Mushroom Palmiers

Three weeks after. The sharp edge is dulling but the weight remains. Megan is eating again — small meals, specific things. She wants toast. She wants soup. She wants pierogi. The pierogi surprised me. She said, "Make me pierogis," and I said, "Which ones?" and she said, "All of them." So I made all of them. Potato and cheese. Sauerkraut. The mushroom gruyère. The strawberry farmer cheese (frozen strawberries, not season, but she wanted them and I would have driven to California to get fresh strawberries if she'd asked).

I made pierogi for four hours. I rolled dough and filled and folded and boiled and fried and the kitchen was warm and the apartment smelled like butter and potatoes and the mechanical rhythm of making pierogi did what it always does: it held me. It held me together when I was falling apart. The dough doesn't care about your grief. The dough needs kneading. The filling needs seasoning. The work continues because the work is what keeps you standing.

Megan ate pierogi on the couch and watched a cooking show and for the first time in three weeks, she laughed. A small laugh — at something a contestant did on the show — but a laugh. A real one. The sound of it hit me like a wave. She laughed. She's in there. She's coming back.

At the brewery, the head brewer pulled me aside and said, "Something's going on with you." I said, "I'm fine." He said, "You're not fine. But you're here. That counts." He's right. I'm not fine. But I'm here. I'm at the brewery. I'm making beer. I'm coming home and making pierogi. I'm here. That counts. That's the most Kowalski thing I've ever said: I'm here. That counts.

Of all the pierogi I made that day, the mushroom gruyère was the one I kept going back to — something about the earthiness of it, the way it smelled when it hit the butter in the pan. These mushroom palmiers aren’t pierogi, but they live in the same neighborhood: savory filling, dough worked with your hands, the kind of thing you make slowly and deliberately when you need the rhythm to hold you. If you’re in a season where you need the work to keep you standing, start here.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 18 min | Total Time: 38 min | Servings: 24 palmiers

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 lb cremini or mixed mushrooms, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small shallot, finely diced
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1/4 teaspoon dried)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 oz gruyère cheese, finely grated
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 sheet (about 9 oz) frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
Flaky sea salt, for finishing

Instructions

Cook the mushroom filling. Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms in a single layer and let them cook undisturbed for 3–4 minutes until they begin to brown. Stir in the shallot and garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and thyme. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until all moisture has evaporated and the mixture is dry, about 5–6 more minutes. Remove from heat.
Finish the filling. Transfer mushroom mixture to a bowl and let cool for 10 minutes. Stir in the grated gruyère and fresh parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Roll and fill the pastry. Lightly flour a work surface and unfold the thawed puff pastry sheet. Gently roll it to a 10x12-inch rectangle. Spread the cooled mushroom filling evenly over the entire surface, leaving a 1/4-inch border on all edges.
Shape the palmiers. Starting from one long edge, roll the pastry tightly toward the center. Repeat from the opposite long edge so both rolls meet in the middle, forming the classic palmier shape. Press gently to adhere. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes (or up to overnight).
Preheat and slice. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Slice the chilled log into 1/2-inch rounds and place cut-side down on the prepared sheets, spacing 1 inch apart.
Egg wash and bake. Brush the tops lightly with beaten egg. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Bake for 16–18 minutes, rotating pans halfway through, until palmiers are deep golden brown and crisp. Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Mushroom Palmiers — The Dough Doesn’t Care About Your Grief