Goat’s cheese, Squash and Mushroom Pithivier

 

Every year there is a French TV programme to find the best boulangerie in France.

It is a fabulous programme as not only do you get to see some fabulous boulangeries, you also get to tour the whole of France at the same time. 

Last night one of the contestants made a pithivier, I have never made one and as they say, there is a first time for everything.

After a quick search on the internet, I found a recipe that looks perfect for us.

Goat’s cheese, Squash and Mushroom Pithivier

3cm thick slice butternut squash, seeds removed (cut from the wide base of the squash so it’s a ring doughnut shape)

5 chestnut mushrooms, halved

Drizzle vegetable oil

10g blanched hazelnuts

1 black garlic clove, mashed

½ rosemary sprig, leaves picked and chopped

1 medium free-range egg, beaten

320g ready-rolled puff pastry sheet

½ x 100g goat’s cheese wheel (cut the wheel horizontally through its equator to create a thinner disc of cheese)

Method

Heat the oven to 180°C fan/ gas 6. Put the thick ring of butternut squash on a baking tray along with the chestnut mushrooms. Drizzle the vegetable oil over both, season with salt and roast for 12 minutes. Add the hazelnuts to one edge of the tray and roast for another 8 minutes. Put the squash on a plate to cool, then tip the nuts and mushrooms into a food processor. Add the black garlic, rosemary and two-thirds of the egg. Whizz to a coarse paste, season, then set aside to cool.

Once everything is cool, unroll the pastry sheet and cut out 2 circles, one about 3cm larger than the ring of squash and one about 5cm larger than the ring of squash (use a plate or bowl as a guide). Put the smaller circle of pastry on a piece of baking paper and sit the ring of squash in the centre. Press the goat’s cheese into the hole in the centre (you may need to trim it a little). Cover the squash and cheese in the mushroom mixture, using your hands to shape it into a dome.

Brush a little of the remaining egg around the edge of pastry, then lay the second circle of pastry on top. Smooth it down over the dome of filling, then press the pastry edges together. Use a small sharp knife to neaten the edge, then make a small hole at the top of the dome. Lightly score the pastry dome with curved lines (this will help the pastry puff up evenly). Brush the top with more egg. Cover and chill (or freeze – see Make Ahead) until ready to cook.

Heat the oven to 200°C fan/ gas 7. Bake the pithivier on a baking tray for 30 minutes (or 40 minutes if cooking from frozen) until the pastry is a deep golden colour. Serve.

Bon vendredi a tous ♥

Leeann x