Mushroom Tart Football

This Mushroom Tart Football is a fun appetizer to serve at your Super Bowl party or game-day dinner. The puff pastry crust is filled with Madeira wine-infused mushrooms and is decorated with mozzarella cheese.

If you have ever tasted the Madeira Mushroom Chicken from the Cheesecake Factory, you'll know about the amazing combination of sweet Madeira wine and savory caramelized mushrooms. If you haven't, well, you are in for a treat.

I was inspired by this dish to create this swoon-worthy Super Bowl appetizer. Of course, I had to make it look festive too.

The football-shaped appetizer is made with a puff pastry crust that is filled with Madeira mushrooms and decorated with slices of mozzarella cheese. It tastes as great as it looks.

If you really aren't a fan of mushrooms, check out my Teddy Bear Taco Tart recipe. The puff pastry crust is filled with taco meat and toppings.

Ingredients

flour to dust your work surface
1 sheet frozen puff pastry dough, thawed
egg wash (mix one small egg with ½ teaspoon water) or milk or cream

Cremini mushrooms (aka Baby Bella Mushrooms)
Shiitake mushrooms
olive oil
Pancetta
butter
shallot
garlic
roasted red peppers
Madeira Wine
beef broth
balsamic vinegar
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
3 long slices of white cheese from an 8-ounce block (I used Mozzarella)*

*You will need thin slices of white cheese to decorate your tart. I cut thin slices from the long edge of an 8-ounce block of cheese then cut them into the desired shapes. If you use cheese slices, you'll need rectangle slices.

Supplies

rolling pin
pizza wheel and/or knife
pastry brush
fork
baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat
paper towels
12-inch skillet

Instructions

Create a football-shaped crust.

• Lightly dust a cutting board with flour.
• Unfold the thawed sheet of puff pastry pinching together the seams, if necessary.
• Use a rolling pin to roll the pastry dough out into a 12" x 14" rectangle.
• Use a pizza wheel or knife to cut out a football shape in the center of the dough being sure to leave ¼" of dough on either side.
• Cut a ¼" wide strip from each side of the dough.
• Use a rolling pin to gently roll the strips to increase their length. They need to be long enough to reach from one end of the football to the other.
• Brush egg wash, milk, or cream all along the edge of the football.
• Lay one strip on either side of the football dough.
• Cut off the excess dough.
• Lift up the football and place it on a parchment paper or Silpat-lined baking sheet.
• Brush egg wash over the surface of the football.
• Use a fork to prick holes all over the dough not including the border.   Refrigerate for 30 minutes. If you are going to bake your football as soon as your filling is ready, preheat the oven to 400 degrees now.

Clean the mushrooms.

• Clean the mushrooms with a damp paper towel.
• Remove the stems from the Shiitake mushrooms.
• Slice and set aside.

Cook the pancetta.

• Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat.
• Chop the Pancetta into small pieces and sprinkle in the hot pan.
• Cook, stirring often, until crisp. 
• Use a slotted spoon to remove the crispy Pancetta from the skillet.
• Drain it on a piece of paper towel. Set aside.
• In the same hot pan add shallots and saute until translucent.
• Add garlic and saute for about 30 seconds.
• Add finely chopped roasted red peppers and cook just until all the liquid evaporates.
• Pour mixture into a bowl and set aside.

Sautee the mushrooms.

• In the same hot skillet add a little over a teaspoon of oil and a pat of butter.
• As soon as the butter melts add 3 ounces of sliced mushrooms (about ⅕ of your total.) You want one layer of mushrooms in the pan with room around each mushroom. If you crowd the pan, the mushrooms will steam instead of caramelize. Take your time here to get good browning on each side of your mushroom slices - this is flavor!!!! 
• Once these mushrooms are brown, remove them from the pan.
• Add more oil and butter to the pan and repeat the process until all the mushrooms are browned.

Cook the mushrooms in the wine.

• Return the mushrooms, Pancetta, and roasted red pepper mixture to the skillet.
• Pour in the wine, beef broth, and balsamic vinegar.
• Scrape the bottom of the pan to remove all the brown bits and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost all of the moisture evaporates.
• Remove from the heat and add Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Stir to combine.

At this point, you can either make your tart or refrigerate your mushrooms until ready to use.

Fill the tart shell with Madeira mushrooms.

• To make the tart, pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
• Bake the pastry for 15 minutes until it is golden brown.
• Spoon the mushrooms over the center of the tart.
• Bake for an additional 8 minutes if the mushrooms are warm, and up to 15 minutes if they are cold.

Decorate with cheese slices.

