These beautiful little vegan mushroom tartlets from Rishim Sachdeva are the perfect vegan starter. They’re made with several different types of mushroom - oyster, button, chanterelle - and the filling is infused with a touch of barley caramel, for a subtle sweetness. To enhance the mushrooms’ flavour, Rishim has also used Lee Kum Kee’s Premium Mushroom Seasoning Powder to enhance the depth of each element. You can also use leek oil, instead of rapeseed oil. This makes 8-10 tartlets, but each one needs to be par-baked with another tartlet tin on top. If you don't have enough tart tins you can do this in batches.
For the tart dough, whisk together the flour, sugar, mushroom powder and salt
Add the butter to the bowl with the dry ingredients and toss, separating the pieces and coating them in the flour mixture. Use your fingertips to quickly break and smash the pieces of butter into smaller pieces. It’s okay if some of the butter is left in large pieces; you’ll break it up more in the next step
Make a well in the centre of the bowl and add half of the ice water. Toss with a fork to distribute the water until you have a clumpy mixture with lots of dry spots. Switch to a knife and chop into the mixture, distributing the water and cutting down the pieces of butter further, until you have pieces no larger than a pea
Push the mixture together into a pile and squeeze it with your hands so it holds together in large pieces. If you still have some dry floury areas, move the large pieces of dough to one side, leaving the dry bits in the pile
Drizzle the remaining ice water over the floury area, then use the knife in the same chopping motion to evenly distribute the water. Squeeze the dough to bring it together
Repeat with more ice water as needed until no dry flour remains
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured bench. Pat the dough into a square, then use a floured rolling pin to flatten the square until it’s 2 cm thick
Wrap tightly in cling film, and lightly roll the package with the rolling pin to force dough into the edges and corners. This will help evenly hydrate the dough as it rests
Chill for 1–2 hours, until rested and firm
For the barley caramel, first heat up enough oil to deep-fry the barley. You’ll need the oil to be very hot – about 200°C – so keep a close eye on it and use a high-sided, stable pot
Fry the barley until it has very slightly puffed and cracked and is soft. Transfer to a paper towel-lined tray with a slotted spoon to drain, then sprinkle with some mushroom powder while hot
Once cool, discard any grains that haven’t puffed
Next, carefully heat the sugar, butter and a touch of water in a pan until the sugar caramelises and turns golden, swirling as needed so the sugar cooks evenly. Uses a heavy-bottomed saucepan, and be careful as the caramel will be very hot
Stir the seasoned barley and mushroom powder into the caramel then set aside
For the mushroom ragout, first clean the oyster mushrooms and tear them into pieces
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat, then add the shallots and garlic
Add the torn oyster mushrooms to the pot. Sauté for about 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms start to brown slightly
Stir in the plum tomatoes, herbs, smoked paprika and salt and pepper
Bring the mixture to a simmer, and cook for 30 mins, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and the mushrooms are tender
Add in the balsamic vinegar, and a splash of vegetable stock as needed to loosen the sauce
For the tofu filling, blend the silken tofu, smoked paprika, soy milk, cornflour and mushroom seasoning powder together in a food processor until very smooth. Stir in the mushroom ragout and caramel
For the parfait, heat the oil and butter in a large pot over high heat
Add the button mushrooms and cook for about 8–10 minutes until browned, then season with mushroom powder
Stir in the miso paste and vegetable stock. Mix well to dissolve the miso paste into the liquid
Cook down until the liquid has reduced to a syrup-like consistency
Purée the mixture, and then and add more melted butter if needed for everything to emulsify together
Roll the dough out until it’s 2–3 mm thick. Cut out a circle that’s slightly larger than your tartlet tins. Press very firmly into the base and sides of each tin, making sure it’s pushed into every nook and cranny
Trim off any excess and dock all over the base with a fork
Chill in the freezer or blast chiller for at least 30 minutes
Preheat the oven to 175°C
Line the tarts with baking paper and top with another tartlet tin
Bake for 7–8 minutes, then remove from oven and set aside to cool
Divide the tofu filling between the tartlet tins, and then bake – still at 175°C – for 5–6 minutes
To make the buttered chanterelles, first carefully peel the yellow skin from their stems with a sharp paring knife
Cook the chanterelles in a pan with butter until tender and just slightly coloured
To serve the tartlets, top each one with a spoonful of mushroom parfait and a few dots of rapeseed oil
Garnish each tart with some buttered chanterelles and sprouts, and then serve
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