Caramelized Onion, Mushroom and Goat Cheese Galette

I’ve wanted to make a galette for some time but I seem to never end up getting around to it. I think it’s the hassle of making the pastry that always deters me. Pastry itself is not super complicated but it’s just that it is quite a messy process that I never enjoy. First, there is flour everywhere (the counter, the floor and me) and second, I can never seem to roll out a perfect circle. I’m a fan of perfection.

Galettes are these amazing French free form pastries and can be filled with savory or sweet ingredients. They can be served as an appetizer, a meal or a dessert – incredibly versatile and incredibly delicious.

So against my better judgement,  I decided to turn a blind eye to flour all over the kitchen and just go for it. Turns out it wasn’t as painful as I thought and there was no need for a perfect rolled out circle. They are rustic and rustic means a little rough around the edges. I can handle that.

 

I used a pate brisee for my galette which is the French term for short crust pastry.

Combine your flour, salt, sugar and butter cut into pieces.

This is best accomplished by using a food processor but you can do it with a handheld pastry blender or your actual hands but they will need to be cold – you don’t want to melt or even soften the butter.

Pulse your butter and flour mixture until it resembles course crumbs like the picture above.

With the lid on the food processor, you want to add your ice water until just combined. You don’t want it to be soggy or too dry to where it crumbles. Add the water slowly, like a tablespoon at a time.

It should look a bit like this.

Next up, split it in two and make it into a disk. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

My disk of pastry and the flour on my board – ready for the part I don’t like.

Not even close to a circle. More like an amoeba. I tried, I really did.

Add the goat cheese, mushrooms and onions in the center. Leave a bit around the edges for folding.

Fold it up however you see fit.

Brush on bit of egg wash for some sheen.

Voila! Hot out of the oven.

A side shot.

As I sliced myself off a piece and took a bite, I committed to making these a regular part of my culinary repertoire. They are that good, floury kitchen and all.

 

much love!

jess

 

PRINTRECIPE

Caramelized Onion, Mushroom
and Goat Cheese Galette

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

2 cups Portabella or Crimini mushrooms, diced
2 small red onions, sliced
¾ cup of goat cheese
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup butter
¼ cup white dry wine
Salt & pepper to taste
Egg or butter wash

Pate Brisee (Short Crust Pastry)
1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.

2. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

3. Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.

Filling
4. In a sauté pan, heat ¼ cup of olive oil and butter until butter is melted. Add onions and season with a pinch salt and pepper. On medium- high heat, cook onions down until caramelized – approximately 20 minutes. Remove caramelized onions from sauté pan and set aside.

5. Add chopped mushrooms to the pan and cook down until soft. Pour the wine into the pan and deglaze. Let liquid reduce then remove mushrooms from pan and set aside.

6. To assemble the galette, roll out the pastry to ¼ of an inch thick. Transfer round to a parchment lined sheet pan. Crumble goat cheese in the center, followed by the mushrooms and onions leaving 1 inch of pastry around the sides without filling. Fold the perimeter pastry onto itself, crimping as you go along.

7. Wash the exposed pastry sides with egg wash or butter. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 – 30 minutes or until pastry is golden brown.

8. Remove from the oven, slice and serve.

ENDPRINTRECIPE

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