There is a wood near my house where the trees are evergreen, carved into expanses by footpaths lined with elder, beech and oak. The ground is so soft it deadens almost all sound, even the wind. Here, mushrooms grow from late summer until early winter. On days when I return with a small haul, I make this tart – one of my absolute favourites.
Serves 8-10
butter 1 knob
extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp
dried ceps 20g, soaked for 20-25 minutes in warm water to rehydrate, then drained, soaking water reserved
mushrooms 250g, a mixture of wild and cultivated is fine
flat-leaf parsley 1 tbsp, chopped
thyme leaves 2 tsp
onion 1 large, thinly sliced
garlic 2 cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
double cream 185ml
eggs 2, plus 1 egg yolk
parmesan or hard, aged sheep’s cheese a scattering
salt and freshly ground black pepper
