This Classic Shiitake Mushroom Galette Recipe, with meaty shiitake mushrooms, white wine, herbs and buttery pastry, was inspired by freshly harvested shiitakes.
A Classic Mushroom Galette Recipe You Are Sure To Love
There’s something quietly luxurious about a galette. It doesn’t ask for perfection or ceremony, just good ingredients, a steady hand, and the patience to let flavors speak for themselves.
This classic shiitake mushroom galette is the kind of dish that emerges on a slow afternoon, when the light is soft and the kitchen smells faintly of butter, thyme, and earth.
Shiitakes, with their deep, woodsy character, feel especially suited to this kind of rustic preparation. Sautéed until silky and folded into a free-form crust, they transform humble pastry into something grounding and elegant all at once. This is comfort food with restraint, simple, savory, and deeply satisfying, meant to be sliced and shared while still warm.
A Savory Galette For The Mushroom Lover
This savory mushroom galette, with caramelized onion, fresh marjoram or fresh thyme leaves, a drizzle of wine, all encased in a buttery rich pastry, was inspired by a gift.
Having known only crimini mushrooms early on in life, later being introduced to oyster mushrooms, of course portobello and only recently those chunky king trumpets, I now have a favorite; Shiitake.
And so, an open-faced pie, to showcase the gift I received, is what I created for these first class mushrooms.
Let’s Talk About Mushrooms and Why I Use Shiitakes In My Galette
While many mushrooms can find a place in a galette, shiitakes tend to become the favorite once you’ve cooked with them this way. Compared to more delicate varieties like button or cremini mushrooms, shiitakes offer a deeper, more assertive flavor, earthy, savory, and distinctly woodsy. They hold their shape as they cook, releasing moisture slowly and concentrating rather than collapsing, which is especially important in a pastry-based dish.
Oyster mushrooms bring a lovely softness and elegance, but their tenderness can fade into the background once baked. Porcini, when fresh, are intensely aromatic but often better suited to simpler preparations where their flavor can stand alone. Even creminis, reliable and familiar, tend to read milder and require more seasoning to achieve the same depth.
Shiitakes strike a rare balance. Their meaty texture gives the filling substance, while their natural umami pairs beautifully with butter, cream, and herbs. They absorb flavor without losing their own identity, and once sautéed, they develop a richness that feels almost slow-cooked, even when prepared simply.
In a galette, where every ingredient must hold its own within a delicate crust, shiitakes offer confidence. They anchor the dish, lending warmth and depth, and transform the galette from something merely savory into something truly grounding, worthy of becoming the mushroom you reach for again and again.
Wild Mushrooms vs Cultivated Mushrooms
Sure, us foodie folks would love to think we could forage much of the foods we cook with. Perhaps we’ve seen wild mushrooms growing in our yard, or under a woodpile, but would we eat them? Not me!
A friend contacted me with a harvest of shiitake mushrooms he had an abundance of. He said he has been doing it as a hobby for a while and explained how he treats the wood for the shiitake to grow in.
Growing Your Own Shiitake Mushrooms
First – hard wood logs, oak in his case, are cut to 4-feet long.
Second – if you want to force the growth of the shiitake, you soak the logs first, but he said they grow bigger on their own.
Third – tiny starters are purchased in moist sawdust, holes are drilled throughout the logs, logs are stacked in a particular way in a shady spot, and the starters are placed inside the drilled holes.
Finally – if all goes well, in 18-months, you have a harvest of shiitake. Sometimes huge heads, sometimes small, but pure, meaty gorgeous shiitake mushrooms.
Wood vs Dirt Growing Mushrooms
What impressed me most, was that the shiitake mushrooms are among the few mushrooms that grow inside of wood, and actually eat every aspect of the wood.
For this reason, the stems on a shiitake are never cooked or eaten. The stems have actually started to become wood.
If the mushrooms were never harvested and left to remain on the wood, they themselves would become hard and woody all the way to the top. They become the wood!
What Is A Galette
In short, a galette is an easy recipe for an open faced, rustic pie, whether it has a savory filling, as does this recipe, or a sweet filling, as you might enjoy with my Apple and Marmalade Galette.
