Three Mushroom Tart

2 oz dried shiitake mushrooms
3 oz portobello mushrooms
8 oz white mushrooms
6 Tbs unsalted butter
1 small onion, thinly sliced
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried basil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup dry red wine
1 Tbs tomato paste
1 Cornmeal Peppercorn Crust, recipe follows
Sage Whipped Cream, for serving, recipe follows

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2) Put the shiitakes into a medium saucepan with cold water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until softened. Drain and cool. Remove stems and slice mushrooms 1/4-inch thick. Set aside.

3) Put the portobellos and white mushrooms in a colander and rinse well.

4) In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 10 minutes. While the onion is cooking, slice the portobellos and white mushrooms and add them to the pan. Add the fresh thyme, dried thyme and dried basil. Season with salt and pepper. Stir well and let cook for 15 minutes or until most of the mushroom liquid has reduced down. 5.  Add the shiitakes, red wine and tomato paste and simmer until thickened. Spoon into the partially baked Cornmeal Peppercorn Crust and bake for 20 minutes. Serve with Sage Whipped Cream.

Cornmeal Peppercorn Crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
6 ounces unsalted butter, chilled
3 tablespoons ice water

1) Place the flour, cornmeal, salt and pepper in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse until mixed. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the flour mixture. Pulse until the mix resembles coarse meal. Add the ice water and pulse again until the dough begins to form. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead a few times just to make sure everything is incorporated. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan and work it up the sides so that you have a 1-inch lip all the way around. Chill the crust for 20 minutes.
2) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
3) Line the crust with foil and fill with pie weights, raw rice or dried beans. Bake the crust on the lower rack of the oven for 10 minutes. Very carefully remove the foil and weights and bake another 5 minutes or until the crust is just dry. Remove from the oven and let cool before filling.

Sage Whipped Cream:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon orange zest
3/8 teaspoon ground sage
2 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
Generous pinch ground white pepper

Place the heavy cream into the bowl of a mixer and beat at high speed until it begins to thicken. Add the rest of the ingredients and continue to beat until soft peaks form. Serve with tart.

Review:  Ooh, this was a production!  Just what I needed for my Saturday night.  :)  I used fresh shiitake mushroom, instead of dried.  I also added a few tablespoons of porcini powder, which a coworker gifted me.  Yum.  I also used white cornmeal instead of yellow.  I also managed to make the crust too high on the sides of the springform pan.  Therefore, after I added the filling, I knocked off the excess and spread it across the top - kind of like a crumb topping.  For the whipped topping, I did not use fresh sage and I left out the orange zest.  I always leave out zest.  This was pretty tasty, and savory.  I would recommend doubling the filling and making it thicker.