Ingredients

For pastry

1                         Egg yolk
1 pkt (250g)              butter (take out of refrigerator 30 mins before use)
3 cups                  flour (1 cup = 130g)
1tsp                      sugar
1 tsp                     baking powder
1 tsp                     salt
8 tsp                     cold water (amount can be varied as needed, see method below)

For the filling

4 medium-size      Shallots, about 110g thinly sliced
700g                     mushrooms, shitake, and chestnut or other of your choice
1½ cup                 double cream
1¼ cup                 milk
6                        eggs
½ tsp                    nutmeg
Salt & pepper
170g                     cheese (pecorino, parmesan, and cheddar)

Method

For the Pastry

Place all ingredients except for the cold water in a food processor, and pulse intermittently until it resembles crumble.  At this point, press the continuous button and pour in the water, but sufficient to make the pastry assemble in one lump.  Do not put more water and do not over mix.  Take the pastry out of the processor, wrap in clingfilm, and place it in the refrigerator for one hour.

When it is time, take out of the refrigerator and open the pastry with a rolling pin.

On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry into a 32cm circle and about 8mm thick and fit it into a 28cm diameter by 4cm deep round tart pan with a removable bottom.  Place in refrigerator for about 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 360˚F.  Place on top of pastry greaseproof paper or aluminum foil, pressing all around towards the corner carefully, and fill with pie weights.

Bake for 15 minutes, remove the pan from the oven, remove the greaseproof paper/aluminum foil and the pie weights, pierce the pastry with a fork all around the bottom and then return tart pan to the oven and bake for a further ten minutes or until very lightly browned.  When ready take out of the oven and let it cool down whilst the filling is being prepared.

For the mushrooms

Once mushrooms are cleaned and cut, say into quarters depending on size, put a frying pan on the stove, add oil and butter and sauté mushrooms at maximum heat for about 8 minutes or so.  Add salt and pepper and towards the very end add some Madeira wine and cook for another 1 minute or so and then remove from the heat. Most of the mushroom liquid should have evaporated, and the mushrooms should have colored lights.  Place shallots in the same pan, add a little more oil and butter if needed, and cook until wilted and translucent but not burned or browned, and set aside.  Grate cheese and set aside.

For the filling

In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, the double cream and the milk, salt and pepper, and nutmeg.  Mix the shallots with the mushrooms.

Place half the cheese on top of the cooked pastry, then the mushrooms on top, then the egg, milk, and cream mixture and finally put the remaining cheese on top.

Place the tart pan in the oven and bake for about 40 minutes until set.  You may wish to put a baking sheet underneath the tart pan, just in case any filling spills over.