The Countdown Continues

With only 24 baking days left until Christmas, I’m ahead of schedule for sending my holiday guests into diabetic shock. The Nanaimo Bars are cut into tidy squares, butter tarts are baked to sugary perfection, the ginger cookies have just the right amount of crinkle and even though I have yet to roll my rumballs, they’re mixed and sitting patiently in the fridge. I’ll admit, I cut a corner or two by dropping my truffles into little foil cups instead of forming them into balls and drowning them in chocolate, but they taste so good no one will complain.

I hope to get the savories made this weekend, but this is where I stumble. What to serve? Some guests gobble my bite-sized spanikopitas, while others won’t touch spinach. My mushroom tarts draw raves from some, and yet my own husband refuses to eat “fungus”. Between seafood allergies, aversions to certain cheese and varying tolerances towards spices, I’m tempted to set out a dish of raw veggies (no dip) with a sign saying “Diet Zone” and seeing who falls for it.

But I know I couldn’t live with myself if I did that. So I’ll go buy some shortening, roll up my sleeves and see if I can’t whip up enough nibblies to please them all. Sorry Andrew, dear, but I think I’ll start with the mushroom tarts.

Sour Cream Mushroom Tarts
Printable recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup onion, minced
• 1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, finely diced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• Freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp flour
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp dill (dried) or 1 tbsp fresh dill
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tsp milk
• 12 raw tart shells

Instructions

1. Cook onions in butter until translucent.
2. Add mushrooms and cook 4 minutes, stirring.
3. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, nutmeg, lemon juice, and flour.
4. Cook 2 minutes more.
5. Remove from heat. Add sour cream and dill
6. Fill tart shells.
7. Chill 1 hour (or until ready to serve).
8. Bake 15-20 minutes at 350F on the bottom rack as they tend to be a bit soggy otherwise.
9. Remove from sheet immediately.

Tagged as: mushroom, sour cream, tarts