Potato Mushroom Tart

Michele Anna Jordan

6 years ago

Inspiration for this yummy Potato Mushroom Tart comes from two sources. First, Evelyn Cheatham, executive director of Worth Our Weight, had a sweet little café named Tweet’s on the edge of downtown Santa Rosa in the early 1990s. It was next door to the offices of the weekly newspaper where I was a regular contributor and I had many memorable meals there. A tart similar to this one was unforgettably delicious. When I was writing California Home Cooking, I wanted to include it. Eventually, I tracked down Evelyn, who was working at an ashram in upstate New York, where she fed about 10,000 three meals a day from three different kitchens, far enough apart that there was a bus line connecting them. She laughed at my detective finesse and shared her recipe with me. It is Tweet’s Potato and Mushroom Tart on page 400 of the book.

The Mysterious Black Chanterelle

Black chanterelles, one of the most beautiful of all wild mushrooms

The second source of inspiration comes from the beguiling black chanterelles, known also as black trumpets and, in French, trompettes des morts, which are in delightful abundance this winter. When Jill Adams, who sells the mushrooms at two of our farmers market (Sebastopol and Santa Rosa), gave me a big beautiful handful, I was inspired to make the tart with them, instead of with the button mushrooms Evelyn used in the original. It worked beautifully and deliciously. (Feel free to use whatever mushrooms you have on hand.)

No Crust, No Worries

Because this is a crustless tart, it is very easy to make; you need no special skills and you needn’t worry that you’re not good at making crusts, something many people tell me. I have a solution for that, beyond eliminating it as I do here, and will share that at another time.

What To Drink

If you are enjoying my Potato Mushroom Tart during the day, for breakfast or lunch, drink whatever you like, tea, café au lait, juice, or even milk. For dinner, I recommend sipping a suave pinot noir alongside. The potatoes and cheese resonate nicely with the wine but the black chanterelles make it soar. See some of my pinot noir pairings here.