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Named for the town of Pithiviers in France where this dish is a local specialty, the pithivier is an inverted tart filled with utter deliciousness. This mushroom version is savory, fun to make, and is a feast for the eyes (as well as the palate) at any dinner table.
What makes this dish is so special is the shape. You first mold the filling in a bowl and let it set in the fridge. Then you invert it onto pastry dough. Cover with another sheet of dough and you’re nearly done.
However, the round shape of most bowls and the square shape of pastry dough means you’ll have some excess. Cut this off and you can make some very cute shapes to decorate the top of your pithivier with.
I used a small heart shaped cookie cutter to add hearts to mine. The egg wash here does double duty to help the pastry brown, but also to help the decorations stay on. It’s the “glue” that holds the top and bottom layers of dough together as well.
You’ll need to make a hole or holes in the center of the top layer of dough to allow steam to release as it bakes, too.
The filling is a rich mixture of mushrooms and sour cream that’s flavored with thyme. There’s something magical about thyme and mushrooms together- the flavors play off each other so nicely.
If you can get crème fraîche then by all means use that, but sour cream is a good stand-in for this recipe.
Once this is baked to perfection cut into slices like a pie and enjoy this filling, tasty dish. Serve with some salad and you’ve got a wonderful meal. You can also serve this is a side dish since mushrooms are the perfect accompaniment to beef dishes, too. As long as you enjoy mushrooms you can’t go wrong with this fabulous French pie.
Mushroom Pithivier
Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter, divided
- 2 lbs mushrooms, sliced
- 2 shallots, minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup white wine or vegetable stock
- 1/2 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
- 1 (17.6 oz ) package frozen puff pastry, defrosted
- 1 egg, beaten
Preparation
- Heat oil and 2 tablespoons butter in skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook for 12 minutes or until browned. Add shallots and cook for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add wine or stock, and herbes de Provence. Cook for 1 minute.
- Remove from heat and add crème fraîche (or sour cream), mustard and, thyme leaves. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.
- Line an 8” metal or glass bowl with plastic wrap. Add cooled mushroom mixture to bowl and cover. Refrigerate for 4 or more hours to firm up.
- When ready to make preheat oven to 375˚F. Roll out 1 sheet of pastry onto parchment paper. Invert mushroom mixture onto flat pastry sheet. Brush egg wash along the edges.
- Use rolling pin to drape second sheet of pastry over mushroom mound. Remove excess and crimp edges with fingers or fork to seal. Use scraps to make designs on top layer if desired using egg as glue.
- Poke a hole in top of pastry with knife or use an icing tip to make a perfect star or circle shape hole instead.
- Brush with remaining egg and bake for 30-40 minutes or until top is golden brown. Cover with foil halfway through baking if top begins to brown too much. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before cutting into wedges to serve.
Recipe adapted from Tasting Table.