A combination of mushrooms, such as cremini, porcini, chanterelle and Portobello makes the tastiest pie. Just be sure there are no poisonous ones in the mix! The recipe comes from What Einstein Told His Cook, by Robert L. Wolke (W.W. Norton & Co., 2002)
Make the filling up to a day ahead.
Pastry for a 9-inch double-crust pie. (I love the pie crust from Trader Joe’s.)
2½ cups finely chopped onions (approximately 3 medium onions). You can use shallots for part of these.
4 T unsalted butter
8 cups coarsely chopped mushrooms, assorted, cleaned (about 1½ – 2 lbs.)
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
¼ cup dry Marsala wine
One-two drops Tabasco sauce, if you have it
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 T all-purpose flour (whole wheat works, too)
1 egg yolk mixed with 1½ teaspoons water
- FILLING: Sauté the onions (and shallots, if you wish) in butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook the onions until soft and golden, but not brown, about 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms and dried thyme. The mushrooms will reduce in volume and release their juices. Give them a few minutes.
Add the Marsala and Tabasco sauce and continue cooking until the liquid reduces by half. Season generously with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir for a minute or so until the juices thicken slightly. Remove from heat. Cool this filling before making the pie.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Fit the dough for the bottom crust into a 9-inch pie pan. Add the mushrooms, smoothing them evenly. Dampen the edge of the dough with water. Top with the remaining dough, pressing the edges to seal. Trim and flute the edges.
- Whisk egg yolk and water together in a small dish. Gently brush this egg wash over the top crust with your fingertips of a soft pastry brush. Bake pie for 35 minutes or until crust is golden.
Serve warm or at room temperature. This keeps well, refrigerated, and reheated.
