Mushroom Galette with ALL THE CHEESE

I had my eye on several mushroom galette recipes online, intending to make one for Thanksgiving. I’d been planning it for weeks, trying to decide which recipe would be the best, and being disappointed when I couldn’t find a suitable recipe on my favorite food blog, Smitten Kitchen. I wanted something that could be a centerpiece, but didn’t contain meat. I often feel like I live my life eating side dishes, even in my own home. I was originally planning on making stuffed squash, but I’ve made that so many times in the last few months that I was itching to try something new. I finally came upon 2 different recipes, and used elements of both. And when Thanksgiving didn’t work out (for good reason, as my mom came home at the last minute and made us a delicious traditional dinner!), I set my sights on Christmas. T and I had Hannah and her family over for dinner and drinks. We played The Game of Life: Mrs. Maisel Special Edition, and watched baby Mira chase the cats, much to Bourdain’s horror. They left early to put Mira to bed like a bunch of lame-o’s, and we were left with so many delicious leftovers!

The Spread.

After weeks of doing markets, I was happy to only have one thing to bake on Christmas Day. I had intended to bake Molly Yeh‘s Corn Cupcakes, as well as a classic green bean casserole, but I’m working on taking things off of my plate. I passed off the green bean casserole to Hannah’s husband, Nick(who did an awesome job!), and I served leftover mini bundt cakes for dessert (which we forgot to eat, but I sent home with them). T took care of the meat and cheese spread, which consisted of 4 different types of cheese and one type of meat (prosciutto), because we give no fucks about meat. I also made the super easy spinach dip that I make for every single fucking gathering we host, and some peanut butter blossoms. The cookies were a last minute decision because I had some dough in the freezer, leftover from the market. It looks like we put in a lot work, especially when I pulled this gorgeous galette out of the oven, but the effort was actually fairly minimal. Also, the word galette sounds fancy. As if I didn’t just throw all the dough ingredients into a blender and call it a day. The rest of it was just sauteing mushrooms and onions and mixing cheese with fucking everything.

New Year’s Eve was also spent with Hannah, as it is her birthday! I made her a cheesecake, and called all of her friends with her husband’s help. Instead of a traditional surprise party, we let her believe it was just T and me showing up, and watched in delight as she lost her shit every time another person walked in the door. It was way more fun than making sure everyone gets there ahead of time, and having to distract her elsewhere while people set up. Fuck that shit. That shit sounds exhausting. This way she got a surprise with every single ring of the doorbell. I lost track of how many times she burst into tears. And that bitch is not a crier. It was baffling and hilarious.

I stayed until the wee hours, partly because I was too busy stealing fun from the next day (a Hannah-ism that basically means drinking one’s face off, and having NO fun the day after), and partly because an Uber ride was creeping concerningly close to the $50 mark. When I finally got home at nearly 2am after a reasonable $18 Uber ride, I thought it’d be a good idea to make a grilled cheese sandwich with leftover prosciutto, 3 types of cheese, and a ranch dipping sauce. I then immediately went to sleep, and wondered why I kept waking up with heartburn. 2020 Kelsey is no different from 2010 Kelsey really.

Okay, so I know it looks like a lot of steps in this recipe, but fear not! I assure you it’s easy af, and you’ll impress all your hot dates/coworkers/parents/in-laws/BFFs (but true BFFs are always impressed) with your mad cooking skills.

This recipe is so foolproof that I made it nearly perfectly on my first try, but was mortified when I pulled it out of the oven and found a giant ass pool of liquid leaking out of it. I thought for sure it was going to be a soggy mess. I cut into it expecting the worst, and, to my surprised delight, heard the crunch of a well baked crust. The crust was golden and flakey, with literally almost no work from me. It was cheesy and buttery, filled with herb-y browned mushrooms. The roasted brussel sprouts added a little charred flavor that increased the complexity. It was a roaring success, and will be the only thing I make for dinner parties from now on (and by that I mean the one time a year I have people over for dinner).

I know I should try to hide the radiator that I use as a table (because it’s next to the window, and therefore provides the best light), but I love the weird industrial-ness of it in the background.

Mushroom Galette

For the crust (makes 2 crusts, which you’ll be glad you have later):

2 cups (240g) flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup cold, unsalted butter, cubed

4 oz grated gruyere cheese

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon white vinegar

1/4 cup cold water

For the filling:

16 oz sliced mushrooms of your choice (I used crimini, shittake, and oyster and didn’t measure a fucking thing, just used big handfuls)

2 tablespoons butter

1-2 cups brussel sprouts, chopped (ok to sub your green veg of choice, or omit altogether)

4 cloves garlic

1 small onion, diced

4 tablespoons mascarpone cheese

1/4 cup shredded parmesan

4 oz shredded gruyere cheese

A few sprigs of fresh thyme

1 tablespoon diced fresh sage

Salt and pepper to taste

Lots of olive oil

1 beaten egg for egg wash

Before getting started, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Roast the chopped brussel sprouts with some olive oil and salt and pepper for about 15 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Trim tops off garlic cloves, wrap in tinfoil, and set in the oven next to the brussel sprouts. Set roasted brussel sprouts aside once finished, and lower oven temp to 400 degrees. Leave garlic in the oven for an additional 25 minutes (while preparing everything else).

For the crust:

In a food processor (I know, who am I?) place flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse a few times until everything is combined. Add butter and cheese, pulsing until course crumbs develop. Whisk the egg with the vinegar and water. Drizzle a little of the egg mixture into the food processor, and pulse a few times. Add more as needed until dough forms. I used about half of the egg mixture. Once done, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes. I fully believe this can be done by hand, but requires a little more elbow grease.

For the filling:

Saute mushrooms and onion in batches, so as not to overcrowd them. Saute over medium-high heat with a drizzle of olive oil and a pat of butter for each batch. Cook until the mushrooms are browned and the onions are translucent. Add salt and pepper as you go. As each batch finishes, scoop it into a large bowl and set aside. Once they’re all done and in the mixing bowl, chop up some sage and destem some thyme. Sprinkle into the mixture, then add in the parmesan and mascarpone. Top with the brussel sprouts and roasted garlic, and mix well. Make sure the cheese gets fully incorporated, as it tends to clump if things have cooled too much.

For assembly:

On parchment paper, sprinkle some flour. Take half of the dough, rolling it out on the parchment paper. Use a little flour on the rolling pin to avoid sticking. There’s no precision here. That’s the beauty of a galette. It’s basically a sloppy ass pie. Just roll it into a circle-ish shape, making sure it ends up about 1/4″ thick, give or take. Ragged edges are fine here! We aren’t fancy bitches! But we can still look fancy when we present a galette. Sprinkle the center of the dough with more gruyere cheese, and fill with the mushroom mixture. Leave about 2″ around the edge and fold it over the filling. Whisk an egg and brush the edges with it, then top with more shredded gruyere and fresh herbs. Bake on a baking sheet for 40-45 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with a fresh salad.

This would be great served for brunch with an egg on it.

Or maybe even baked right on top. Fuck, that’d be delicious.

LOOK HOW BEAUTIFUL.