• Cut slices of cheese to make the laces and stripes on the football.
• Set on the hot tart to melt the cheese slightly.
• Serve hot.

Related Recipes

Deviled Egg Footballs

Soft Pretzel Footballs

Football Cookies

If you want more tailgating or homegating party ideas for the college football season, be sure to check out my Football Party Food ideas.

Recipe

Print

Mushroom Tart Football

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

1 hr

 

A football-shaped puff pastry crust is filled with Madeira mushrooms and roasted red peppers. The football tart is decorated with mozzarella cheese laces.

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: appetizer, mushrooms, super bowl snacks, tart

Servings: 6

Calories: 410 kcal

Author: Beth Klosterboer

Ingredients

• flour to dust work surface
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry dough thawed
• 1 tablespoon egg wash (mix one small egg with ½ teaspoon water or use milk or cream)
• 8 ounces Cremini mushrooms aka Baby Bella Mushrooms
• 8 ounces Shiitaki mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 ounces Pancetta or bacon
• 2-3 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 shallot, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 roasted red peppers, finely chopped
• ¾ cup Madeira Wine
• ¼ cup beef broth
• ½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
• 3 long slices of white cheese from an 8 ounce block (I used Mozzarella)

Instructions

1. Lightly dust a cutting board with flour.
2. Unfold the thawed sheet of puff pastry pinching together the seams, if necessary.
3. Use a rolling pin to roll the pastry dough out into a 12" x 14" rectangle.
4. Use a pizza wheel or knife to cut out a football shape in the center of the dough being sure to leave ¼" of dough on either side.
5. Cut a ¼" wide strip from each side of the dough.
6. Use a rolling pin to gently roll the strips to increase their length. They need to be long enough to reach from one end of the football to the other.
7. Brush egg wash, milk, or cream all along the edge of the football.
8. Lay one strip on either side of the football dough.
9. Cut off the excess dough.
10. Lift up the football and place it on a parchment paper or Silpat-lined baking sheet.
11. Brush egg wash over the surface of the football.
12. Use a fork to prick holes all over the dough not including the border.   Refrigerate for 30 minutes. If you are going to bake your football as soon as your filling is ready, preheat the oven to 400 degrees now.
13. Clean the mushrooms with a damp paper towel.
14. Remove the stems from the Shiitaki mushrooms.
15. Slice and set aside.
16. Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat.
17. Chop Pancetta into small pieces and sprinkle in the hot pan.
18. Cook, stirring often, until crisp.
19. Use a slotted spoon to remove the crispy Pancetta from the skillet.
20. Drain it on a piece of paper towel. Set aside.
21. In the same hot pan add shallots and saute until translucent.
22. Add garlic and saute for about 30 seconds.
23. Add finely chopped roasted red peppers and cook just until all the liquid evaporates.
24. Pour mixture into a bowl and set aside.
25. In the same hot skillet add a little over a teaspoon of oil and a pat of butter.
26. As soon as the butter melts add 3 ounces of sliced mushrooms (about ⅕ of your total.) You want one layer of mushrooms in the pan with room around each mushroom. If you crowd the pan, the mushrooms will steam instead of caramelize. Take your time here to get good browning on each side of your mushroom slices - this is flavor!!!!
27. Once these mushrooms are brown, remove them from the pan.
28. Add more oil and butter to the pan and repeat the process until all the mushrooms are browned.
29. Return the mushrooms, Pancetta, and roasted red pepper mixture to the skillet.
30. Pour in the wine, beef broth, and balsamic vinegar.
31. Scrape the bottom of the pan to remove all the brown bits and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
32. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost all of the moisture evaporates.
33. Remove from the heat and add Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Stir to combine.
34. At this point, you can either make your tart or refrigerate your mushrooms until ready to use.
35. To make the tart, pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
36. Bake the pastry for 15 minutes until it is golden brown.
37. Spoon the mushrooms over the center of the tart.
38. Bake for an additional 8 minutes if the mushrooms are warm, and up to 15 minutes if they are cold.
39. Cut slices of cheese to make the laces and stripes on the football.
40. Set on the hot tart to melt the cheese slightly.
41. Serve hot.

Recipe Notes

Bake this mushroom tart the day you plan to serve it. Puff pastry is best the day it is baked. 

 

• Author
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Beth Klosterboer

Hi, I'm Beth Klosterboer, a professional chocolatier & baker, cookbook author, and event planner. I love sharing recipes for happy occasions here on Hungry Happenings. I also create easy fudge recipes to share at HowToMakeEasyFudge.com, rice krispie treat recipes at HowToMakeCerealTreats.com, and easy cookie recipes at HowToMakeEasyCookies.com

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