Cook and Drink

The walnuts are the star of this pie! They have a drying effect, thanks to the tannins in the seed coat (the brown around the edible kernel) and they are slightly bitter, which pairs beautifully with the Roquefort. The walnuts give the pie a pleasant crunch.
We use a mix of mushrooms. If not possible, use chestnut mushrooms. Don’t use oyster mushrooms, as they release too much moisture.

Wine Pairing

Serve as a starter with a glass of unoaked, dry white wine. A cold beer will also be nice. The cake is not fussy!

What You Need

• For the Pastry (15 cm or 6 in springform cake tin)
  • 100 grams of Flour
  • 50 grams of Water
  • 10 grams of Olive Oil
  • teaspoon Oregano
  • 1 gram of Salt
• For the Filling
  • 4 rashers of Bacon
  • 150 grams of Mushrooms (Button Mushrooms, Shiitake, Nameko)
  • small Shallot
  • one Garlic Clove
  • Parsley
  • 2 organic Eggs
  • 50 ml Double Cream
  • 30 grams of Crème Fraîche
  • handful of Walnuts
  • 75 grams of Roquefort
  • Black Pepper

What You Do

1. Combine flour, oregano and salt
2. Add water and olive oil
3. Kneed for a minute or so and store in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes
4. Preheat your oven to 180˚ C or 355˚ F
5. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface
6. Coat a 15 cm or 6 inch round springform cake tin with oil
7. Place the dough in the baking form
8. Use a fork to make small holes in the pastry
9. Line the pastry with parchment paper or aluminium foil, add baking beans and bake blind for 10 minutes. Best is to use the second level of the oven rack, so just below the central one
10. Remove the beans and the paper or foil
11. Leave the pie shell in the oven for 5 minutes
12. Remove from the oven and allow to cool
13. Chop the shallot, the mushrooms, the parsley and the garlic
14. Crush the walnuts
15. Crumble the roquefort
16. Heat a heavy iron skillet
17. Fry the bacon until golden brown
18. Remove from the pan and allow to cool
19. Reduce heat
20. Add the shallot to the pan and glaze
21. Increase heat, add mushrooms and fry
22. After a few minutes reduce heat and add garlic
23. After 5-10 minutes transfer to a plate and allow to cool
24. Slice the bacon
25. Add the eggs to a bowl and whisk
26. Add cream and crème fraîche and mix
27. Add Roquefort, parsley and black pepper and mix well
28. Add bacon and mushroom mixture to the bowl and combine
29. Add the filling to the blind-baed pie shell
30. Transfer to the oven for 30-40 minutes on on 180˚ C or 355˚ F, same level as earlier
31. Immediately after having removed the pie from the oven, brush the outside with olive oil. This will intensify the colour of the pastry
32. Let cool and enjoy lukewarm (65˚ C or 150˚ F)

PS

Feel free to use more cream and less crème fraîche if you prefer a richer filling. If using a blue cheese with less presence, add more of it.