Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide heavy frying pan, 28cm or larger
• •Heavy-bottomed saucepan for the sauce
• •Wooden spoon
• •Baking sheet for warming the shells

Instructions

1. 1

   Clean the mushrooms

   Wipe the mushrooms clean with a dry cloth or a soft brush. Don't wash them under the tap. Mushrooms are sponges, and water gets into the flesh and stays there. When the wet mushrooms hit a hot pan, they steam instead of brown, and you lose half the flavor before you've started. If they really need rinsing, do it quickly and dry them at once. Slice button mushrooms into quarters. If you're using chanterelles, leave small ones whole and tear larger ones in half so the irregular edges catch the butter.

   The season decides which mushroom you reach for. Chanterelles arrive in Danish forests from late July through October, and during those weeks they belong in this dish. The rest of the year, good fresh button mushrooms make a tarteletter you'll be proud of.
2. 2

   Brown the mushrooms

   Melt half the butter in a wide heavy frying pan over medium-high heat. When the butter foams and starts to smell of hazelnuts, add the mushrooms in a single layer. Don't crowd the pan. Crowded mushrooms release their water and stew, and you want the opposite. You want them golden at the edges and concentrated in flavor. Leave them undisturbed for two minutes, then stir and let them go for another three. Season with salt only at the end. Salt too early pulls the water out before the heat has a chance to drive it off. Tip the browned mushrooms into a bowl and set aside.

3. 3

   Sweat the shallot

   Lower the heat under the pan. Add the rest of the butter and the chopped shallot. Cook gently for two or three minutes until the shallot is soft and translucent, never browned. Browned shallot tastes sharp and competes with the mushrooms, and the mushrooms are the dish.

4. 4

   Build the sauce

   Sprinkle the flour over the shallot and butter and stir it through. Cook the flour for a full minute, stirring constantly. This step matters. Raw flour tastes pasty and chalky, and a minute on the heat is what removes that. Pour in the white wine and stir hard. It will seize and thicken almost instantly. Keep stirring as you add the milk in three additions, letting each one come to a simmer before the next. Then stir in the cream. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon and hold a clean line when you draw your finger through it. If it feels too thick, add a splash more milk. If it's too thin, simmer for another minute.

   This is a French béchamel technique that came into the Danish kitchen in the nineteenth century and stayed. Once you understand the rhythm, butter, flour, liquid in stages, you can make the sauce for any creamed filling, savory or sweet.
5. 5

   Finish the svampestuvning

   Tip the browned mushrooms back into the sauce, along with any juices that have collected in the bowl. Stir gently so the mushrooms warm through but don't break up. Add the lemon juice, the pinch of nutmeg, and season with salt and white pepper. Taste it. Adjust. The lemon is the detail that makes the dish lift off the plate. It cuts through the richness and brightens the mushrooms. Without it the filling tastes flat, and you'll know when it's right because the flavor sharpens and wakes up.

6. 6

   Warm the shells

   While the filling comes together, heat the oven to 180C and place the tartelet shells on a baking sheet. Warm them for five to seven minutes until they smell buttery and feel crisp to the touch. Cold shells from the box go soggy the moment you fill them. Warm shells stay crisp long enough to reach the table.

7. 7

   Fill and serve

   Set two warmed tarteletter on each plate. Spoon the creamy mushroom filling generously into each shell, letting a little spill over the rim. That spill is part of the look. Scatter the chopped parsley and chives over the top. Serve immediately, while the shells are still crisp and the filling steams quietly into the spoon. Tak for mad.

Chef Tips

• •Buy the tartelet shells. Danish home cooks have been doing this for generations and there's no shame in it. The puff pastry shells from a good brand are excellent, and making your own from scratch turns a 45-minute dish into a half-day project. Save your effort for the filling, which is where the dish lives.
• •If you can find a mix of mushrooms, use it. Chanterelles for color and perfume, ceps for depth, a few button mushrooms for body. The variety gives the filling a complexity that one type alone can't match.
• •A glass of crisp dry white wine alongside is the natural pairing. A Riesling, a Sancerre, or a Danish-style apple cider if you want to keep the meal close to home.

Advance Preparation

• •The mushroom filling can be made up to a day ahead. Cool it completely, store covered in the fridge, and reheat gently over low heat with a splash of milk to loosen it before serving.
• •Warm the tartelet shells just before serving. They go soggy the moment they're filled, so the filling and the shells should meet at the table, not before.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 250g)