Show-Stopper Mushroom Pithivier Recipe
A pithivier, if you are not familiar with the dish, is a dome-shaped pastry that originated in the French town of the same name. Traditional pithiviers were desserts, often flavored with frangipane (which is similar to marzipan), but more modern ones, such as this mushroom-filled recipe, are more likely to be appetizers instead. Developer Katie Rosenhouse calls pithiviers "endlessly versatile" since, as she says, "they can be filled with just about anything, sweet or savory," but here she is using a mixture of mushrooms because she enjoys the different textures and flavors. In the name of versatility, you can use any types of mushrooms you wish.
While this dish may look pretty impressive and is something Rosenhouse recommends for the holiday season, she says it's not too difficult to make, thanks to the store-bought puff pastry. She also notes that while French-style pithiviers are decorated with carved lines, she prefers using the resulting puff pastry scraps to form cookie-cutter shapes for a fun and whimsical variation.
Gather the ingredients for this show-stopper mushroom pithivier
For the pithivier filling, you will need mushrooms, shallots, garlic, white wine, stock (vegetable or chicken), crème fraîche or sour cream, plus olive oil and butter for cooking and salt, pepper, Dijon mustard, and thyme for seasoning. You'll also need a box of frozen puff pastry and an egg for the outer shell.
Cook the vegetables for the filling
Pour the oil into a large pot or frying pan and add 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, fry the mushrooms for 14-16 minutes until they are browned, stirring every so often. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper to taste, then form a well in the center. Put the shallots and the rest of the butter into the hole and cook them for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Once the shallots are soft, add the garlic and cook it for a minute. Stir all of the vegetables together, then cook them for 4-5 minutes. When the shallots and garlic are brown, pour the wine into the pan and cook it for a minute. Pour in the stock, stir everything up, and turn off the heat.
Chill the filling
Add the crème fraîche, mustard, and thyme to the mushroom mixture and stir them in, then season the mixture with as much salt and pepper as you feel it needs.
Line an 8-inch bowl with plastic wrap, plop the mushroom mixture into the bowl, then smooth down the top and cover it with more plastic wrap. Refrigerate the mushrooms for at least 4 hours, although up to 12 hours is okay. Rosenhouse says the reason for this step is "to make sure the filling is firm enough to keep its shape."
Form the pithivier
When you are almost ready to bake the pithivier, take the puff pastry out of the freezer and allow it to thaw for 15-20 minutes. As Rosenhouse explains, you want the pastry sheets "to be chilled but pliable for easy handling." If the dough becomes too warm while you're handling it, you can stick it in the refrigerator or freezer to firm it up again.
Preheat the oven to 375 F, then unfold 1 sheet of the thawed pastry and put it on a parchment-lined board or tray. Tip over the mushroom mound so it falls onto the center of the pastry sheet, then take off the plastic wrap. Beat the egg with a small amount of water and brush a ring of this mixture around the mushroom mound. Unfold the other pastry sheet and drape it over the mushrooms, then smooth it down to cover. Trim the extra pastry away, but leave 1 ½ to 2 inches of pastry surrounding the mound. Fold this dough border underneath itself, then flute or crimp the edges to seal.
Decorate the pithivier as desired
The one necessary embellishment to the pithivier is a small hole in the top — Rosenhouse uses a pastry tip to poke the hole, but you could also use a knife to cut it. This hole is necessary in order to allow steam to escape while the pithivier is cooking.
You can also, if you want a classical-style pithivier, use a paring knife to trace lines from the top of the dome down to the bottom. If you'd prefer something more playful, feel free to use cookie cutters to shape the pastry scraps and them stick them onto the sides, as Rosenhouse does. Brush the remaining egg wash over the entire pithivier, including any optional dough decorations.
Bake the pithivier
Use the paper to help you lift the pithivier onto a baking sheet without breaking it, then bake it for 75-90 minutes. When it is done, it will look golden brown. Once the pithivier is cooked, let it sit for 15 minutes at room temperature before you slice into it.
If you plan to reheat the leftovers, Rosenhouse suggests wrapping single slices in foil and baking them at 350 F until they heat up. As a final step, she says to remove the foil and continue baking until the pasty re-crisps. She also says you can freeze the pastry before baking it, then thaw it out in the fridge before finishing it up in the oven.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter, divided
- 2 pounds mixed wild mushrooms, sliced
- Salt, to taste
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 shallots, minced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup white wine
- ¼ cup vegetable or chicken stock
- ½ cup crème fraîche or sour cream
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 (1.1 pound) package frozen puff pastry, defrosted for about 15-20 minutes at room temperature
- 1 large egg
- In a large pan, heat the oil with 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium until the butter is melted.
- Brown the mushrooms in the butter and oil mixture for 14-16 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.
- Create a well in the center of the mushrooms and put the rest of the butter in the hole, along with the shallots. Cook the shallots for 1-2 minutes until they soften, stirring occasionally.
- Stir the garlic into shallots and cook it for 1 minute.
- Stir the mushrooms mixture and cook for 4-5 more minutes until the shallots and garlic are brown.
- Pour the wine into the vegetables and cook it for 1 minute, then stir in the stock and turn off the heat.
- Stir the crème fraîche, mustard, and thyme into the mushroom mixture, then season with salt and pepper once again to taste.
- Put the mushrooms in an 8-inch bowl lined with plastic wrap, then wrap the bowl in additional plastic and refrigerate it for 4-12 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 375 F.
- Lay one sheet of puff pastry onto a cutting board lined with parchment paper.
- Put the mushroom mound in the center of the pastry sheet, then take off the plastic wrap.
- Beat the egg with a splash of water and brush it around the mushroom mound.
- Top the mushrooms with the other sheet of puff pastry, smoothing it as necessary to cover.
- Trim the excess puff pastry, leaving a 1 ½- to 2-inch border around the mushrooms. Fold the dough under itself and crimp or flute the edges to seal, then cut a small hole in the top of the pastry to release steam.
- As an optional step, use small paring knife to mark lines from the center of the pithivier down to the bottom, or use cookie cutters to cut the excess dough into decorative shapes to place onto the pivithier.
- Brush the exterior of the pastry with egg wash, including any dough decorations, if used.
- Transfer the pastry mound to a parchment-lined baking sheet, then bake for 75-90 minutes until golden brown.
- Let the pastry rest for 15 minutes before cutting into it.