Wild Mushrooms and Herbs are a match made in heaven. Mushrooms have a rich, deep, earthy flavor that is perfectly complemented by hearty herbs like thyme and sage. This Wild Mushroom and Herb Galette layers perfectly matched flavors atop each other. The hearty mushroom filling lays over creamy, mild, velvety fontina cheese. A flaky, buttery, golden brown pastry crust hold everything together, and adds a balancing crunch to the tender filling. There’s really nothing not to like here! This galette works beautifully in small slices as an appetizer, or as larger slices for lunch or a side. Or snack. Or breakfast. There’s no bad time for a galette.
The Mushroom & Herb Filling
The star of this show is undeniably the mushrooms. I like to use a variety for a rich flavor, but any mushrooms you can find will work. Cremini mushrooms are a staple for their straightforward, strong mushroom flavor. Shiitakes add woodsier notes, while oyster mushrooms have subtle anise and seafood notes. Using a mix results in an overall balanced, earthy canvas.
To enrich the flavor of the mushrooms, I cook them down with onion, garlic, white wine, and a touch of dijon mustard. Each of these elements complements each other and highlights the mushrooms. Aromatic onions and garlic add savory flavor while white wine and dijon provide brightness and acid to break up the richness. All of this is finished with a sprinkling of hearty herbs. Thyme and sage are the kind of herbs that hold up well to strong competing flavors and lend their fresh aromas to such a rich dish.
I knew this mushroom mixture needed a creamy, mild base to melt beneath it. Fontina cheese was a natural choice for its smooth, easily meltable texture and mild, nutty, buttery flavor. This cow’s milk cheese is one of my all time favorites. I use it in everything from grilled cheeses to lasagna to chicken parm. The velvety smooth texture when melted made it the perfect base for this comforting galette, soaking in all the flavor from the mushrooms above.
Looking for other savory baking recipes? Try these:
Zucchini, Caramelized Onion, and Thyme Goat Cheese Galette
Portobello Fries with Smoked Gouda and Parmesan Dip
The Pastry Dough
I think this pastry dough is pretty perfect. This particular dough is a modification on pie crust, but I think it has the perfect balance of flakiness, crispness, and buttery flavor. When properly rested, it is easy to work with and roll out. Plus, it bakes up perfectly every time. They key, however, lies in creating the layers of butter throughout the dough. Using the palm of your hand or your knuckles to flatten the cold butter into sheets helps create the additive flaky texture in the final dough. You can think of it like biscuits – the flaky layers exist because butter and flour are not just combined, but folded atop one another. The same concept applies here. When in doubt, it is better to undermix rather than overmix this dough. I don’t mind seeing ribbons of butter here and there in the final dough as I roll it out. That just means more layers!
Putting together the Wild Mushroom and Herb Galette
Despite how beautiful the finished galette looks, it is pretty simple to assemble. I start by making the pastry dough so it can rest in the refrigerator.
Next, I cook down the mushroom filling. This means sautéing onions, mushrooms, garlic, butter, and dijon mustard until the vegetables are soft and slightly browned. Finally, the pan is quickly deglazed with a splash of dry white wine. This helps pull all the flavors together and elevate the aroma of the filling. It’s best to let the filling come to room temperature before assembling the galette, to prevent early melting of the cheese and dough.
To assemble the galette, I roll the dough out into a large circle. This does not need to be a perfect circle – galette is a rustic dish in nature and a few cracks here and there are fine. If any cracks end up being too deep, you can patch them together so the filling doesn’t escape the crust. Next, it’s time to spread the cheese over the dough, leaving an edge of the dough uncovered for folding. I top the cheese with the mushrooms, spread evenly, then fold the dough edges over the filling. Brushing the dough with an egg wash before baking helps ensure a beautiful, even, golden brown color. All that’s left now is to bake! When finished baking, allow the galette to cool slightly before serving – I learned this the hard way!
I hope you love this Wild Mushroom and Herb Galette as much as I do! If you make this recipe, leave a comment and let me know what you thought or feel free to ask a question! I’d also love to see what you made! Tag me in your food pics @fortheperfectbite or use #fortheperfectbite on Instagram.
Wild Mushroom and Herb Galette
Ingredients
Pastry Dough
- 1 ⅓ cup all purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 ½ sticks salted butter chilled
Filling
- 1 small yellow onion
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 16 oz. cremini mushrooms
- 16 oz. assorted gourmet mushrooms (oyster, shiitake, king oyster)
- 3 cloves garlic
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 6 large leaves fresh sage
- 1 tbsp salted butter
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 8 oz. fontina cheese
Egg Wash
- 1 egg
Instructions
Pastry Dough
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, and salt with a fork.
- Cut the chilled butter into 2-inch chunks and sprinkle them into the flour mixture. Using clean hands, press the butter into the flour. Use firm, sweeping motions with your palm to flatten and fold the butter into the flour, creating sheets or layers of butter.
- When the butter has been mostly flattened and worked into the flour, drizzle 3 tablespoons of cold water onto the mixture. Continue to fold the layers over each other until the dough forms a loose ball. If it won't come together, drizzle one more tablespoon of water over the dough and continue folding.
- When the dough is mostly combined with a few rough edges (no need to get it perfectly smooth and combined), fold into a square, wrap with plastic wrap, and allow to rest in the refrigerator, at least 30 minutes.
Wild Mushroom and Herb Galette
- Make the pastry dough and allow to chill while the rest of the ingredients are prepared.
- Thinly slice or dice the yellow onion. Add the olive oil and onions to a large skillet and cook over medium heat until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Slice the mushrooms and add to the skillet with the onion. Raise the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms begin to soften and release water, 2-3 minutes.
- Finely mince the garlic cloves and add to the mushrooms and onion. Season the mixture with kosher salt and black pepper.
- Strip the thyme leaves from the stem. Finely chop the sage. Add the thyme leaves, sage, butter, and dijon mustard to the mushrooms.Continue cooking, stirring often, about 6-7 minutes more, until the mushrooms are lightly browned.
- Stir the white wine into the mushroom mixture and continue cooking until the liquid has nearly completely evaporated. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to come to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Assemble the galette: Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper, then sprinkling ½ tablespoon flour onto the parchment paper. Lightly dust a clean counter with flour. Roll out the pastry dough with a floured rolling pin into a circle, about 15 inches in diameter. The dough should be about ⅛ inch thick evenly across the circle. If the dough deeply cracks outward toward the edges, lightly pull, overlap, and pinch the cracks back together. Some small (1-2 inch) cracks toward the edges are fine.
- When finished rolling, transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet. I like to do this by gently folding the dough circle in half, then in half again, taking care not to crack or break the dough. Then lift the folded dough onto the baking sheet and unfold back into the original circle.
- Slice or shred the fontina cheese. Layer the cheese onto the dough, leaving a 2-3 inch border of dough around the edges. Layer the mushroom mixture over the cheese in an even layer.
- Gently fold the edges of the dough over the filling. Beat the egg, then brush the beaten egg over the dough. Sprinkle the dough with salt and pepper. Sprinkle additional thyme leaves over the mushrooms if desired.
- Bake the galette at 400°F for 45-50 minutes, until the crust is golden and flaky.
- Allow the galette to cool for 5-10 minutes, then slice and serve with a fork.
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