Wild Mushroom & Creamy Garlic Boursin Galette with Thyme

Golden, buttery pastry, savoury roasted mushrooms and a gloriously garlicky, creamy centre. Autumn comfort food, with very little faffing, and without the wait.

There is something rather lovely about a galette. It looks as though you've made a huge effort, but really, it's all about a few good ingredients, a little clever preparation and the willingness to embrace pastry that doesn't need to be perfectly behaved.

This Wild Mushroom & Creamy Garlic Boursin Galette is all about autumn. Savoury mushrooms, roasted until their flavour deepens and some of their moisture escapes, a generous layer of garlic and herb Boursin, a scattering of salty feta and fresh thyme, all wrapped in golden shortcrust pastry.

It's rustic, it's generous, and it makes a rather lovely lunch or supper with a crisp green salad.

And whilst you are of course very welcome to make your own pastry, we're using shop bought shortcrust here. Because cooking from scratch doesn't mean making absolutely everything from scratch. Sometimes the supermarket is our friend.

Why roast the mushrooms first?

This is the little step that makes all the difference. Mushrooms contain a surprising amount of water. Roast them with a little olive oil and sea salt before assembling the galette and you'll concentrate their flavour while allowing some of that excess moisture to escape. It helps keep the pastry crisp rather than soggy, and gives the mushrooms a much deeper flavour ... Worth the extra few minutes? Absolutely!

Wild Mushroom & Creamy Garlic Boursin Galette - The Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pack of shop bought shortcrust pastry

• A selection of wild mushrooms

• Olive oil

• 1 pack Garlic and herb Boursin

• Feta cheese for garnish

• Fresh thyme for garnish

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

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Method

1. Roast the mushrooms. Heat the oven and arrange the mushrooms on a baking tray. Toss with a little olive oil, season with black pepper and salt and roast for bout 15 minutes until they've released some of their moisture and begun to soften and colour. Allow them to cool slightly before assembling.

2. Prepare the pastry. Unroll the shortcrust pastry onto a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Keep it in a rough circle or roll it out gently if needed.

3. Add the Boursin. Spread the garlic and herb Boursin over the centre of the pastry, leaving a border around the edge for folding.

4. Pile on the mushrooms. Arrange the roasted mushrooms over the cheese, spreading them out so every slice gets a generous helping.

5. Fold the edges. Bring the pastry border up and over the filling, pleating it as you go. Don't worry about making it perfectly even; those rustic folds are part of the charm.

6. Bake until golden. Return the galette to the oven and bake until the pastry is crisp and deeply golden and the filling is hot.

7. Finish with feta and thyme. Crumble the feta over the mushrooms and scatter over a few fresh thyme leaves. Leave it to settle for a few minutes before slicing.

Jo's Kitchen Notes

• Don't skip roasting the mushrooms. It's the best way to avoid a watery filling.

• Leave a generous pastry border. It makes folding easier and gives you those lovely golden edges.

• Taste before adding extra salt. Both Boursin and feta bring plenty of seasoning.

• Make it your own. Use a mixture of mushrooms for a variety of textures and flavours.

  
  

Serve warm, perhaps with a crisp green salad and a glass of something lovely. It's equally at home on a lunch table or as an easy autumn supper. And there you have it: a handful of ingredients, a little kitchen know-how and a galette that looks rather more elaborate than the effort involved.