One of my favourite things about entering the colder months are the sauces and rich flavours our meals tend to adopt. I can never understand people who do not love sauce, I tend to drown my mashed potatoes in the sauce that was meant for meat at the dinner table, and always give a bit of an evil eye to the other one at the table who has the same method.
Sauce is just…. The best.
One of my favourite sauces to make is that with a red wine reduction. The bolder the wine, the better the sauce in my opinion. You can make something so easy and simple fancier by creating a sauce with some red wine. It can be added to any sauce that goes with mashed potatoes or meat, such as a Bolognese, a Shepherd’s pie, and so much more.
I decided to make a puff pastry tarte, and since I had some red wine left over from the other night, I thought they would go perfect with some brown mushrooms. These little tartes are so easy to make and can be substituted with so many different toppings. These tartes can be served as a quick appetizer with friends, or as a snack with a nice glass of wine while you cuddle on the couch and turn on your Netflix. I mean why not upgrade your bowl of popcorn to something a bit “fancier”?
I personally love the combination of the red wine mushrooms with goat cheese, my husband on the other hand is not such a goat cheese fan, but I think the bold goat cheese complimented the richness of the mushroom sauce well.
Get creative with these little tartes and you will have your guests wanting more in no time!
Puffed Tarte with Goat Cheese and Red Wine Mushrooms
1 pkg puff pastry
100g brown mushrooms, sliced
2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp crème fraiche
100g cheese (I used goat cheese)
100ml red wine
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp paprika powder
1 egg, beaten
Salt and Pepper
In a large pan add olive oil. Once hot, add onion, mushroom, salt and pepper. Simmer until browned. At high heat, add red wine and tomato paste. Keep simmering until liquid has evaporated and you have a thick sauce.
Preheat oven to 180C.
Add puff pastry to baking sheet. Fold the edges and press with a fork. Add crème fraiche to the middle of the puff pastry and spread evenly. Add the mushroom onion mixture. Top off with sliced goat cheese.
With a brush, brush the beaten egg on the folded edges of the puff pastry.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until the puff pastry is golden brown and the cheese has melted.
Optional: Garnish with additional crème fraiche and parsley.
