Mushroom Tart

INGREDIENTS:
- 1 recipe Pate Brisee "Savory, Flaky Crust", baked and cooled
- 1 lb Mixed Mushrooms (Cremini, Shitake, Oyster), sliced uniformly
- 1 Shallot, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon Thyme, chopped
- Chives, chopped- for garnish
- 3/4 cup shredded cheese of choice (fontina and parmesan works nicely for this)
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 1/2 cup Milk
- 3 Eggs, lightly beaten
- Freshly grated Nutmeg, approx 1/4 tsp
- Olive Oil/Unsalted Butter
- Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste
- Caramelized Onions (optional)*- made with 2 Spanish Onions
- Truffle Oil to drizzle on mushrooms (optional)

* For making Caramelized Onions- Get a pan hot over medium heat with equal parts olive oil and butter (1 tbsp total). Add the onions and start sweating. Add salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium/low and caramelize the onions until soft and completely cooked. This will take about 30 minutes to an hour depending on the amount of onions. Taste for seasonings and add more salt/pepper if needed. If the onions didn’t get sweet enough through the caramelization, add some sugar and/or honey. Set aside to cool. This can be made in advance, cooled and refrigerated.

DIRECTIONS:
- Your pie crust should be completely blind baked and cooled before filling it.
- Sauté and brown your mushrooms in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Heat approx 1/2 tablespoon each of oil and butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the first batch of mushrooms and cook until browned and caramelized. Add a proportional amount of the minced garlic, shallots and thyme, and cook through. Season with salt/pepper to taste. Remove from skillet to a bowl and repeat with remaining mushrooms. Once all cooked, drizzle the mushroom mixture with truffle oil to taste if desired. Set aside mushroom mixture and let cool.
- In a bowl, make your custard. Mix the milk, cream, eggs with a whisk are alternately mix in blender until frothy. Add salt, pepper to taste, and nutmeg. Mix in about 1/4 cup of the cheese and set aside.
- On the bottom of your pie crust, scatter out the caramelized onions (if using). Then sprinkle with 1/4 cup of cheese. Top with the mushroom mixture. Gently pour custard onto the mushroom mixture (may not need all custard). Sprinkle with remaining cheese on top.
- Bake the tart in a 325 degrees oven for about an hour until nicely browned on top and the custard is barely set. Let cool before cutting wedges. Garnish top with fresh chives if desired and drizzle with additional truffle oil.
- This can be served warm or at room temperature. It can be refrigerated once cooled and rewarmed, which actually tastes better because all the flavors have set. To rewarm after refrigeration, bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.