My wife and I are currently on vacation in Switzerland for some skiing and some winter hiking. We have decided to eat out about half the time and cook from our flat the rest of the nights (she always finds places with great kitchens).
The inspiration for this particular meal came from Château de Chillon. We spent our first night in Montreaux, so we had to walk to this beautiful and iconic castle on the eastern shore of Lake Geneva. But after the walk and taking in all of the history, we were hungry…so into the great hall we went. This is where we ordered a slice of mushroom pie…and where we randomly stumbled across a man playing a Hurdy Gurdy (amazing)!
Anyway, the next day, we found ourselves skiing in Zermatt, and when we got down from the mountain, we decided it was the perfect night to try to recreate the pie. So, we went to the Coop, got what we needed (along with cheese for the next day’s hike’s lunch) and went back to our flat. That is where this tale ends, and the recipe begins!
Time: 1 Hour and 10 Minutes
Ingredients:
- Puff pastry pie crust
- Onion
- Cauliflower
- Mushrooms (you can’t have too many for this dish)
- Butter
- Milk
- A good melting cheese. This was easy for us to find given our location. We used Bündner Bergkäse…but Emmentaler, gruyere, and raclette would be excellent as well.
- Any seasonings you like (we just used black pepper)
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (roughly 180 degrees C)
- Dice an onion, and finely chop your cauliflower (will be faster if you use a food processor, but we had to do it by hand)
- Melt some butter in a pan, and add your onions and cauliflower. Sautéed until they brown and caramelized.
- While your cauliflower cooks, clean and slice your mushrooms. In another pan, melt some butter, and add your mushrooms.
- While all of your vegetables cook, unroll your puff pastry dough, and put it in a pie pan so that it reaches up and slightly over the sides. (If you have extra, cut it, roll it, and put it in the oven later as everything else cooks for mini croissants)
- When your cauliflower and onions have caramelized, add in some milk, and grate in some cheese. Simmer until the liquid evaporates. (Here is when to add your seasonings too)
- Scoop and spread your (now non-liquidy) cheesy cauliflower mix into your pastry, and then spread your mushrooms on top. Finish it off by grating some more cheese atop the mushrooms.
- Put your pie in the oven for about 35-40 minutes (until your puff pastry is golden brown and flaky).
- Plate, devour, and enjoy!
