Mushroom, comte and mascarpone galette

Name: Mushroom, comte and mascarpone galette
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 4-6
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 150g plain flour; 100g spelt or wholemeal flour; pinch salt; 125g unsalted butter, chilled and cubed; 100g full-fat sour cream; 2 tsp white vinegar; 1-2 tbsp iced water, as needed; dressed salad leaves, to serve

Julia Busuttil Nishimura

July 7, 2023

Time:1-2 hoursServes:4-6

The combination of mushrooms, mascarpone and a hard cheese, such as comte or gruyere, is one I go back to often. Here, it’s in the form of a free-form tart or galette with the flakiest pastry, thanks to the sour cream and a very gentle hand: be sure not to overwork the pastry.

Feel free to swap the thyme for another woody herb such as sage or oregano. My preference is to use Swiss brown mushrooms, which I combine with dried porcini for a deeper flavour, but other types of mushrooms that are available to you will work, too.

Ingredients

For the sour cream pastry

150g plain flour
100g spelt or wholemeal flour
pinch salt
125g unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
100g full-fat sour cream
2 tsp white vinegar
1-2 tbsp iced water, as needed
dressed salad leaves, to serve

For the mushroom filling

10g dried porcini mushrooms
40g unsalted butter
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
400g Swiss brown mushrooms, sliced
3 sprigs thyme, plus extra to serve
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
200g mascarpone
100g comte, coarsely grated
½ tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
salt and pepper, to taste
1 egg, for egg wash

Method

Step 1
To make the dough for the pastry, mix the flours and salt together in a large bowl. Rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips or a pastry cutter until the mixture is pebbly. You want to almost rub the butter into flatter pieces rather than into something that resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sour cream and drizzle in the vinegar. Sprinkle over enough iced water to just bring the dough together, using your hands. It will still be shaggy, but shouldn’t be dry or floury and will hold together when pressed. Flatten into a disc, wrap and chill in the refrigerator for an hour.
Step 2
For the filling, place the porcini mushrooms in a small bowl, cover with 100ml of boiling water and allow to soak for 10-15 minutes.
Step 3
Warm the butter and extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and add the Swiss brown mushrooms. Cook for 6-7 minutes until softened, then add the porcini mushrooms and their soaking liquid, along with the thyme and garlic. Cook for a further 3-4 minutes or until the liquid has mostly evaporated. Season to taste and set aside to cool.
Step 4
In a small bowl, combine the mascarpone, comte and nutmeg. Season to taste and set aside.
Step 5
Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional). Allow the pastry to rest out of the fridge for 10 minutes. Line a round 25cm baking tray with baking paper. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface into a large circle 5mm thick, massaging the edges as you roll to prevent it from cracking too much. Drape the pastry over the prepared tray.
Step 6
Spread the mascarpone mixture onto the base of the pastry, leaving a 7cm border. Top with the mushrooms and fold in the overhanging pastry edge to create a border, pinching it together at intervals to create a circular shape.
Step 7
Whisk the egg with 1 teaspoon of water in a small bowl. Brush the pastry with the egg wash and bake in the oven for about 40 minutes or until the pastry is golden. Allow to cool.
Step 8
To serve, top with the extra thyme and dressed salad leaves.