Recipe: Cauliflower Cheese & Leek Pithivier
This Cauliflower Cheese and Leek Pithivier was a winner at our Winter Solstice supper clubs - a super comforting vegetarian main course to see you through the coldest days. We've found it wins over even the most enthusiastic carnvivores! The layer of tapenade helps cut through the richness of the cheese and pastry.
A pithivier is basically a free-standing puff pastry pie - with the puff on the bottom and top. It's traditionally scalloped at the edges and then curving lines are marked into the top of the pie spiralling out from the centre, but feel free to decorate it any way you fancy. The most traditional versions have a sweet frangipane filling and are served in France (and elsewhere) on Epiphany (6th January). These sweet pies are called Galette des Rois (or King Cakes). But I love it as a savoury pie and this combination is particularly delicious.
Photo by Sharon Cosgrove Photography
Makes 1 pie, serves 6-8
450ml milk
½ onion
½ carrot
2 cloves
1 bay leaf
30g butter
30g flour
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
150g hard, mature cheese, we use a farmhouse Irish cheddar like Hegarty's
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshy grated
1 small cauliflower (800g)
30g butter
2 leeks (300g)
A couple of sprigs of chervil or flat leaf parsley
¼ lemon
2 tablespoon black olive tapenade
Salt and pepper
2 x 320g sheets ready rolled all-butter puff pastry (there will be lots of off cuts leftover, see Tip below) or use one 500g block of puff pastry.
1 egg
Put the milk in a small saucepan with the ½ onion studded with the 2 cloves, ½ carrot and the bay leaf. Put over a medium-low heat and bring to a simmer. Turn off the heat and leave to infuse for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile in a separate, larger saucepan melt the butter over a medium heat. Once it is melted and starting to bubble add the flour and stir briskly until a sandy, golden paste forms. This is called the roux. Cook the roux for a minute or two. Strain the infused milk to remove the aromatics and add the milk to the roux (over a medium-low heat), stirring briskly between each ladleful until the sauce is smooth. Once all the liquid is added bring the sauce to a simmer for a minute or two – stirring the whole time. Turn off the heat and add the mustard, cheese and nutmeg with a generous grind of black pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Add salt as needed – the cheese and mustard are both salty.
Cut the cauliflower into small florets, including any undamaged leaves and stalk, you don’t want it too chunky as it will make the pie lumpy. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, salt the water generously and add the cauliflower. Bring back to the boil and simmer for 5-10 minutes until the cauliflower is cooked but still has bite. Strain and mix with the white sauce.
Wash the leeks well and cut into slices. Melt the butter in a large, lidded pan and once foaming add the leeks with a pinch of salt and some black pepper. Turn down the heat to low, cover with a cartouche (a circle of greaseproof paper) and the lid, and cook for 15-20 minutes until the leeks are meltingly soft. Take the lid off and cook for another couple of minutes to evaporate any excess water. Finely chop the parsley or chervil and mix through the leeks. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and then taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside to cool.
Preheat the oven to 200°C Fan.
Take the puff pastry out of the fridge and roll out a little. Cut a 30cm circle out of the pastry and put it on a large, lined baking tray. I use the greaseproof paper the pastry comes with.
Cover the circle in the tapenade, leaving an approximately 2.5cm border round the edge. Add the leeks on top and finally add the cauliflower cheese, trying to shape it into a smooth-ish dome shape.
Beat the egg with a pinch of salt and using a pastry brush put the egg wash on the exposed pastry edge. Cut a slightly larger circle out of the second piece of pastry and place on top of the pie. Press down lightly on the edge to seal together. Egg wash over the whole pie and then, if possible put in the fridge or freezer for 10 minutes. Then egg wash again and finally use the back of a sharp knife to create a scalloped edge round the bottom (12 scallops) on the pie and then use the sharp knife to draw curved lines from the top of the pie to the indent of each scallop, not cutting through the pastry. Finally use the knife to make a whole in the top of the pie to allow steam to escape.
Put in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes before serving.
TIP: If the pastry hasn't been frozen before you can gather up the pastry offcuts, wrap them well and put them in the freezer for another project. It's important when re-rolling puff pastry to not squidge it into a ball as that messes up the pastry layers. Instead layer the offcuts on top of each other. The pastry off cuts are good to make the top of a pot pie or roll them out and cut out shapes, brush with egg wash and sprinkle with parmesan and thyme leaves and then bake at 200°C Fan for 15 minutes until golden and bubbling. These are great served with soup for lunch or a glass of wine in the evening.