A simple mushroom filling is turned into dainty party food using readymade puff pastry.
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
Roll the pastry out into a large rectangle, about 2mm thick. It needs to be large enough so that after baking you can use a biscuit cutter to make 12 circles of about 7.5cm/3in diameter.
Place onto a baking sheet and prick with a fork (you may need to divide the pastry between two baking sheets). Sprinkle with cayenne, paprika or chilli flakes, if using, and put another baking sheet on top to prevent the pastry from puffing up too much as it bakes.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until crisp and golden-brown. Remove the upper tray and set aside to cool.
For the filling, fry the shallots and mushrooms in butter. Season with salt, pepper and the tarragon, followed by a glug of Madeira and the cream. Let it bubble away until reduced in volume by about a third. Transfer to a food processor or blender and blend to a mousse consistency. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a medium-sized plain nozzle.
For the garnish, fry the girolles in a separate pan with a knob of butter for 2-3 minutes until softened. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice.
To assemble, cut out twelve circles of pastry using a biscuit cutter. The circles should be about 7.5cm/3in across. Pipe a good amount of the mushroom mousse neatly onto a pastry circle. Top with another circle of pastry and another layer of mousse. Finish with a final circle of pastry and decorate with the girolles and chives. Repeat until you have used up all the pastry circles.
Try Thorn Clarke, Nebbiolo.
