Truffled Mushroom and Camembert Pithivier
By OcadoLife
Published on 04 November 2021
If you’re on the lookout for standout veggie Christmas mains then look no further. Crisp pastry gives way to melting camembert, fancy mushrooms and a duxelle (finely chopped mushroom mixture) laced with truffle oil in this indulgent veggie recipe. Be sure to chill your pastry well before working with it – this will help keep the shape neat. Serve alongside all the Christmas trimmings and simply enjoy. Recipe from food stylist and recipe writer Emily Jonzen.Time and servings
1 hr 20 minsTotal time
6Servings
20 minsPrep time
1 hrCooking time
Ingredients
- 250 g of chestnut mushrooms
- 340 g of mixed exotic mushrooms
- 30 g of salted butter
- 2 echalion shallots, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed or grated
- 4 sprigs of thyme
- 3 tbsp of dry sherry
- 1.5 tsp of white or black truffle oil
- 1.5 tbsp of olive oil
- 1 handful of plain flour, for dusting
- 2 sheets ready-made puff pastry (we used 1 x 500g pack picard puff pastry), defrosted
- 1 camembert (250g)
- 1 egg, beaten
Method
Step 1
Use a pastry brush or kitchen towel to clean all the mushrooms – don’t rinse, or they’ll become waterlogged. Tip just the chestnut mushrooms into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped (or chop finely by hand if you don’t have a food processor). Set aside. Roughly chop the exotic mushrooms by hand, and set aside.Step 2
Melt the butter in a large frying pan. Once foaming, add the shallots and fry for 5 mins, until softened. Add the garlic and thyme, fry for 1 min, then add the blitzed chestnut mushrooms. Cook over a medium heat for 6-8 mins, until the mixture has taken on a little colour and any liquid has evaporated. Add the sherry, allow to bubble away for 1-2 mins, then drizzle over the truffle oil. Season, remove from the pan and set aside to cool. This mixture is the duxelle.Step 3
Wipe out the pan. Heat the olive oil and add the exotic mushrooms. Fry for 3-4 mins, until well coloured. Season well and set aside to cool.Step 4
Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Unroll both pastry sheets and roll out slightly, so that the width of each is 30cm. Cut out 2 discs, one measuring 30cm and the other 25cm (you can use plates as a guide). Stack with baking paper under both discs and chill in the fridge, covered, until the mushrooms are completely cool.Step 5
Remove the pastry from the fridge. Spread the mushroom duxelle over the smaller disc, leaving a 2cm border around the edge. Top with the exotic mushrooms, then the whole camembert. Make a 2cm cross in the top of the camembert.Step 6
Brush the edge of the pastry with the beaten egg and lay the larger pastry disc over the filling, smoothing it down and releasing any air bubbles as you go. Crimp the edges to seal the pastry together – the back of a fork, a knife or just your fingers are good for doing this – and make a small slit in the top with a knife. Brush the top of the pastry with beaten egg then carefully move the pithivier onto a baking tray with the baking paper still underneath. Chill for 45 mins.Step 7
Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7. Being careful not to cut all the way through the pastry top, use a small, sharp knife to score curved lines in a spiral, working from the centre outwards, almost to the edge of the pastry. Bake for 20 mins, then lower the heat to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6 and bake for a further 20 mins, until the pastry is well risen and golden.Step 8
Remove from the oven and leave the pithivier to cool for a few mins before serving.