This is an adaptation of a recipe that uses taleggio cheese instead of gruyere. Taleggio is an Italian cheese that has a pretty pungent smell and sometimes puts people off. Gruyere is a Swiss cheese that, although hard, (unlike Taleggio which is a semi-soft cheese), is a versatile alternative to Taleggio. It is nutty and tangy and also makes an excellent contribution to a cheese fondue!
Ingredients
- 1 large baking potato, cut into slices
- 3 medium leeks, washed and sliced into rounds
- A knob of butter
- Salt and black pepper
- 20ml, (a large tablespoon), double cream
- 180g, (about 6 oz), gruyere cheese, cut into chunks
- 1 sprig thyme, leaves picked
- 500g, (just over 1lb), all-butter puff pastry, rolled
- 1 egg, for washing
Preparation Method
- Heat an oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Cook the baking potato in boiling salted water until just tender, then drain and set aside.
- Cook the leeks over a medium heat in the butter until tender. Season well with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- In a bowl, mix the potato flesh with the leeks, cream, gruyere and thyme leaves and season well. Cut the pastry in two and roll out each piece into a 3mm-thick circle, (about the thickness of a £1 coin). Place one circle on top of a 25cm, (10 inch), nonstick pie dish and press into the base – there will be an overhang, which can be trimmed off.
- Spoon the leek mixture into the prepared dish and place the other pastry disk on top. Crimp around the sides to seal, then brush the top with egg and make an incision in the middle of the lid to let the steam escape while it’s in the oven. Cook the pie for 30‑40 minutes until the pastry has turned golden and crisp. Rest for a few minutes before serving.