So I made this recipe up and I will try my best to estimate measurements. I can't promise success the first time, but if you can cook intuitively you will likely be fine, lavishing in mushroom heaven about 90 minutes after you start. Mushrooms won't brown if you crowd them, so this pie is made in a series of batches where you kind of build up the flavor. There's lots of butter and some cream, and here is where I admit that I don't do pie dough. If you can get the frozen pie dough from the local Trader Joe, those are the best. If not, you can use any ready made crust or make your own. If you can't find all the different mushrooms here just improvise with the different varietal at your grocery store. Mushrooms shrink a lot, so you will want to have about 6 or 7 cups of uncooked funghi to cook down for one hearty pie. Here is the shopping list:
3 portobello mushrooms
1 medium fresh shitake mushroom, chopped
about 1/3 lb cremini mushrooms, sliced
about 1/3 lb white mushrooms, sliced
1oz bag of dried mushrooms (oyster or porcini etc)
3/4 cup of fresh or frozen green peas
1 large shallot
3 cloves of garlic, smashed or minced
leaves of 2 sprigs of thyme, removed and chopped
1/2 white or yellow onion, chopped
olive oil
butter
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup heavy cream or half and half
1 egg yolk beat with 1/2 teaspoon water
2 pie crusts
Rinse the mushrooms. Choose the portobello with the best stem and slice out a cross section from the middle and reserve for the top of the pie. Drizzle olive oil on it so it won't dry out. Then chop up the rest of the mushrooms, and the shallot and the onion.
Place the dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover with a cup of boiling water. Let them steep for 10 minutes or so until hydrated. The ones I got were a mixture from Trader Joe but you can find dried mushrooms near the fresh ones in the grocery store, or near the fresh herbs. These will be the most intense tasting variety so once they're hydrated, chop them up into smaller pieces but keep them separate from the fresh mushrooms.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and thaw crusts or bring to room temp as per instructions on the box.
In a heavy bottom pot or a dutch oven, heat a tablespoon of butter. Cook some of the shallot and onion until translucent and then add 2 cups of the chopped fresh mushrooms. Stir while cooking until browned, adding a little more fat if needed (butter or olive oil) like if the bottom of the pot feels dry. Transfer the first batch to a bowl and repeat, browning the fresh mushrooms in butter and onions in batches, being careful not to crowd them, transferring each batch to the bowl. Lightly salt and pepper each batch while cooking it.
With the batches of mushrooms cooked and reserved, keep the empty pot over the heat. Add a tbsp of olive oil and scrape up the browned bits, then add the garlic and sautee a minute or so. Return all of the cooked mushrooms to the pot and add the white wine and thyme leaves, cook and reduce so the mushrooms absorb the wine. Add the hydrated wild mushrooms, peas and heavy cream, stirring and cooking over medium heat until the whole thing starts to thicken. Taste the mixture and adjust salt and pepper, garlic and herbs. Add more if necessary. Fill the bottom pie crust with the filling. I find it easier to cut the slits into the top crust before fitting it on top of the pie. Pinch edges of crusts together to seal. Drizzle olive oil on the mushroom slice (to keep it from drying) and place in the middle of the crust. Brush the crust with the egg and water mixture, bake for 45 minutes, or until crust is crisp and browned, and filling is bubbling. Enjoy!
With the batches of mushrooms cooked and reserved, keep the empty pot over the heat. Add a tbsp of olive oil and scrape up the browned bits, then add the garlic and sautee a minute or so. Return all of the cooked mushrooms to the pot and add the white wine and thyme leaves, cook and reduce so the mushrooms absorb the wine. Add the hydrated wild mushrooms, peas and heavy cream, stirring and cooking over medium heat until the whole thing starts to thicken. Taste the mixture and adjust salt and pepper, garlic and herbs. Add more if necessary. Fill the bottom pie crust with the filling. I find it easier to cut the slits into the top crust before fitting it on top of the pie. Pinch edges of crusts together to seal. Drizzle olive oil on the mushroom slice (to keep it from drying) and place in the middle of the crust. Brush the crust with the egg and water mixture, bake for 45 minutes, or until crust is crisp and browned, and filling is bubbling. Enjoy!
