Brown Butter Mushroom & Fontina Rough-Puff Tresses
Picture this: a rainy afternoon in my tiny Paris apartment, the kind where the grey light makes you want to hibernate with a hunk of cheese. I wanted the decadence of a classic bakery tart, but frankly, we are not spending three days on lamination. Not today. That is how these Brown Butter Mushroom and Fontina Tresses were born. I took a batch of foolproof rough-puff pastry, loaded it with nutty browned butter, hard-seared mushrooms, and melted Fontina, then braided it for maximum crust-to-filling snap. Butter is not a garnish, people. The inspiration is pure Parisian bakery culture stripped of fussy pastry baggage. What makes this special to me is the sheer speed. You get those lacy, shatteringly crisp layers without losing your entire Sunday to the kitchen. My tip? Let time do the work on your mushrooms—get them deeply, unapologetically browned before they ever touch the pastry. Don't skip the Dijon swipe in the base either; that sharp kick cuts right through the richness of the cheese. Make it your own by swapping in whatever wild mushrooms look good at the market. Let time do the work, and let us never suffer for brunch.
Featured Recipe
Brown Butter Mushroom & Fontina Rough-Puff Tresses
Shatteringly crisp rough-puff braided over hard-seared mushrooms, nutty Fontina, and a swipe of Dijon-laced crème fraîche. This is the quintessential Parisian savory counter snack stripped of fussy pastry baggage. Expect deeply browned edges, lacy butter layers, and maximum crust-to-filling snap.
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Ingredients
- 240 g all-purpose flour(spooned and leveled; plus extra for dusting)
- 1.5 tsp fine sea salt(divided (1 tsp for dough, 0.5 tsp for filling))
- 225 g cold unsalted cultured butter(cut into 1/2-inch cubes and kept ice cold)
- 120 ml ice water(strained of ice cubes)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter(for mushroom sauté)
- 340 g mixed mushrooms (cremini and shiitake)(cleaned, stemmed, and sliced 1/4-inch thick)
- 2 medium shallots(finely minced)
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves(roughly chopped)
- 2 tbsp dry sherry(or dry white wine)
- 0.5 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 3 tbsp crème fraîche
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 85 g Fontina cheese(coarsely grated)
- 1 large egg(beaten with 1 tsp cold water for wash)
- 0.5 tsp flaky sea salt(for finishing)
- 1 tsp fine sea salt(Used in step 1, but only 1.5 tsp listed in ingredients.)
Instructions
- 1
Toss 240 g all-purpose flour and 1 tsp fine sea salt together in a wide bowl. Dump in 225 g cold unsalted cultured butter and toss each cube to coat. Using a rolling pin directly in the bowl or on a cool counter, roll flat over the butter cubes until they flatten into wide, thin flakes like shingle tiles. Drizzle 120 ml ice water over the mixture and toss lightly with a fork until large clumps form. Press firmly into a cohesive 1-inch-thick slab, wrap tightly in parchment, and chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to firm the butter.
15 min
Tip: Do not rub the butter into sand; you want distinct, visible yellow butter sheets. Butter is not a garnish, it is your structure.
- 2
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp unsalted butter in a wide stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter foams and settles into nutty, hazelnut-scented brown specks, scatter 340 g mixed mushrooms (cremini and shiitake) across the pan in a single layer. Let them cook undisturbed for 4 minutes until deeply browned on the bottom, then toss. Stir in 2 medium shallots, 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, 0.5 tsp fine sea salt, and 0.5 tsp freshly cracked black pepper. Cook 3 minutes more until tender. Splash in 2 tbsp dry sherry to deglaze, scraping up all browned fond. Cook 1 minute until completely evaporated. Spread the mushrooms on a plate to cool completely.
12 min
Tip: Never crowd the pan or mushrooms will steam into rubber. A hard sear delivers deep umami without wet sogginess that ruins pastry.
- 3
Whisk 3 tbsp crème fraîche and 1 tsp Dijon mustard together in a small bowl. Stir in the cooled mushroom mixture until evenly coated, keeping 85 g Fontina cheese reserved on the side.
5 min
Tip: Make sure the sautéed mushrooms are completely cool before mixing, otherwise they will melt the pastry fats prematurely.
- 4
Lightly dust your work surface with flour. Unwrap the chilled dough and roll it out into a 6x15-inch rectangle. Fold the bottom third up and the top third down like a business letter (a tourage turn). Rotate 90 degrees, roll out again to 6x15 inches, and fold into thirds once more. Wrap and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
15 min
Tip: Work quickly with light pressure. If the butter starts sticking or feeling greasy, park it back in the fridge immediately.
- 5
Position a rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 400°F (205°C). Line a heavy rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
5 min
Tip: High initial heat is essential to flash the water in the butter to steam, blowing the pastry layers wide open.
- 6
Roll chilled dough out on a lightly floured surface into a 12x14-inch rectangle, roughly 1/8-inch thick. Trim ragged edges with a sharp knife to expose lacy butter laminations, then cut the sheet into 4 equal rectangles (about 6x7 inches each). Transfer rectangles to the prepared baking sheet. Spread a fourth of the 85 g Fontina cheese down the center third of each rectangle, leaving a 1-inch border at top and bottom. Spoon the mushroom filling evenly over the cheese. Cut 1/2-inch-wide diagonal fringe slits down both long exposed borders. Braid the fringes crisscross over the filling, tucking the ends under to secure.
15 min
Tip: Cut slits cleanly with a sharp wheel or paring knife; dragging dull blades seals raw pastry edges together and kills your lift.
- 7
Brush the top pastry braids lightly with beaten 1 large egg wash, avoiding the cut exposed sides. Scatter 0.5 tsp flaky sea salt over the top. Slide into the 400°F oven and bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until puffed high, shatteringly crisp, and burnished deep amber brown.
25 min
Tip: Check the undercarriage; lift one tress with a metal spatula. It should be uniformly golden and rigid, never pale or damp.
- 8
Transfer the baked tresses to a wire cooling rack and let rest for 5 minutes before serving warm.
5 min
Tip: Letting them vent on a rack preserves crispness instead of steaming on hot parchment.
Chef's Notes
Cami's shortcut note: rough puff replaces traditional puff pastry without sacrificing flaky lift. By rolling whole butter chunks into flat shingles right off the bat, you create hundred-layer flakiness in ten minutes of active rolling rather than a weekend of lamination. Don't skip this: mushrooms must be cooked bone-dry before assembling. Wet mushrooms produce steam pockets that soften the base, leaving you with a tight, gummy crumb like a bad alibi.
Camille Roux
Café-level bakes, weeknight methods, zero compromise.
Camille “Cami” Roux was born in Paris with flour in her hair and a healthy skepticism of culinary dogma. She grew up around neighborhood boulangeries that treated crust and crumb like religion—but what stuck with her wasn’t rigid tradition. It was the quiet precision: good butter that actually tastes like milk, patient fermentation that builds flavor for free, and desserts that know when to stop before they get cloying. After moving to the Bay Area, Cami trained in a bread-and-pastry scene obsessed with texture, naturally leavened doughs, and seasonal fruit—Tartine energy, minus the martyrdom. She became known for loaves that sing when they cool, jammy tarts with clean edges, and “how is this so good?” weeknight pastries made with a few smart shortcuts. Her motto is high impact, low fuss: splurge where it counts (butter, salt, time), streamline the rest (sheet pans, one bowl, cold-proofing). If it doesn’t improve flavor or structure, it doesn’t earn a step.