Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Galette

My birthday happens to fall on New Year's Day, so it's always been a "Family Dinner" kind of celebration rather than a "Party With Friends" type--even when I was a child.  It fell not only on a holiday, but also during school vacation week.

In recent years, I've made a habit of making my own birthday meal.  This confounds my family, who don't understand why anyone would ever want to, "slaver over a stove," on his birthday.  I usually explain that cooking is my hobby and this is the one day of the year where I get to choose the menu 100% and throw a dinner party just because I want to and it's my special day.

This year, I decided to do a multi-course meal where the first two courses were actually served (by me) and the main course was served family-style on platters.  I've never actually done this before, mostly because it's difficult to bring out one course at a time and still be a guest at your own party.  So I made it easy on myself.  The first course was a creamy tomato bisque and the second was a mushroom galette (mushroom tart).  The soup could be easily reheated on the back burner and the tart could be served room-temperature or slightly warmed in the oven.

Anyway, both recipes were FANTASTIC and I want to share them with you here on the blog.  First, I'll give you the galette recipe and tomorrow, I'll post the soup.

Enjoy!

Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Galette

1 regular pie or puff pastry crust
12 to 16 oz Baby Bella (Cremini) or Mixed Wild Mushrooms, sliced
1 large red onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup white or red wine
1/2 cup water
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 to 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
salt & pepper to taste
2 oz goat cheese or feta (optional)
Egg Wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water)

1) In a large saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Add the sliced onions and a pinch of salt.  Saute until the onions begin to soften.

2) Add water and cover, allowing the onions to steam and soften further.  Once they are tender with a little resistance left, remove the cover and allow the water to evaporate.  Remove onions to a bowl to cool.

3) If saute pan is excessively dirty, clean it out.  Return pan to heat and melt the butter with the olive oil.  Add mushrooms and a pinch of salt and saute until all the liquid has evaporated and mushrooms are cooked through.

4) Add a little more oil to an empty area of the pan and saute the garlic and thyme in the oil, stirring to keep it from burning.

5) Add the wine and continue cooking, allowing the wine to cook down into the mushrooms.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and remove the mushrooms to a bowl to cool.

6) Pre-heat oven to 475 (or whatever the puff pastry package says if using puff pastry).  If using pie pastry, roll it out into a circle or rectangle on a piece of parchment paper.  If using puff pastry, defrost it according to the package directions and roll it gently a bit to "iron-out" the seams where it was folded.

7) Gently transfer the pastry and parchment paper to a sheet pan.  Spread the onions evenly over the pastry, followed by the mushrooms, leaving about a 1-inch border around the edges.

8) Begin to fold the border in over the filling so that a rustic-looking rim is created around the edge of the galette.  Dot the top with cheese, if using.  Paint the edges of the pastry with egg wash.

9) Bake at  until the edges are golden brown and shiny.  Puff pastry should be puffed, golden, and crispy.

10) Slice and serve warm or room-temperature.  If your galette is circular, slice as you would a pizza or pie.