Miso Mushroom Galette

I’ve lived in Singapore, just off the equator, for most of my life. And the thing I like least about it is the lack of seasons. To me, there’s something about the weather changing that just seems to make time passing more… real. Here, the incessant sameness of the heat and humidity can make time feel like an endless loop. Not to mention, the warmth makes cooking certain things difficult.

Pastry, for example. The heat of the kitchen and the heat of your hands conspire to make the pastry, with all its butter, fall apart and melt as you’re using it. I’ve tried and failed many times to make those beautifully decorated pies I see all over Instagram once the weather turns chillier in countries North and South of ours.

Enter: the galette. This is a hand-formed pie that is all-forgiving. Jagged edges? Fine. Irregular shaping? Great! Think of the galette as that easy breezy, chill person you’ve (well, I’ve) always dreamt of being. This one contains a delicious mixed mushroom and miso cream cheese filling, that kind of says quiche, but not really. It’s savoury and delicious, and the pastry is flaky and amazing. This is a good one.

By the way, this pastry technique comes from Stella Parks via Serious Eats, and it’s a game changer. I haven’t made pastry another way in years.

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Miso Mushroom Galette

Yield: 1 galette

Author: Sarah Huang Benjamin

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 45 MinInactive time: 12 HourTotal time: 13 H & 15 M

Flaky pastry, savoury mushrooms and a deep miso cream cheese base. This pie is just.. amazing.

Ingredients

Pastry

• 225g plain flour
• 225g unsalted butter, cold
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 115g cold water
• 1 egg + 2 tablespoons water, for egg wash

Miso Cream Cheese

• 230g cream cheese
• 1 tablespoon miso paste
• 1 egg + 1 egg yolk

Mixed Mushrooms

• 600g mixed mushrooms, such as shiitake, shimeji and maitake – that's what I used
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• A pinch of salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons oil, for frying
• Fresh herbs, such as dill, for garnishing

Instructions

To make the pastry

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the plain flour, salt and sugar together until everything looks smooth.
2. Cut the cold butter into 1-inch cubes, then toss into the flour mixture until the butter cubes are coated with it.
3. Using your fingers, squish the butter cubes to make them flat. It's okay if some of them break apart into smaller pieces. But just squish them, that's all.
4. If you live in the tropics like me, you might want to place the whole bowl in the fridge or freezer for 5-10 mins to chill everything down.
5. Pour the cold water into the bowl, then mix with your hand to bring together into a dough. Fold the whole thing over in the bowl a few times, until you have a cohesive dough with no significant flour lumps.
6. Transfer the dough to a surface dusted with flour, then roll out into a rectangle measuring about 15cm x 30cm. Fold one short side into the centre, and then do the same with the other side. Now you have a long, narrow rectangle. Fold the short side over to meet the other short side. Now you have a nice square of pastry.
7. Use the rolling pin to roll out the pastry again, and repeat the folding process. This helps create those buttery layers. When you're done, cut the pastry into 2 portions - it's enough for 2 galettes. Wrap each one up with clingfilm, and store in the fridge for up to 2 days, or in the freezer for up to a few months. I like to chill the pastry at least overnight before I make the galette.

To make the Mixed Mushrooms

1. Trim, slice or cut the mushrooms into small pieces.
2. Heat a large sauté pan or wok over a high heat, and add the oil. Sauté the minced garlic until fragrant, then add the mushrooms.
3. Add the salt to encourage evaporation, then fry until most of the moisture is gone, and the mushrooms are golden brown. This takes around 10 minutes.
4. Grind a liberal amount of black pepper over, and season to taste with salt. Set aside to cool.

To make the Miso Cream Cheese

1. Whisk all the ingredients together until smooth.

To assemble and bake

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan.
2. Roll out the pastry on a liberally floured surface, to a thickness of 1cm. You can aim for a round-ish shape, but it doesn't really matter that much if it's irregular. Transfer the pastry to a lined baking tray.
3. Leaving a margin of about 1.5 inches on the edge of the pastry, spread the Miso Cream Cheese into an even layer on the pastry base.
4. Top the Miso Cream Cheese with the Mixed Mushrooms, then bring the edges of the pastry up and over, folding them to create a free-form crust.
5. Brush the pastry with the egg wash, then bake for 30 minutes, until the pastry is golden and slightly puffed, and fully cooked through.
6. Let the galette cool, then garnish with some fresh herbs before serving.

Notes

This quiche is also a great base for a mound of salad greens, like rocket/arugula, tossed lightly in lemon juice and olive oil.