Mushroom Galettte

Last week, my girlfriend Diane surprised me with a bag of chanterelles she found on her mountain in Corralitos. Corralitos is in Santa Cruz County’s southern region. This idyllic area, known for its orchards and redwood-covered hillsides, is a tranquil place to enjoy the countryside. 

I was in cook’s heaven when I saw these freshly picked chanterelles. I thought about sautéeing them in a little butter with shallots and cream and having them with crusty sourdough bread. What a treat! Chanterelles are great in a creamy pasta dish or an omelet for breakfast. Creating a dish with these beautiful and delicious mushrooms has so many possibilities. I chose a galette from Dorie Greenspan’s cookbook Everyday Dorie. I have used this book for several recipes and have not been disappointed yet.

The galette was a culinary treat, with the filling full of different flavors complemented by a flaky crust. It is an all-butter crust, which I like, and comes together quickly in a food processor. Of course, it can also be made by hand. I put the butter in the freezer for about 25 minutes. Instead of chanterelles, you can substitute other mushrooms. When the chanterelles are no longer available, I might try a mixture of shiitake and button mushrooms. The galette is delicious, warm, or at room temperature. Serve it with a salad, and you have a delicious lunch, dinner, or snack.

Life in Sunny Cove has been good. We have been busy with visitors and enjoyed reminiscing about old times and contemplating whatever future we have left. It has been raining on and off, so it's time to curl up in front of a fire and slow down. 

Print Recipe

Don't omit any of the ingredients, Dorie Greenspan did a wonderful job creating this dish. The walnuts add an extra crunch to the galette.
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Ingredients:
The crust:
1 ½ cup ( 240 grams ) all-purpose flour 
½ tsp. fine sea salt
2 TBS sugar
8 TBS (4 ounces, 113 grams ) cold (almost frozen) butter, cut into 16 pieces
¼ cup (60ml) ice water

Directions for the crust:
Put flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor and pulse a few times to blend the ingredients. Scatter the pieces of butter over the mixture and pulse until you have small-sized pieces with some larger ones. Add more of the water and pulse again, continuing with more water scraping down the sides of the food processor. Pulse until the dough comes together. Turn the dough onto a piece of plastic food wrap, flatten it to a disc, and roll the dough into a 12-inch circle between two pieces of plastic food wrap. Refrigerate for at least two hours. 

The filling:
1 TBS olive oil 
½ pound (227 grams) mushrooms 
4 slices bacon
2 leeks, white and light green parts only
1 garlic clove finely chopped
 fine sea salt
3 TBS dry white wine
2 TBS heavy cream
3 TBS walnuts 
¼ cup (24 grams) finely grated parmesan 
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves 
Freshly ground pepper 

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Center the oven rack in the middle. Roast the walnuts for about 10 minutes. 
Cut the leeks in half and thinly slice them. Wash them and let them drip dry in a sieve. 
My chanterelles were very dirty, so I rinsed them quickly under cold running water and patted them dry with a paper towel. Cut off the bottom of the stem and slice the rest of the chanterelles into bite-sized pieces.
Cut the bacon into ¾-inch slices and sauté over medium heat until crisp. Transfer the bacon to a platter covered with a paper towel. Pour off all but 1 TBS of bacon fat from the pan. 
Pour the olive oil into the frying pan with the bacon fat. Heat on medium, toss in the leeks, and fry for a few minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook for about five minutes or until the vegetables are softened. The mushrooms will release water, but it will evaporate as you continue to cook. Season with salt and add the wine, stirring and scraping the pan until the wine has evaporated about two minutes. Pour in the cream and cook until it is mostly absorbed. Remove the pan from the heat and add the bacon, walnuts, 2 TBS parmesan, thyme, and pepper. Taste for seasoning. You can make the filling ahead and keep it in the fridge for a couple of days. 
Take the dough out of the fridge and let it sit for a few minutes. Peel off the plastic wrap and put the dough on a piece of wax paper on a cookie sheet. Scrape the filling into the middle of the dough and spread into a 9-inch circle. Fold the bare border over the filling. As you fold the dough, it will pleat on itself. Bake the galette for about 30 minutes until golden brown. Sprinkle the remaining parmesan over the galette and enjoy this special treat.

​Guten Appetit!
Recipe from Dorie Greenspan’s cookbook Everyday Dorie
Posted by the ©Sunnycovechef 
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