Michael's Mushroom Galette

My good friend Nzinga threw a great little Chanukkah party last weekend. And her great husband, Michael, threw together this little mushroom galette for the party. It was insanely delicious. My hubby and I were so sad we couldn't eat the whole thing. And as soon as he tasted it, hubby turned to me and said, "You HAVE to get this recipe!"

And he was right; I did. So I did, and Michael graciously obliged me with the recipe below. I am definitely going to give it a whirl...and my secret is that instead of making my own dough, I'm totally going to use Trader Joe's whole wheat pizza dough. I've used it before and it's actually really tasty.

Michael's Mushroom Galette

- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced/pressed
- 2-3 baskets (like strawberries come in) mushrooms, tough stems removed, sliced into 1/4-in thick strips. This will seem a like too much, but the mushrooms will cook down. (Michael's note: I used 2.5 baskets of 'ugly' shitakes from the mushroom booth at Ferry Plaza market, a bit over 2 lbs.)
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- salt
- 3/4 cup white wine
- 2 tbsp butter
- black pepper
- savory pastry dough (Michael's note: I used yeasted olive oil galette dough from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, with half whole wheat and half white flour.)
- 1/4 lb gruyere, grated
- 1 egg, beaten

Make the dough first so it can rise or rest while cooking the mushrooms. (Dena's note: or, if you're taking the quick & easy route like me, let the refrigerated dough rest at room temperature!)

Preheat oven to 400F.

Heat oil over low flame in large, heavy saute pan (e.g., cast iron). Soften garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add mushrooms and thyme. Raise temperature to medium and cook covered for ~ 15 minutes, stirring often. Salt generously. Remove cover and raise temperature, stirring as the liquid evaporates. The mushrooms will stick a little bit as they begin to brown. When they have a nice color, remove to a bowl. Return the pan to the stove and add the wine to deglaze. Stir and scrape up the yummy browned bits until the wine has reduced by ~ half. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Add the mushrooms back in, add pepper to taste, and stir to coat. Return everything to the bowl to cool and discard thyme sprigs.

Roll out the dough so it is thin and about 16 inches across (irregular shape is fine). Place on baking sheet that is at least 14 inches wide. (Dena's note: I highly recommend using parchment paper beneath the dough.) Spread thin layer of grated cheese over center of dough in ~ 12in circle, then spread mushrooms on top. Fold extra dough over in flaps to form 6-8 sided, partly covered tart. Brush exposed pastry with egg.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the pastry is cooked through and brown. Serve hot, room temperature, or reheated.