Chicken, Mushroom, Olive and Spinach Tart

When this was baking in the oven as the smell was wafting through the house I was transported to France. For some reason this tart smelled like the classic Pissaladiere Tart from Nice. And when I tasted it I had the same sensation. What was going on? It had been a while since I had made this in cooking school so I looked up the recipe I realized that it was the Nicoise olives that made it so similar. Both are baked in flaky puff pastry dough - with Nicoise olives which are briny and when roasted or baked had a taste similar to anchovies. Served with a glass of crisp cold rose and you can transport yourself to France for lunch or dinner. This can be served either right out of the oven or at room temperature.

Ingredients

• One sheet of store bought puff pastry

• Store bought roasted chicken

• 6 ounces of white button mushrooms

• 6 ounces of chanterelle mushrooms

• 6 ounces of shiitake mushrooms

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1/4 cup chicken stock

• 3 tablespoons of flour

• 1 cup of Nicoise olives

• 1 bunch of spinach leaves

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.

2. Slice all the mushrooms. In a medium size pan melt the butter and sauce the mushrooms until all the water is released. Add the olives and cook until they soften. Shred three cups of chicken and add to the pan. Stir until all ingredients are mixed. Add the flour to the top of the mixture and cook for at least a minute. Add the chicken stock until fully absorbed. Remove from heat.

3. Roll out the sheet of puff pastry to a 9 x 12 size. Score the edges of the pastry two inches inside the rectangle and fold over twice to create a border. Dock the bottom of the pastry with a fork (this will prevent the puff pastry from rising) Place on prepared sheet pan.

4. Place chicken with the mushroom and olive mixture in the middle of the prepared puff pastry and bring to the edges making sure that you have the mixture evenly distributed.

5. Cook in the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden brown on the sides. Rotate half way through. Remove and allow to cool

6. Finely chop the spinach leaves and toss over the top of the finished tart.

7. Slice and serve with cold glass of your favorite chardonnay or rose.