Savory Vegan Puff Pastry Tarts
A festive holiday appetizer made with vegan puff pastry stuffed with a savory mushroom-walnut and topped with silky cashew cream, juicy pomegranate seeds and parsley!
Ingredients
Puff Pastry Base
- 1 package vegan puff pastry frozen, I use Pepperidge Farms
- 1 tbsp plant milk
- salt and pepper
Mushroom-Walnut Filling
- 1/2 lb cremini mushrooms about 10 medium sized mushrooms
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt I use Morton's
- 1 tbsp dried fennel seeds (in the spice section of the grocery store)
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/2 cup kidney beans
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
Cashew Sauce
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp onion granules
- 1 pinch allspice
- 1/2 cup plant milk unsweetened, I like soy or almond for this
Toppings
- 1/3 cup pomegranate seeds
- 2 tbsp chopped parsely
Instructions
Prep
- Thaw the puff pastry in the fridge overnight or on the counter for 2 hours. Next, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Then pour boiling water over the cashews and set aside to soften. Finish prepping by chopping the mushrooms and then set them aside. Mince the garlic, chop the herbs, and chop the walnuts into small pieces.
Make the Pastry
- Unfold the pastry onto a lined cookie sheet and cut into 9 squares. Brush lightly with plant milk of choice (I used unsweetened soy) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes.
Make the Mushroom-Walnut Filling
- In the meantime, warm a large frying pan without oil to medium-high heat. Then add the mushrooms and let them sit undistrubed for 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add salt, pepper, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, olive oil and garlic. Stir and add the rosemary and walnuts. Toast the walnuts for 2-3 minutes and then add the white wine to deglaze the pan. Raise the heat and bring to a soft boil and cook for another minute or until the liquid is mostly evaporated. Then mash the kidney beans into a paste using a fork and add to the pan. Mix well and then set aside.
Make the Cashew Cream Sauce
- Drain the water from the cashews and add them to a blender with the remaining sauce ingredients. Blend for 30 seconds or until very smooth and creamy. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed and then set the sauce aside for now.
Assmeble
- When the puff pastry is golden brown, place the cookie sheet on a cooling rack and use a spoon to make an indent in the center of each tart. Then use a medium-sized ice cream scoop to evenly distribute the mushroom mixture on top. Press down slightly to create a dome shape. Finish each tart with a drizzle of cashew cream, a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds and fresh parsley. Serve warm or at room temperature and enjoy!