Here’s my mushroom, cheese and leek pie. I’m extremely happy. It’s only the second or third time I’ve made pastry by hand. I usually use Maggie Beer’s sour cream pastry which you blitz in a blender. Also it’s the second time I’ve tried to make a lattice, and thanks to a Youtube lesson, it worked!
The recipe is based on a recipe by Samantha Coutts in Delicious magazine, May 2017.
Pastry
750g plain flour
1 tsp white pepper
2 tsp salt
200g salted butter, chopped
150g lard
4 tbsp sour cream
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Mix the flour, pepper and salt together. With your hands or in a food processor, mix in the butter and lard until you get uneven crumbs. Put in a bowl and make a well in the centre.
Mix sour cream and cider vinegar, then add 4 tbsp iced water. Pour into the well and use a knife to make slices in the flour to mix it all together. Move to a floured surface and knead it into a ball. Don’t overwork it. Wrap in cling wrap and put back into the fridge for at least an hour.
I need to say that I had heaps of dough left over.
Filling
1kg mixed mushrooms, sliced thinly – I used button, swiss brown, oyster, shitake, and 5 heaped tsp of porcini ‘powder’
1 tbsp sea salt flakes
1/3 cup plain flour
1/2 cup brandy (the recipe said dry sherry)
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (freshly ground is best)
50g parmesan, grated
100g soft feta (mine was home-made) – not in original recipe
125g diced washed rind cheese, rind removed – not in original recipe
1/3 leek, sliced lengthwise, then sliced into thin strips
2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely – not in original recipe
a few sprigs of thyme – not in original recipe
1 cup sour cream
1 tbsp horseradish cream
1 tsp dijon mustard – not in original recipe
Saute the leek in butter gently for 7-10 mins until soft. Drain and set aside.
Mix together the mushrooms and salt and let them sit for at least 10 mins. Add the garlic and thyme and mix through. Then add the flour and toss together.
Add brandy or sherry, nutmeg and cheeses and toss to combine.
Roll out 1/3 of the pastry to 3mm thickness and line a 27cm greased pie pan. Put it back into the fridge.
Roll the rest of the pastry into 3mm thick rectangles. Make sure that at least half of them are longer than the diameter of your pie pan. I put the rectangles back into the fridge to cool.
Heat the oven to 200C.
Take the pie base from the fridge and spread the drained leeks upon the bottom. Put the mushroom mixture on top (I had plenty left over). We actually had some leftover herb crumb from our lamb rack – parmesan, sage, oregano and thyme – so I sprinkled this over the top of the filling for some extra herby cheesiness.
Return the pie base to the fridge.
Take the pastry rectangles from the fridge. Using a ruler for straight lines, cut into equal 2cm wide strips.
Here’s the video that taught me how to make a lattice! The commentary is hilarious.
Place the lattice on top and brush with lightly beaten egg.
Bake for about an hour.
Meanwhile mix sour cream, horseradish, mustard and lemon juice. Serve alongside the pie.
It looked and tasted fantastic. I can make pastry!
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