Mushroom, Shallot and Fig Tarts

Makes 20 tarts

Ingredients:

1 large shallot, sliced into thin slices
4 cups chopped cremini mushrooms, stems removed
1/3 C grated English Cheddar cheese
2 T butter + more for greasing
2 T olive oil
1 tsp flour
1/3 C chicken stock
1 T finely chopped fresh rosemary
¾ C fig jam
A few drops of white balsamic vinegar
1 sheet of puffed pastry, thawed, and cut into rounds that are 2 and a quarter diameter.

Direction:

• Combine shallots and mushrooms. Heat a large sauté pan with 2 T butter and 2 T olive oil. Add half the rosemary after about 2 minutes. Stir. Add salt and pepper. Brown the mushrooms and shallots until onions almost caramelized. Pull off heat and add the flour, then the stock. Put back on stove and stir in and let reduce for a minute or two. Remove from heat, put in heat safe bowl, add the cheese and set aside.
• In another small saucepan, heat the fig jelly/jam and the white balsamic vinegar just until hot. Set aside.
• Roll out one of the two puff pastry squares that come in the package. With a 2 ¼ diameter cookie cutter or glass, cut round shapes out of the dough. You may have to fold and roll one more time to get the 20 rounds out of the dough. Then, using a cut with a diameter just a bit smaller than the cut shape, gently press into the dough to score it but not cut through. Thoroughly butter a cookie sheet or baking sheet. Put the puff pastry rounds on the sheet. They can all fit. They shouldn’t touch, but can be close. Place a small amount of the mushroom mixture on each round. Place in a 400 degree oven for about 14 or 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from oven, let cool for about 10 minutes. Transfer to serving plate. Drizzle with the fig glaze. Sprinkle with the remaining rosemary.

Notes: You may have a bit of the mushroom mixture left over. Just keep in fridge to top bakes potatoes! You can use white wine in place of stock, and then you may need a bit more salt. You can use dark instead of white balsamic, but don’t use a strong flavor. A fig balsamic would of course be ideal. – Store in the refrigerator covered.