Serves 8
250g chilled unsalted butter, cubed, plus 3 tbsp and extra for greasing
300g strong flour, plus extra for dusting
2 eggs
140ml cold water
12 flat mushrooms, sliced
100g button mushrooms, trimmed
500g chestnut mushrooms, quartered
4 king oyster mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
3 sprigs fresh thyme leaves
500g chilled Brie, sliced lengthways
70g redcurrant jelly
sea salt and black pepper
airtight wrap
30cm square oven tray
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the 250g of butter, the flour and a pinch of salt, and add 1 of the eggs and the water, adding more flour if the mixture is too wet or more water if the mixture is too dry. Stir until a thick dough forms, then, on a surface lightly dusted with flour, roll out to a 30 x 15cm rectangle. Fold a third of the pastry into itself, then fold the other third over to make a square. Turn so the folds face the front edge of the work surface and roll into a rectangle again. Repeat the rolling process twice, then wrap in an airtight wrap and leave to chill for 1 hr.
In the meantime, place the 3 tbsp of butter in a large saucepan and fry all the mushrooms with the garlic in batches for 4-5 mins until soft. After each batch is cooked, transfer it to a large bowl. Mix the leaves from the thyme sprigs into the mushrooms, season with pepper and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6 and grease the oven tray. Cut a third away from the pastry so there two pieces. On a surface lightly dusted with flour, roll the smaller piece out to a 28cm circle and return the other piece to the fridge. Trim the pastry with a knife into a neat circle, saving the offcuts, then transfer to the prepared oven tray. Drain the mushrooms, then pile them in the circle, leaving a 3cm border. Place the Brie slices in a spiral on top of the mushrooms. Dot the redcurrant jelly over the Brie.
Re-dust the surface with flour, then roll out the other piece of pastry to a 35cm circle and trim to make it neat, saving the offcuts. Leaving a 3cm border, use a sharp knife to score curves into the pastry, reaching from the edge of the border to the centre, spaced out approximately 2cm from each other and all the way round. Combine the offcuts of pastry and roll out to approximately a 5cm square. Cut out a star shape. Beat the remaining egg in a small pot.
Place the piece of pastry over the mushroom and Brie, securing it to the pastry borders by firmly pressing down all the way round. Brush one side of the star with the egg and place it in the centre of the pie top, then brush the entire top with the egg. Sprinkle with salt, then bake for 20 mins. Turn the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas mark 4 and bake for a further 15 mins. Allow to cool slightly before serving,.
More recipes for Christmas pies are in the December 2021 issue of LandScape magazine...
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