Mushroom Mini Quiches

Warning: this is another post for mushroom-lovers. If you’re not a fan of them, then you may want to escape to chocolate-land and forget that you ever saw this.

Ok, onto the fungi. Once again, I have gone overboard at the farmer’s markets, and last week I found myself with way too many mushrooms. What can I say? I’m a sucker for a huge package of shitake mushrooms for only $4!

I ended up making an absolutely awesome cream of mushroom soup but it was devoured before any photos were taken. I will be making it again very soon, so stay tuned! With the rest of the mushrooms, I decided to make a mushroom version of my versatile vegan quiche. I also opted to make mini quiches by using a mini muffin pan – but I’ve included instructions below for making a regular-sized quiche.

If you’ve been following my posts, then you know that I go all-out when it comes to mushroom-based recipes. From using multiple varieties, either fresh or dry, and using truffle oil… well, let’s just say that I’m not shy when it comes to mushrooms! But do you ever re-hydrate dried mushrooms and worry that you’ll come back an hour later to find that they’ve grown into these massively huge and evil fungi that want to take over the world? No? Me neither.

Notes

• As seen in the photo above, I defrost my sheets of puff pastry in a damp clean tea towel, which ensures that the sheets stay moist and easy to work with. Check out my post on Puff Pastry vs. Phyllo Dough for more info.
• I think next time, I’ll briefly chop-up the cooked mushroom mixture before folding it into the tofu mixture. That way, each quiche will be more uniform-looking. I’m including this step in the recipe below.
• I had a little bit of an explosion with one of the quiches flipping-over (see below). I think this is because I over-filled the cups. In my directions below, I’m recommending that you only fill them 3/4 way.
• As noted below, these freeze really well so they’re nice to have on hand for a last-minute get together – or even for a fancy little bites on a busy weeknight.

RECIPE

Mushroom Quiche

Can be made as mini quiches or as a regular-sized quiche

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 cups mushrooms, halved and then sliced (I used a shitake and brown mushroom combo)
• 1 tbsp dried gourmet mushrooms, re-hydrated and drained (optional – I used porcini)
• 1 tbsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp truffle oil
• 1/2 cup cashews, soaked in water for an hour and drained
• 1/2 block firm tofu
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 4 tbsp soy milk
• 1/2 tsp tumeric
• salt & pepper
• 3 sheets vegan puff pastry dough, defrosted (my sheets are 23x23cm, so adjust accordingly to yours) (or if making one big quiche, one puff pastry sheet or pie crust)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F/190C.
2. Heat olive oil over medium heat, and saute onions and garlic until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and thyme and cook until mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. (Optional: Quickly pulse in food processor for best consistency.) Set aside.
3. Grind the cashews in food processor until very fine. Add tofu, nutritional yeast, soymilk, tumeric, and truffle oil. Blend until you have a creamy, even consistency (add more soymilk if needed).
4. In a mixing bowl, combine the mushroom mixture with the tofu mixture. Season with salt & pepper.
5. If making mini quiches:
   • Grease the muffin tin with a thin mist of olive oil.
   • Use a small jar, drinking glass or cookie cutter to cut circles of dough for each quiche – the dough should fill the cup and just hit the rim of the pan.
   • Press the dough into the prepared muffin cups.
   • Divide the mushroom mixture evenly among the cups, 3/4 of the way full.

   If making a large quiche, line the pie plate with the puff pastry sheet (if using), creating a border around the edges. Pour the tofu mixture into the dish and spread it out evenly.

6. Bake in oven for 30 minutes, or until mixture is set and crust has browned.

These freeze really well. Once the quiches are cooled, place in an air tight freezer container and separate layers with wax or parchment paper. To reheat, place the frozen quiches on a cookie sheet and bake at 350F for 10-15 minutes, until heated through.

Makes: 35-40 mini quiches or 1 regular quiche