cookery school

Shallot, Thyme and Goats Cheese Pie

Ingredients

Shallot, Thyme and Goats Cheese Pie

Pre-heat the oven to 170ËšC/375F/Gas mark 3

Ingredients
80g/3 oz butter
2 large banana shallots cut in similar sizes
350g/12 oz celeriac cut into 2cm chunks
1 garlic clove, chopped
20g/ 1 oz fresh thyme leaves chopped
250ml/9 fl.oz milk
30g/1½ oz plain white flour
200g/7 oz grated cheese
200ml/7 fl.oz double cream
2 tsp wholegrain mustard
Salt and white pepper
Short crust pastry



Method

Melt the butter in a saucepan and sweat the shallots and celeriac over a medium heat for about 15 minutes or until softening.

Add the garlic and thyme and season to taste, turn the heat down and cover then cook for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables are tender but not brown.

In another pan heat up the milk.

Now sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook for 2 – 3 minutes, stirring well and gradually add the milk stirring all the time and bring to the boil and cook for about 5 minutes until thickened and remove from the heat.

Stir in the cheese, double cream and mustard and allow to cool completely.


Roll out the pastry on a floured board to the thickness of 3mm and cut out an oval to line the dish. (The pastry needs to be long and wide enough to cover the bottom and sides of the dish with some extra for overhang.) Place in the dish leaving the edges overhanging the dish and brush the overhang with a little beaten egg.

Fill with the cold pie filling and cut a piece of pastry for the lid – this should be slightly larger than the dish – and lay it over the filling. Now dip your fingers into some flour and pinch the edges of the pastry lining the dish to form a seal and trim off any excess pastry with a knife. Make three of four 1 cm slits into the lid to allow steam to escape and brush with beaten egg to glaze.

Bake for 35 – 40 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is bubbling around the edges and through the slits in the lid.
Serve warm.

Serves: 8
Prep time: 10
Cook time: 35 - 40

Method

Method

Melt the butter in a saucepan and sweat the shallots and celeriac over a medium heat for about 15 minutes or until softening.

Add the garlic and thyme and season to taste, turn the heat down and cover then cook for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables are tender but not brown.

In another pan heat up the milk.

Now sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook for 2 – 3 minutes, stirring well and gradually add the milk stirring all the time and bring to the boil and cook for about 5 minutes until thickened and remove from the heat.

Stir in the cheese, double cream and mustard and allow to cool completely.


Roll out the pastry on a floured board to the thickness of 3mm and cut out an oval to line the dish. (The pastry needs to be long and wide enough to cover the bottom and sides of the dish with some extra for overhang.) Place in the dish leaving the edges overhanging the dish and brush the overhang with a little beaten egg.

Fill with the cold pie filling and cut a piece of pastry for the lid – this should be slightly larger than the dish – and lay it over the filling. Now dip your fingers into some flour and pinch the edges of the pastry lining the dish to form a seal and trim off any excess pastry with a knife. Make three of four 1 cm slits into the lid to allow steam to escape and brush with beaten egg to glaze.

Bake for 35 – 40 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is bubbling around the edges and through the slits in the lid.
Serve warm.