There is no need for a pie dish, or an extra layer of pie dough on the top.
It is said, that a galette was France’s take on the pizza; a pizza dough being a yeast bread dough while a galette is more of a pie dough.
I am certain, I will now be making Shiitake Mushroom Galettes as often as I can obtain these beautiful meaty mushrooms!
Mushroom Recipes You Are Sure To Love
It seems, at least to the general public, that mushrooms really became a hit when restaurants began to give more attention to Vegan dishes.
The mushroom, being a beautiful, rich and almost meaty substitute for meat, as you will often see in Burgers and Vegan Meatballs.
If you are a meat lover and have enjoyed the indulgence of a true Wellington, it is tradition to make a mushroom pate wrapped around the meat, before the pastry.
A must try, is Beef Wellington or Venison Wellington, if you are able to obtain venison.
- Venison Wellington – wrapped in puff pastry, with a wine reduction and mushroom pate tucked between the venison and pastry.
- Beef Wellington – a classic dish I learned to make from Gordon Ramsay and is a family favorite, and yes, a lovely mushroom pate and herb crepe wrap the beef before the pastry.
- Immune Wellness Soup – mushrooms, always mushrooms are part of the collage of antioxidant ingredients in a wellness soup.
- Mustard Wine Sauce Rabbit – for those refined foodies that have discovered the delicate flavor and tenderness of rabbit, the wine and mushroom sauce marries perfectly.
How To Make A Classic Shiitake Mushroom Galette
Like any pie, whether open or closed, the pie crust plays an important part in both flavor and the ability to encase its filling.
For this reason, we take care in preparing the pastry, which has butter, a small amount of grated cheese and mascarpone. These ingredients aid in both flavor and stability of the pastry.
Next is to infuse flavor into the shiitake mushrooms and soften them enough to go into the pastry to bake.
In this step, the mushrooms are lightly sauteed in herbs and wine. Once they are soft, the shiitake mushrooms go into the pastry with the addition of two types of cheese.
Selecting the cheese to bake in this galette can be a personal choice, however I find both Gruyere and a Pecorino Romano to compliment and not overpower the mushroom flavor.
A heavy basting of an egg wash, with with heavy cream and an egg, is what brings the golden color to the baked pastry.
Equipment Needed
The tools for this galette are simple, familiar, and well-suited to slow, mindful cooking.
- Food processor or dough blender and cutter makes quick work of cutting cold butter into flour, helping create a tender pastry without overworking the dough.
- Rolling pin gently coaxes the rested dough into shape, no precision required, just an even hand and a little patience.
- Measuring cup and spoons keep the balance right.
- Basting brush is used to finish the galette with an egg wash, brushing the crust so it bakes up golden and inviting.
- Heavy large skillet is essential for the filling, allowing the shiitake mushrooms to cook evenly and develop their deep, savory character without steaming.
- Citrus press makes quick work of fresh lemon, adding brightness exactly where it’s needed.
- Rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper, an unfussy setup that supports the free-form nature of the dish while keeping cleanup easy.
- Stovetop and Oven do the quiet work of transformation, one coaxing flavor from the mushrooms, the other bringing pastry and filling together into a cohesive, beautifully bronzed whole.
Ingredients Needed
The Pastry sets the tone for this galette, rustic, rich, and quietly indulgent.
- Butter is the foundation, worked into the flour while still cold, creating pockets that puff and flake as the galette bakes. It brings both structure and that unmistakable aroma that signals comfort before the dish even reaches the table.
- Mascarpone softens the dough, adding a gentle tang and a creamy richness that makes the crust especially tender. It’s an unconventional touch, but one that gives the pastry a melt-in-your-mouth quality and a little grace for imperfect edges.
- Flour provides the canvas, holding everything together while allowing the butter and mascarpone to do their work.
- Grated Cheeses are folded into the dough for depth, salty, savory notes that echo the filling and turn the crust into something flavorful in its own right.
- Lemon brightens the dough, cutting through the richness and keeping the pastry light on the palate. It’s a small detail, but one that brings balance, proof that even a buttery crust benefits from a hint of acidity.
- Egg binds the pastry, lending strength and a subtle richness, while also helping the crust bake up golden and inviting.
