Mushroom Gougere

Mushroom Gouger

Yum yum yum! I love mushrooms. This recipe from the “Encyclopedia of Vegetables and Vegetarian Cooking” and I’d been wanting to make it for quite a while. I finally had my chance when Jake left for Alaska back in August. Sadly I hadn’t gotten around to posting it till now. I thought this was really delicious, but I think I can do better next time. The flavors are really mild, making this a great choice for folks who may not like things that are super herby or spicy (I know a few of those people). But if you’re not scared of a little bit of oomph you may want to try adding in some extra herbs and spices to give this a bit more of a punch. I think next time I’ll be adding some sage to the recipe, or maybe more of the curry paste or some curry powder. Sadly, I’ll have to wait for Jake to leave before I can make it again. Drat!

Mushroom Gougere
for the crusty bits:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup cold water
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup diced Gruyere or Gouda

for the filling:
1 small onion, sliced
1 carrot, coarsely grated
1 cup sliced white mushrooms
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon mild curry paste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups milk
2 tablespoons parsley
salt and black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons flaked almonds

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Grease a 9-inch shallow ovenproof dish, or use a pie pan.
3. To make the pastry, sift the flour and salt into a small bowl.
4. In a large saucepan, heat the butter and water on low till the butter has melted, not letting the water boil.
5. Dump the flour into the saucepan all at once.
6. Beat the mixture quickly with a wooden spoon till the lumps smooth out and the mixture begins to pull away from the sides of the pan. Turn off the heat and let it cool for 10 minutes.
7. Beat the eggs into the mixture gradually till a soft, but structured dough forms.
8. Stir in the cheese and then use the dough to line the sides of the pie pan.
9. To make the filling, sauté the onion, carrot and mushroom in butter over medium heat for 5 minutes.
10. Stir in the curry paste and then the flour till well incorporated.
11. Gradually add in the milk, stirring constantly till thickened.
12. Add in the parsley and season with salt and pepper.
13. Pour the mixture into the center of the pastry in the pie pan.
14. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the dough is risen and golden brown.