have the desired consistency. Set aside.
12. Finally, tear the wild mushrooms into pieces, roughly chop the remaining chestnuts and finely chop the parsley. Heat the garlic oil in a heavy-based frying pan until hot, add the mushrooms and fry gently until softened. Stir in the chestnuts, cranberries and parsley, and spoon over the tart to form a decorative layer. Reheat the gravy and serve with the tart.