The Mushroom filling is where the galette finds its depth.
- Shiitake Mushrooms are the heart of it all, sliced thick and cooked slowly until their moisture releases and concentrates into something rich and savory. Their woodsy, almost meaty character gives the filling substance, making it feel hearty without heaviness.
- Onion and Garlic form the quiet base, softened gently in olive oil until sweet and fragrant. This slow beginning matters, it sets a mellow, rounded tone that allows the mushrooms to shine rather than compete.
- Olive oil brings a subtle fruitiness and keeps the flavors clean, letting each ingredient retain its identity.
- Dry White Wine deglazes the pan, lifting caramelized bits and adding brightness. It’s a brief moment of acidity and aroma that keeps the filling from tipping too far into richness.
- Marjoram or Thyme sprigs infuse the mixture with a soft herbal note, earthy and comforting, never overpowering.
- Coarse Salt seasons with intention, drawing out moisture from the mushrooms and sharpening the flavors as they cook.
- Heavy Cream is stirred in just enough to bind everything together, lending silkiness and warmth without masking the natural depth of the mushrooms.
Classic Shiitake Mushroom Galette Recipe
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- Food processor or pastry cutter
- Rimmed Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- Savory Pastry Crust
- 6 tbsp Butter
- 1 tbsp Mascarpone or cream cheese
- 1 3/4 cups All purpose flour more as needed
- 1 tbsp Grated Cheese Pecorino Romano
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice and lemon zest 1/2 lemon
- 1 Egg yolk
Mushroom Filling
- 24 large Shiitake mushrooms
- 1 Onion finely chopped
- 2 Garlic cloves crushed
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 tbsp Butter
- 1/4 cup Dry White Wine
- 10 Marjoram or Thyme sprigs
- 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano grated
- 1/4 cup Gruyere Cheese grated
- Coarse salt to taste
- Egg Wash
- 1 Whole egg
- 1 tbsp Heavy cream
Instructions
- PastryIn a large bowl or food processor, whisk together the flour, butter, mascarpone and grated cheese until it become a dry crumble mixture. To the flour mixture, whisk in the lemon juice, zest and egg yolk until the mixture comes together into a pliable dough. A bit more flour if too sticky or a drizzle more lemon juice if too dry.
- Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and roll the dough out into a disc and chill.
- Mushroom MixtureRemove the stems from the shiitake mushrooms, by simply twisting them where they connect to the head. Lightly brush off any loose dirt or bark and set aside.
- In a heavy large skillet, over medium heat, melt butter and add the olive oil. Add the finely chopped onion, cover and allow the onion to caramelize a little, or just until you see golden edges beginning to form.
- Remove the lid, add the crushed garlic and allow to cook a minute more. Layer all the mushrooms on top of the onion mixture, followed by a few herb branches, sprinkle in a little bit of salt and a drizzle of the wine over the mushrooms. Cover, lower the heat and allow to cook for about 5-minutes. Uncover, remove from the stove and allow to cool for 10-minutes, undisturbed.
- Assemble and BakePreheat oven to 350.
- Remove the disc of pastry dough from the fridge and create a lightly floured surface over a piece of parchment paper. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough to solid 9-inch disc with an extra 2-inch border for folding over the edges. Remember this is a free form style of pie, so the edges have a rustic fold just to keep the filling in place. Set the parchment paper, with dough, on top of a rimmed baking sheet.
- Begin to place a sparse but even layer of the smallest mushrooms on top of the pie dough, remembering to leave the 2-inch edges bare. Sprinkle both cheeses on top, Transfer the caramelized onions on top of the cheese. Do a final layer of the prettiest mushrooms on top, in an even layer.
- Gently fold the edges up and over the edge of the mushroom, just enough to encase the edges but not cover the mushrooms. In a small bowl, whisk the whole egg and heavy cream. Use this egg wash to brush all around the dough, giving a double brushing so the galette dough will back to a rich golden color. Sprinkle the dough with a bit of coarse salt, place a few more sprigs of marjoram or thyme across the top and bake until the crust is golden, about 25-minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Best when served room temperature.
Video
Notes
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.