Swiss Chard and Mushroom Galette with Whole Wheat Crust

Swiss chard seems to be riding the popularity train with kale. Thick, slightly bitter, slightly tough greens that are hearty enough to weather the chilly months in your garden. They also happen to be very good for you, so my healthy friends say, which is why this recent Bon Appetit recipe appealed to me. Plus I loved the rustic look of it.

Savory galettes are a wonderful thing, don’t you think? I love the idea of folding pastry around something other than spiced apples or glossy peaches. It’s a bit of a mind trick (should this be sweet or salty?) and feels very French to eat pastry for dinner.

I went through the trouble of making the whole-wheat crust by hand, folding it to cup a mixture of sauteed mushrooms, chard, garlic and Swiss cheeses. The whole process reminded me what a bother it is cooking from scratch! Can’t believe I used to cook like this all the time, but I’ll stick with  my once-weekly cooking projects until I get my hands free.

I didn’t follow the original recipe exactly just because I forgot to buy ricotta cheese. And the new, frugal, time-saving me only goes grocery shopping one time per week. We enjoyed the nuttiness of the Swiss cheeses, so use your preference. I believe goat cheese would also be good, notably with the fresh lemon and grassy herbs.

Original Recipe:

Swiss Chard and Mushroom Galette

Ingredients:

WHOLE WHEAT DOUGH

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¾ cup (1½ sticks) chilled
• unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Pulse all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, and salt in a food processor to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with a few pea-sized pieces of butter remaining. Drizzle with vinegar and ¼ cup ice water. Pulse just until a shaggy dough comes together; lightly knead until no dry spots remain (do not overwork). Pat into a disk and wrap in plastic. Chill at least 2 hours. (let sit at room temp for around 30 minutes to soften before rolling out)

GALETTE

• 1 cup ricotta (or mix of 1 c. Swiss/Gruyere cheeses)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground
• black pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 package mushrooms, sliced, about 1 cup (I used baby bellas)
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 bunch large Swiss chard, ribs and stems removed, leaves cut into bite-size pieces (I bought Trader Joe’s pre-chopped bag of chard)
• 1/4 fresh herbs (I used parsley and cilantro leaves)

Preheat oven to 400°. Season ricotta with kosher salt and pepper; set aside (skip this step if not using ricotta).

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; season with kosher salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl.

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in same skillet over medium heat. Cook garlic, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add half of chard, season with kosher salt and pepper, and cook, tossing, until slightly wilted. Add remaining chard and cook,
tossing occasionally, until completely wilted, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat; season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured sheet of parchment to a 14” round about ⅛” thick. Transfer on parchment to a baking sheet. Spread three-fourths of cheese over dough, leaving a 1½” border. Top with reserved chard, then
mushrooms. Sprinkle remaining cheese over top. Bring edges of dough up and over filling, overlapping as needed, to create a 1½” border; brush with egg.

Bake galette, rotating once, until crust is golden brown and cooked through, 35–40 minutes. Let cool slightly on baking sheet.

Sprinkle herbs over top, then zest and juice of lemon, cracked pepper and flaky sea salt.

Slice, and enjoy, friends! xoxo

Herbed Baked Eggs

I remember when summer was boring. Those weeks in between camps, left in an air-conditioned house while the parents are at work, flipping back and forth between day-time talk shows, soap operas and Whimbledon. Sometimes I would ride my bike up to the public pool, or visit a friend for more lazy hours spent passively watching TV and peeling the skin from our sunburns. I miss it!

The days are so long when you’re young, and now I can’t blink before summer is almost over. The June Bugs have arrived here in The South – heavy, bobbing beetles that look like a woman’s sparkly broach. A sign that school will start in a month.

As I scramble to catch up amid a flurry of professional and personal obligations, quick and easy dinners have been my staple. Inspired by my friend Seton, I recently made Grant and myself a simple French cafe dinner of herb-baked eggs and toasted baguette. This recipe couldn’t be simpler – make for yourself or a dinner party – and it is quite elegant.

