Savory Vegan Mushroom Tartlets that will Steal the Show

I love The Great British Baking Show (known as The Great British Bake Off in the UK). Even the new version of the show minus Mary Berry, Mel Giedroyc, and Sue Perkins, and with the additions of new judge Prue Leith and new hosts Sandy Toksvig and Noel Fielding, is almost as good as the original. I love every version of The Great British Baking Show: the regular episodes, the holiday episodes, the masterclass episodes.

I love it so much that when I first pitched a column to Alisa she said it read like a sponsored post. The Great British Baking Show and Netflix don’t sponsor me in any way (although I wouldn’t mind), so I toned it down a bit and decided to try one of the recipes for myself – the vegan mushroom tartlets.

Vegan Mushroom Tartlets Spin-Off Recipe from The Great British Baking Show

While I like every episode where the recipes are usually not dairy free, I especially enjoyed episode 7 of collection 6 on Netflix, when the theme for the week was vegan baking. The episode features recipes for Prue Leith’s Vegan Tropical Pavlova and two-tiered vegan layer cakes with flavors such as Briony’s Hazelnut Mocha Cake  and Kim-Joy’s Two-Tier Lavender and Lemon Curd Fox Cake.

But the first challenge of the episode features savory vegan tartlets. The three that looked the best to me were Rahul’s Ghugni Chaat Tartlets, Rahul’s Coriander Pesto and Roasted Vegetables Rose Tartlets, and Manon’s Chestnut and Mushroom Tartlets.

I had some chestnuts on hand, so I decided to make those creamy vegan mushroom tartlets. I had to make a few minor adjustments and substitutions and figure out seasoning measurements since none were given, but I was pleased with the end result.

The other two mushroom eaters in my household loved these creamy vegan mushroom tartlets as well. The sauce tastes almost like gravy, and with the chestnuts and mushrooms the tartlets have a hearty, almost meaty flavor that is very satisfying. I’ll definitely make them again. Maybe someday I’ll brave the pavlova, too!

If you’re looking for a relaxing show, I recommend The Great British Bake Off. And if you’re looking for more dairy-free recipes from the show, another episode that features free-from baking is episode 5 of collection 3 on Netflix: Alternative Baking. Some of the recipes from that episode are featured on the BBC’s website.

Reader Raves

The day we posted this recipe, Danielle G. shared the following feedback on Instagram:

So good! Thanks for sharing. I just happened to have most of this on hand and it made for a delicious lunch! I added some fresh spinach in with the mushrooms too ?

Special Diet Notes: Vegan Mushroom Tartlets

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, optionally nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan, plant-based, and vegetarian.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Creamy Vegan Mushroom Tartlets with Chestnuts

 

Print

Prep time

40 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

1 hour

 

This recipe is adapted from Manon's tartlets on The Great British Bake Off. I did break out the digital scale and weigh the ingredients as directed for the pastry because I wanted the amounts to be exact.

Author: Sarah Hatfield

Serves: 4 tartlets

Ingredients

Wheat Shortcrust

• 75 grams (2/3 cup) whole wheat flour
• 150 grams (1¼ cups) all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon powdered sugar
• 75 grams (1/3 cup) coconut oil, at room temperature
• 3 to 5 tablespoons cold water, as needed

Mushroom & Chestnut Filling

• 4 teaspoons + 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 25 grams (3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon) all-purpose flour
• 250 milliliters (1 cup) unsweetened dairy-free milk beverage (I used cashew milk beverage)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
• 1/16 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 125 grams (about ⅝ cup) baby portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 50 grams (1/2 cup) cooked chestnuts, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, plus optional sprigs for garnish

Instructions

Wheat Shortcrust

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, salt, and sugar. Add the coconut oil and whisk until it resembles breadcrumbs.
2. Add the cold water, a little at a time, to form a dough. (The original recipe said to use 2 to 3 tablespoons of water, but I ended up using 5 tablespoons. Even with more water, it is a very crumbly dough that doesn't hold together very well.)
3. Grease 4 small rectangular (6x11-centimeter or 2⅓-inch x 4⅓-inch) fluted tart tins. (I used heart-shaped patty pans that have roughly the same area.)
4. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces.
5. Roll each piece on a lightly floured surface until each one is large enough to cover the base and sides of a tart tin.
6. Line each tart tin with a sheet of pastry, gently pressing the dough into the sides.Trim the edges and re-roll the trimmings to 5 millimeters (1/8-inch) thick, and then cut out 8 shapes with the small cutters. If you don't have small cutters, cut freehand designs.
7. Chill the crusts and shapes for 10 minutes while you preheat your oven to 400ºF.
8. Line the tartlets with foil and baking beans, and place on a baking tray along with the decorative shapes. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the shapes are light golden.
9. Remove the decorative shapes.
10. Remove the foil and beans from the pastry shells and return the pastry to the oven for another 8 minutes, or until light golden.

Mushroom & Chestnut Filling

1. While the crusts cook, place the 4 teaspoons oil in a small pan and whisk in the flour until smooth.
2. Place the pan over medium heat and cook, stirring continuously, until thickened, about 3 minutes.
3. Gradually add the milk beverage, whisking until the mixture is thickened and smooth, about 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
5. Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a medium pan over a medium heat.
6. Add the mushrooms and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until slightly browned.
7. Stir the cooked mushrooms, chestnuts, and chopped parsley into the sauce.
8. Divide the filling equally between the tart crusts. Top each tart with one or two decorative shapes and a parsley sprig, if desired. Extra pastry shapes can decorate the serving plate.
9. Serve hot. Leftovers can be refrigerated and reheated.

3.5.3229

More Comforting Vegan Mushroom Mains

Mushroom & Sage Lasagna

Roasted Portobellos with Olive Oil Agrodolce

Mushroom Pasta Bake with White Wine Cream Sauce

For Even More Recipes, Get Go Dairy Free!