Ingredients:
- 1 sheet all butter puff pastry
- 5 strands of smoked streaky bacon, chopped
- 5 mushrooms, sliced
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 egg, beaten, to glaze
- Salt and black pepper
Instructions:
- Fry the bacon in a dry pan until the fat renders and it begins to crisp, then lift out and set aside.
- Add the butter and onions to the same pan and cook gently for 15 minutes until soft and golden.
- Take onion out of pan and add to bacon, then add mushrooms and cook until moist.
- Use cookie cutters to outline 2 circles on the puff pastry, one slightly larger than the other.
- Prick smaller circle with a fork, then line with the mushrooms.
- Using a large cookie cutter as a frame, pile the other ingredients inside the cookie cutter. Remove the cookie cutter gently.
- Brush the border with egg, lay the larger disc over the top and press the edges together, then crimp.
- Score curved lines from the centre out to the edge, being careful not to cut through, and glaze all over with beaten egg.
- Chill for 20 minutes, then bake at 200C for 30-35 minutes until deep golden and puffed.
- Rest for 5 minutes before cutting into wedges.
The filling must be completely cold or the pastry will go soggy.
Good with a green salad or buttered greens.
A soft red such as Beaujolais or a Pinot Noir suits it well.
The reason the photograph shows a pale pithivier is that milk was used to glaze the pastry rather than beaten egg. If egg was used, it would turn gold.