Just be careful not to overcook your eggs, as I did – this dish is full of wonderful flavors, but you want the yolks plenty runny. Play it safe.

Herbed Baked Eggs

Ingredients (serves 2 – but easy to multiply)

• 4 large eggs, cracked into small bowls
• 2 T heavy cream (or milk)
• 1 T unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp chopped garlic
• 1/2 tsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
• 1/2 tsp chopped fresh basil (optional)
• 2 T grated Parm-Reg cheese
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Toasted baguette slices, for serving

Preheat broiler.

In individual gratin dishes or small oven-safe bowls, pour 1 T heavy cream and 1/2 T butter, each. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the herbs, garlic, cheese and season with S&P.

When broiler is hot, place gratin dishes on baking sheet and put under broiler until butter is melted, 3 min. Remove from oven and immediately pour 2 eggs into each dish, being careful not to break the yolks. Sprinkle evenly with herb-cheese mixture. Place back under broiler until egg whites are just set – 3-4 min, depending on your broiler. Watch them carefully!

Remove and serve hot or warm, along with your baguette for mopping up the juices.

The edges become browned and nutty from the cheese, and the herbs are just right. I always add more basil and salt and pepper over the top. You can really use whatever herbs are in your garden or fridge.

I will be making this again soon, so I can remedy my overcooked eggs – every second counts!

Enjoy, friends! xoxo

Herb-crusted pork roast

We seem to always have a pork roast in the freezer. Pork tenderloins are a working gal’s best friend because they are so easy to prepare and almost always on sale at some market. Stuffing the meat with an herb mixture, then searing and finally coating with fresh bread crumbs to roast makes this a nice change to the traditional roast pork.

Instead of butterflying my tenderloin, I smeared the herb mixture in between two smaller tenderloins and then tied them together with kitchen twine. It worked just as well, you’ll only need to cook it a tad longer.

A wonderfully fragrant, tender meat dish for any week night. This recipe is adapted from Cook’s Illustrated “Spring Entertaining”

Herb-crusted pork roast

Ingredients:

• 2-3 lbs. pork roast (in the market, one plastic pork tenderloin package contains two loins, so buy one)
• kosher salt
• 1 large slice of white bread, pureed in blender or food processor
• 1 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated, 1/2 c.
• 4 T plus 2 tsp olive oil
• Ground black pepper
• 2 T minced fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tsp. minced fresh rosemary leaves
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced

Preaheat oven to 325. Pat pork dry and sprinkle all sides with salt and pepper.

Mix bread crumbs with 2 T Parmesan, 1 T oil, 1/8 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper in small bowl. Use fork to toss together. Set aside.

In small bowl, combine herbs, garlic, 6 T Parmesan, 3 T oil, 1/8 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper. Mix well. Spread herb paste between two tenderloins and tie with three pieces of kitchen twine.

Heat 2 tsp oil in skillet over medium-high until almost smoking. Add roast and brown well on all sides, about 10 min. Transfer on wire rack set over foil-lined baking sheet. Top with bread crumb mixture, pressing to compact.

Place in oven and roast until internal temp of bottom loin registers 138 degrees, about 1 hour. The crumbs will be browned and juices will run clear when cut. Once out of the oven, tent with foil. (Note, it’s okay if the pork is a little pink because when you reheat the leftovers it won’t dry out!)

Meanwhile, prepare a side dish – I roasted broccoli at 400 degrees with garlic, salt, pepper and EVOO. I also made a quick sauce by deglazing the pork skillet with chicken stock and whisking in butter, salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, slice pork (and top with sauce, if making). Remove the kitchen twine as you go.

Pork is such a wonderful meat because it is mild and absorbs whatever flavors you put on it. The fresh bread crumbs add a nice topping, and the Parmesan gets crisp and nutty. Enjoy, friends! xoxo