Last Christmas was a disaster. I’d been a mother for one month and six days, and I was still slow and extraordinarily tired. Nevertheless, I was determined to bake a leek, potato, and cheddar pie. I’m not a traditionalist when it comes to Christmas dinner. Vegetarian haggis; mushroom, potato and taleggio tart; pizza—it's all fine. I made the shortcrust pastry on Christmas Eve and planned to make the filling on Christmas morning. But pastry in the fridge was as far as I got.
The day started off promising—coffee and a new baby; a gift box of Skips, Quavers, Caramel Wafers, Fudge bars, and Jammy Dodgers; latkes and smoked salmon, because it was still Hanukkah. But while we were on a video call with my family, our dachshund, Sally, fell spectacularly trying to jump onto the bed. She doesn't have much spring, and she's usually aware of her limits. One of her back claws caught on the metal bed frame as she fell to the floor. I cried, and then the baby cried, the FaceTime ended, and there was blood everywhere and no pie for Christmas dinner. We ate leftover mac and cheese from the freezer and felt glad that Abe won't remember his first Christmas.
A year later, I’m still extraordinarily tired but I have some rhythm again. I can make pastry and pie filling if Abe has Tupperware and metal baking trays to drag across the kitchen floor or stuff into the washing machine while I cook. Sally feels less neglected and is usually much happier in her (our) bed, away from the din and Abe’s over-enthusiastic love. I can play A Charlie Brown Christmas while I work, drink spiced apple cider, and do my best to make up for last year’s dog’s dinner.
I first made mushroom wellington a couple of Christmases ago. Golden puff pastry wrapped around a filling of deeply savory mushroom, onion, lentils, and gruyère cheese, it’s a handsome pie and a centerpiece to rival a turkey. A very big plus is that it can be made in advance, leaving you free to focus on getting the sides prepared, or to enjoy an extra glass of wine. We’ll be on a plane on Christmas Day this year, but I’m going to make a mushroom wellington and put it in the freezer, ready to go in the oven the second we get back home.
You’ll need to set aside some time for this recipe, though you can speed things up by using store-bought puff pastry. Rough puff would work too. Make sure you cook off as much liquid as possible from the mushroom mixture to avoid the dreaded soggy bottom. Mushroom wellington goes very well with the usual festive trimmings, though I especially like it with roast potatoes and a green vegetable or two. Happy holidays!
Mushroom wellington
Puff pastry
180 grams bread flour
70 grams all-purpose flour
6 grams fine salt
25 grams unsalted butter, melted
120 grams water, cold
200 grams butter, cold
Use your hands to mix together the flours, salt, melted butter, and water in a large mixing bowl, squeezing and pressing until it forms a rough dough. Transfer to a clean work surface and knead for a couple of minutes. Form into a flat disc, wrap in cling film, and chill for at least 30 minutes, preferably an hour. Overnight is also fine.
Place the cold butter between two sheets of baking paper and, using a rolling pin, bash and roll into a 10-by-10-centimeter square. If it’s very soft, put it back in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Roll the chilled dough into a 20-by-20-centimeter square. Place the butter (which should be pliable, not rock hard) on top of the dough square, but turn it 90 degrees so the edges cut across the corners of the dough. Wrap the butter in the dough, taking care not to trap any air inside. Seal all the edges well.
Roll the pastry on a floured surface until you have a rectangle approximately 30 by 15 centimeters. Fold the top third over the middle third and the bottom third over the top of this. Turn it 90 degrees (the short edge at the top) and repeat. This amounts to two turns.
Chill in the fridge wrapped in cling film for 20–30 minutes and repeat the above folding and turning process two more times to make a total of six turns.
Chill for at least an hour before using, preferably overnight.
