Mushroom tarte

Preparation

Baking Directions:

At least 30 minutes before you are ready to bake the tarte, put the pizza stone in the oven and preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sprinkle the baker's peel generously with cornmeal.

Put one portion of the dough on the prepared peel.

Flatten it as thin as you can, opening it out into a circular shape, using a rolling pin, but finishing the job with your fingers.

Leave the rim somewhat higher than the rest.

Rub the raw pizza crust with olive oil.

Sprinkle the chopped herbs over the entire pizza.

Smear the pizza with a thin layer of bechamel using the back of a spoon.

Spread the onions, bacon, and mushrooms evenly over the pizza.

Top with Gruyere and Parmesan cheeses.

Slide the tarte, jerking the peel sharply away, onto the preheated baking stone.

Bake in preheated oven on pizza stone until the crust browns and the tart is bubbling, about 20 minutes.

Bechamel sauceYields 1 cup (this should be thicker than the traditional preparation of this sauce)In a small saucepot over medium-low to medium heat, combine butter and flour with a whisk.

Once the mixture is about the consistency of peanut butter, add milk while whisking.

Cook until thickened, about 4-5 minutes.

Adjust with more milk if needed for consistency; the sauce should be spreadable.

Season to taste with salt.

Sauteed mushroomsHeat the oil in a pan over high heat.

Add the mushrooms.

Season with salt and white pepper and cook until soft and water has cooked out, about 2-3 minutes.

Adjust seasoning as needed.

Pizza doughYields dough for 2 pizzas.

Stir yeast into 1/4 cup lukewarm water in a large bowl to dissolve completely.

When dissolved (10 minutes or less), add 1 cup flour and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon.

As you continue to stir, gradually add 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, 1/4 cup lukewarm water, and 1 cup flour.

Gradually stir in additional water and flour, but add only as much as is needed to make the dough manageable; it should be soft and not too sticky.

Remove the dough from the bowl and slap it down very hard against a flour table several times, until it is stretched out to a length of about 10 inches.

Reach for the far end of the dough and fold it a short distance toward you.

Push the dough away with the heel of your palm, flexing your wrist.

Fold it and push it away again, gradually rolling it up and bringing it close to you.

Rotate the dough one-quarter turn.

Pick it up and slap it own hard and repeat the process of folding and pushing the dough away.

Rotate the dough another one-quarter turn in the same direction and repeat the process (about 10 minutes).

Pat the kneaded dough into a round shape.

Lightly coat the inside of a clean bowl with 1 teaspoon olive oil.

Put the dough in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap.

Put the bowl in a protected, warm spot.

Let the dough rise until it has doubled in volume, about 3 hours (or it can sit longer).

Divide the risen dough in half; keep one half in the bowl, covered, while rolling out the other half unless your baker's peel and pizza stone can accommodate 2 pizzas at once.

If not using immediately, place each half on parchment paper sprinkled with semolina flour and wrap parchment around dough, and then wrap in plastic wrap.

Dough is best used fresh but can be stored in the refrigerator up to 1 day.