Winter Vegetable Coulibiac with Porcini Mushroom Sauce

This recipe makes a lovely dish, perfect for entertaining. It is straightforward and the filling can be made ahead. Don’t skip the porcini mushroom sauce, it gives an extra touch of deliciousness.

Method

• Put porcini mushrooms in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside.
• Cook the rice according to packet instructions. It should still have a bit of a bite. Drain and set aside.
• In the meantime, heat some olive oil in a large frying pan. Add banana shallots and 2 crushed garlic cloves. Fry gently until golden and soft.
• Clean Brussels sprouts. Cut them in thin slices.
• Add Brussels sprouts to frying pan with cranberries, balsamic vinegar and sugar. Mix well and cook together for 10 mins.
• Add chopped chestnuts. Cook together for 5-10 mins until sprouts and cranberries are cooked. Season to taste.
• Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6.
• Roll out puff pastry to a rectangle of about 33 x 44 cm (13 x 17 inch). Cut pastry to obtain two rectangles of different widths. One should be about 19 x 44 cm (7.5 x 17 inch) and the other 14 x 44 cm (5.5 x 17 inch).
• Cover a baking tray with some parchment paper. Please large piece of pastry on top.
• Blend vegetables and rice together and pile the mixture on top of pastry leaving a 3 cm (just over 1 inch) edge all around. Brush the edges with some melted dairy free butter.
• Run the lattice pastry cutter in the middle of the smaller piece of pastry leaving an edge of around 3 cm (just over 1 inch). Carefully place on top of the vegetable/ rice mixture. The lattice will open as it goes over the filling. Press edges together to seal, folding pastry if necessary.
• Brush melted dairy free butter on the lattice and place in the oven for around 20 mins until golden.
• In the meantime make the porcini mushroom sauce. Heat some olive oil in a saucepan. Fry onion, garlic and rosemary until soft.
• Add porcini mushrooms with their liquid, vegetable stock and wine. Boil together until liquid has reduced by half.
• Put flour in a bowl and dilute with some of the liquid from the mushroom sauce, making sure there are no lumps.
• Add butter and diluted flour to the mushroom sauce. Whisk regularly and cook under high heat until it has thickened. Blend cream in just before serving. Season to taste.
• Serve coulibiac with porcini mushroom sauce on the side.