Ham and Comt cheese feuillet pie

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This isn’t a big deep pie. It’s based on a leek flamiche – a pie from northern France – and is more suitable for lunch. You can make the filling the day before and roll out the pastry in advance, too – just keep them both in the fridge. You don’t have to make a sauce, which is the main plus with this dish. Cheese and crème fraiche do just fine.

Comté – a lovely melting cheese – has a better flavour than regular Gruyère, but you can use Gruyère instead, or Beaufort. Mature cheddar is strong, so if that’s all you have, use less of it.

Timings

Prep time: 25 minutes, plus 30 minutes to chill 

Cook time: 45 minutes

Serves

6

Ingredients

  • 4 large leeks
  • 25g butter
  • 200g smoked or unsmoked ham, cut into strips
  • 575g puff pastry
  • plain flour, for dusting
  • 135g crème fraîche
  • 145g Comté, coarsely grated
  • 10g Parmesan, grated
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 tsp double cream (or you can use crème fraîche here too, as you already have it)

Method

1. Remove the outer leaves from the leeks and cut the dark-green tops off. Cut into 2cm rings, leaving the bases behind. Wash in a colander. Melt the butter in a large saucepan and toss the leeks in this so they’re covered in butter.

2. Season, add a couple of tablespoons of water, turn the heat right down and cover the pan. Leave to sweat for 10 minutes, checking that there is enough moisture in the pan. Remove the lid and increase the temperature. Cook until the leeks are buttery but not watery. Put into a bowl to cool then add the ham.

3. Roll out a little less than half the pastry on a lightly floured piece of baking parchment or greaseproof paper. It should be 25x30cm.

4. Mix the crème fraîche into the leeks and ham then, leaving a 5cm border all the way round, spoon the mixture on to the pastry. Sprinkle the cheese over the filling. Roll out the rest of the pastry to make a top. Wet the edges of the bottom sheet of pastry and firmly set the other piece on top. Press all the way around. Make the sides neat, cutting off the excess pastry, but sticking to a 25x30cm pie. Cover loosely with cling film and put in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill.

5. Heat the oven to 220C/210C fan/gas mark 7. Mix the egg yolk with the cream or crème fraîche.

6. Crimp along the sides of the pie with the tines of a fork. Make four slits in the middle of the pie so that steam can escape and score a pattern on the top if you like. Brush it generously with the yolk and cream mixture, making sure you go right to the edges. Slide it on to a baking sheet and cook for 20 minutes. Serve with salad leaves, if you like.

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