Mushroom & Gruyère Galette
Introduction
While I am still prone to snacking on raw mushrooms, this recipe has far surpassed that snack of choice as my new fungi favourite. It’s dreamy for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients
225 g (8 oz) plain flour
1 tsp flaky salt
225 g (8 oz) butter, cold and diced
90 ml (3 fl oz) cold water
Mushroom and Gruyère Filling
70 g (2½ oz) butter
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) mixed mushrooms, sliced (I used portobellos, button and Swiss brown)
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
200 g (7 oz) ricotta
80 g (2¾ oz) gruyère, grated
1 tsp flaky salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
25 ml (¾ fl oz) truffle oil, plus extra for serving
10 g (¼ oz) parsley, finely chopped, plus a handful of whole leaves for garnish
1 egg, beaten for egg wash
Method
For the Rough Puff Pastry, combine the flour, salt and butter in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs; we want little chunks of butter. Tip into a large bowl, make a well in the centre, add the water and bring the dough together with your hands. Shape into a rectangle, about 2 cm (¾ in) thick, wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured bench, and roll until it is three times the width, about 20 cm x 50 cm (8 in x 20 in). Try to keep the edges as straight and even as possible if you can. You may see some streaks of butter; don’t overwork these. A little bit of marbling is ideal here. Fold the top third of the dough down to the centre, and then the bottom third up and over that. Give the dough a quarter turn to the left or right and then roll out again to three times the length. Fold as before, wrap in cling film and chill again for 30 minutes.
Repeat this rolling, folding and chilling process twice more and then the pastry will be ready to use.
For the filling, melt the butter in a large deep frypan over a medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and garlic and sauté until the mushrooms have browned and softened, about 6–8 minutes. Remove from the heat, tip into a large bowl, and allow to cool to room temperature. Stir through all the other ingredients and mix well to combine.
Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F) fan-bake. Place a baking tray on the middle rack to heat up.
Roll the pastry out on a large and lightly floured sheet of baking paper until it is 5 mm (¼ in) thick, and then trim to form a 26 cm (10½ in) diameter circle.
Spread the mushroom filling evenly over the pastry, leaving a 5 cm (2 in) border all the way around.
Fold the edges of the pastry over the mushrooms, pleating as you go; warm the pastry edges up with your fingertips, as the pleating process is far easier when the dough is slightly warm and pliable.
Brush the edges of the pastry with the egg wash and slide the galette on the baking paper onto the heated oven tray.
Bake for 35–45 minutes until the pastry is cooked through, golden and puffed.
Cool on the tray for 5 minutes before carefully transferring to a serving board and drizzling with extra truffle oil.
Recipe from the book Butter, Butter by Petra Galler
Published by Allen & Unwin NZ NZRRP $49.99