Creamy Mushroom, Goat Cheese and Madiera Tarts

Recipe inspiration:

This easy recipe is so wonderful for a party–the earthy goodness of the mushrooms comes through and is accented by the Madiera. Adding the goat cheese to make a light but creamy sauce creates a wonderful flavor combination.

Recipe ingredients:

6 oz applewood smoked bacon, diced
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced leeks
6 oz sliced crimini mushrooms, roughly chopped
6 oz sliced button mushrooms, roughly chopped
1/4 cup Pacific Organic Vegetable or Chicken Broth
1/4 cup Madiera wine or dry sherry
30 mini phyllo shells
6 oz goat cheese log, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped, plus more for garnish, roughly chopped
Salt & pepper to taste

Cooking instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook chopped bacon until crisp, stirring occasionally to ensure even browning.

With a slotted spoon, remove meat from skillet, allowing drippings to remain in pan. Set bacon aside.

Add leeks and crimini and button mushrooms to the pan and stir to combine.

Allow mixture to cook over medium heat for 12-15 minutes or until mixture is nearly dry, stirring occasionally.

Add Pacific broth and Madiera to mixture and stir again.

Allow mixture to cook again over medium heat until pan is nearly dry again, about 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, place phyllo shells on a baking sheet and bake 5-7 minutes until crisp. Remove from oven set aside.

When the mushroom mixture is nearly dry, add pieces goat cheese slowly to the mushroom mixture and stir gently until a creamy sauce forms.

Add reserved cooked bacon and chives to mushroom mixture, stir and remove from heat.

Season mushroom filling with salt and pepper to taste.

Fill shells with a scant tablespoon of creamy mushroom filling.

Top each filled tart with a small piece of fresh chive for garnish and serve immediately.

Filling can me made up to four days in advance and reheated in crisped tart shells for convenience if desired.

Enjoy!