For the filling
4 shallots, finely diced
6 large cloves of garlic, crushed or grated on a Microplane
4 tablespoons olive oil
750 grams brown mushrooms
1 dessertspoon Marmite (optional but highly recommended)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon thyme (dried is fine)
50 grams puy lentils
60 grams basmati rice
20-gram bunch of parsley, leaves only, finely chopped
2 medium onions, finely sliced
30 grams unsalted butter
50 milliliters white wine
80 grams gruyère, grated
3 eggs
Salt and pepper
Equipment
Rolling pin
Food processor (optional)
Pastry brush
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, then add the shallots, garlic, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Sauté over a medium heat until the shallots have softened. Add 500 grams of the mushrooms to the bowl of a food processor and finely chop. (You might have to do it in batches, and if you don’t have a food processor, you can do it by hand.) Finely slice the remaining 250 grams of mushrooms. Add the chopped and sliced mushrooms to the pan with ½ teaspoon of salt, the Marmite, balsamic vinegar, and thyme. Stir to combine. The mushrooms will release a lot of liquid as they cook. Keep cooking on a medium heat until all of the liquid has reduced.
While the mushrooms cook, boil the puy lentils in twice their volume of water (around 120 grams of water) for around 20 minutes, or until they’re tender. In a separate pot, bring the basmati rice to the boil in 120 grams of water, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 12–13 minutes. At the end of the cooking, remove the pot from the heat, and allow the rice to steam, covered, for another five minutes.
Once the mushroom liquid has reduced down, add the parsley, cooked lentils, and rice. Stir to mix through. Taste and adjust the seasoning if you need to. Transfer to a sealable container and allow to cool completely. You can leave it in the fridge overnight too.
In a small frying pan, melt the butter over a medium heat. Add the sliced onions and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Cook the onions gently until they soften. Add the wine, then cook until the liquid has reduced. Transfer the onions to a sealable container and allow to cool completely. They, too, can be left in the fridge overnight.
Beat two of the eggs together very well. Place a small frying pan over a low heat and lightly grease with a block of butter; the pan should just shimmer. Pour half of the egg mixture into the pan, swirling to cover the entire base. Allow it to cook, very gently, all the way through. Peel off your pancake and transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining egg. Set the pancakes aside and allow them to cool. Store them in the fridge until you need them.
When all of your filling is cool, remove your puff pastry dough from the fridge and cut in half using a sharp knife. Place one half back in the fridge. On a floured surface, roll the other half into a rectangle approximately 33 by 24 centimeters. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper and set in the fridge. Roll out the remaining half of the dough to the same dimensions. Carefully transfer to a sheet of baking paper.
Cut your egg pancakes in half, then arrange over the surface of your pastry, leaving a five-centimeter border all the way around. Turn the pieces of egg so that the straight edges are to the outside and the curved edges overlap in the middle. Spoon half of the mushroom mixture over the top, pressing down to compress.
Arrange the onion over the mushrooms, making sure to spread it evenly. Spread the gruyère over the onions, and finish with the remaining mushroom mixture. Compress it all down a bit so it sticks together really well.
Beat the remaining egg thoroughly. Use a pastry brush to paint egg on the border you left around the filling. Remove the second sheet of pastry from the fridge, then place over the top, making sure that it hugs the filling. Use a knife to trim the pastry edges, so that you’re left with a neat rectangle shape. Use a fork dipped in flour to gently press the edges together. Slide the baking paper onto a baking sheet.
Use the pastry brush to give the whole surface a good egg wash. Put in the fridge for 15–20 minutes to allow the egg to set, then give it a second coat. Use a razor blade or sharp knife to gently score the surface of the pastry, taking care not to cut through. You can be creative here! I do simple lines because I don’t have a very steady hand.
Place the wellington back in the fridge until you’re ready to bake it. (You can also freeze it at this stage. Place it in the freezer uncovered until it freezes through, then remove it and wrap it in cling film before returning it to the freezer. Make sure to defrost it fully before baking.)
When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 220°C (with fan). Bake the wellington for 30 minutes, or until the pastry is very nicely browned. Allow to cool for 20–30 minutes before slicing.
Charlie Brown Christmas is my absoluut all time fave! There's nothing worse than a dreaded ... soggy bottom :((