HI!
Did you miss this newsletter last week? It certainly felt a little weird not writing it. I won’t dilly dally on the hows or whys of not sending one out last week, but I’ve had a very productive day of cooking and have a small stash of recipes to pull from as I re-enter the 5 day work week/ restaurant rhythm.
This mushroom and chard galette is so straightforward to make you can still have it for dinner tonight - homemade pastry included. Make the (herby!) pastry, cook the filling while it rests, roll out the pastry while the filling cools, assemble and bake. The pastry itself is really flavourful (I think you could roll it out and bake into little biscuits for cheese), but not as rich as a shortcrust or puff, so it feels right for a weeknight/end of weekend meal. You’ll notice there’s creme fraiche in there - this is inspired by Henrietta Inman’s recipes, which I adore and encourage you to check out both for her baking and writing on progressive farming techniques (eg agroforestry). You can find her on Instagram @wakelynsbakery.
You can obviously brush the pastry with egg instead of milk for shine and a deeper golden colour, but I couldn’t bear to crack a whole egg just to glaze a pastry!
Mushroom & Chard Galette
For the pastry:
250g wholegrain spelt flour (plain wholemeal will work too)
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
120g unsalted butter, cubed & cold
75g creme fraiche
For the filling:
1 white onion, finely chopped
400g chestnut mushrooms, finely sliced
500g swiss chard, stems and leaves separated; stems chopped into 0.5cm strips and leaves shredded in 1cm strips
150g grated cheddar
1 large egg, beaten
milk, to glaze
To make the pastry, combine all dry ingredients in a bowl.
Add the butter, and rub into the flour between your fingers until no more chunks of butter are left and it is evenly dispersed.
Add the creme fraiche and mix well. Knead very briefly until it comes together into a dough. Cover and leave to rest in the fridge.
To make the filling, heat some olive oil in a pot over medium heat and add the onion. Cook until soft and translucent, about 5min.
Add the chard stems and the mushrooms and stir well. Cook until the chard stems have softened, and the mushrooms have coloured, another 5-
Add the chard leaves, mix and drop the temperature to low. Cover with a lid to wilt the leaves, about 1-2min. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
Remove the pastry from the fridge, shape into a flat, round puck and lay between two sheets of parchment.
Roll the pastry out into a rough circle, about 30cm in diameter, lay onto a baking sheet and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 200c/180c fan/GM 5.
Transfer the filling to a bowl. You’ll notice there will be a little liquid in the pot - try to drain it, as it will make your pastry soggy.
Add the cheese and egg, season generously with salt and pepper, and mix.
Place the filling into the centre of the pastry in a circle shape, leaving a 4cm edge all the way around.
Bring up the sides, folding each section over the next, to create a crust - a bit like flower petals (see photo). Check for any cracks, and gently press together the pastry to close them up if necessary.
Lightly brush the pastry with milk. Transfer to the oven and bake for 30-40min, until the pastry is golden and crisp and the filling has coloured.
It goes without saying that you can basically put anything in this galette; I think a layer of caramelised onions with a layer of finely slices potatoes (and a few anchovies woven throughout) would be especially nice. The only thing I would maybe advise against is beetroot - it leaks a lot once baked and soaks the pastry.
Galette aside, I have a few sweet recipes I’m really excited to send out in the next couple of weeks, as well as brighter, more colourful dishes as we finally come into summer. Do drop me a line if there is an ingredient/a meal/ an idea you’d like to eat in particular - I’m at my finest when cooking for others (I think a lot of us are?).
Happy pastry making!
Mia