Name: Wild mushroom, leek & gruyère flan
Yield: 6
Ingredients: Pastry; 1½ cups plain flour; 125g butter, chilled; ½ (50g) cup finely grated smoked cheddar; 1 egg yolk; ¼ cup chilled water; Filling; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 leek, white part only, thinly sliced; 200g mixed gourmet mushrooms (we used shiitake, enoki and pink oyster); 50g butter; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 60g chestnut mushrooms (optional); 200g Swiss brown mushrooms, thinly sliced; 5 sprigs fresh thyme; Sea salt and cracked black pepper; ½ cup (50g) grated gruyère; 3 eggs; 300ml thickened cream

Indulge in the melt-in-your-mouth flavours of wild mushrooms, tender leaks and creamy Gruyere cheese with this impressive (yet easy to make) flan recipe. This savoury dish, featuring a delicate pastry shell infused with smoked cheddar, is the perfect brunchtime, lunchtime or light treat and can be enjoyed hot or cold.

Make it a complete meal by serving with a fresh side, such as an heirloom tomato salad with grilled zucchini or watercress, broad bean and prosciutto salad.

Ingredients

Pastry

1½ cups plain flour

125g butter, chilled

½ (50g) cup finely grated smoked cheddar

1 egg yolk

¼ cup chilled water

Filling

2 tbsp olive oil

1 leek, white part only, thinly sliced

200g mixed gourmet mushrooms (we used shiitake, enoki and pink oyster)

50g butter

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

60g chestnut mushrooms (optional)

200g Swiss brown mushrooms, thinly sliced

5 sprigs fresh thyme

Sea salt and cracked black pepper

½ cup (50g) grated gruyère

3 eggs

300ml thickened cream

Method

To make pastry, put flour, butter and cheese in a food processor and process until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add egg yolk and water, and process until mixture comes together. Knead on a floured surface and roll out until 5mm thick. Line a rectangular 27cm x 14cm x 4cm deep silicone tray with pastry. Trim edges and put in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add leek and cook until soft but not brown. Remove from pan. Thinly slice shiitake mushrooms. Trim enoki and oyster mushrooms.

Melt butter in pan over a medium heat. Add garlic and all mushrooms except enoki and oyster. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-6 minutes or until beginning to colour. Stir in the leaves from 3 thyme sprigs. Season.

Put silicone tray onto an oven tray. Cover bottom of pastry case with leek, then top with gruyère. Add cooked mushrooms, then arrange enoki and oyster mushrooms in patches on top.

Whisk together eggs and cream, and pour over the top. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until set and golden. Cool slightly, then carefully remove from silicone tray. Sprinkle with remaining thyme to serve.

Note: Gourmet mushroom mixes can be made up of enoki, Swiss brown, shiitake and pink or white oyster mushrooms. You can substitute any mushrooms with extra button or Swiss brown mushrooms.

Recipe Kerrie Worner

With over 20 years in magazines, Kerrie’s work has adorned HB’s pages as contributing food editor, along with BHG, Elle Cuisine, Australian Women’s Weekly and Family Circle. “It is so important to encourage people to learn simple food skills so they can learn how easy it is to fall in love with their creative side,” she says.