Mushroom and Artichoke Pyramid with Fondue Sauce

Serves: 6-8
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Oven temperature: 190°C

• 100ml butter
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• sprig of thyme
• 6-8 brown mushrooms
• 2 leeks, finely sliced
• 250g button mushrooms, sliced
• half a can of artichoke hearts, drained and sliced
• 40ml cake flour
• 300ml vegetable stock
• 100ml dry white wine
• 50g Gruyère cheese, grated
• 50g Emmental cheese, grated
• 15ml each finely chopped basil and flat-leaf parsley
• melted butter, for brushing
• 6 sheets phyllo pastry
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• cranberry relish, to serve

Prepare the filling
1 Heat 20ml of the butter in a frying pan. Add one clove of garlic and the thyme. Sauté for 30 seconds then add the brown mushrooms. Cook on both sides until just tender. Remove from the pan and set aside to use in the phyllo pyramids. Remove the thyme and discard.

2 Add another 30ml butter to the pan and add the leeks and remaining garlic. Sauté for a few minutes until soft and then add the sliced button mushrooms. Stir-fry for about two minutes until tender. Remove from the heat and transfer to a dish. Add the artichokes.

3 Heat the remaining butter in a saucepan. Stir in the flour. Add 200ml of stock gradually, stirring all the time. Add the wine. Stir until the mixture has thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in three quarters of the cheese along with the basil and parsley. Mix a quarter of the sauce into the button-mushroom mixture. Season to taste. Stir the remaining 100ml of stock into the remaining sauce to thin it. Set aside and reheat just before serving.

To make the phyllo pyramids
1 Unroll the phyllo pastry. Cut each sheet into four squares. Keep the remaining sheets covered with a damp tea towel while you are not working with them.

2 Brush a square with melted butter then cover it with another square of pastry. Repeat so that you have three layers of pastry. Repeat with the remaining pastry and butter.

3 Place a brown mushroom in the centre of each of the pastry stacks, then pile the button mushroom and artichoke mixture on top. Finish by topping with the remaining grated cheese.

4 Brush the inside edges of each square with a thin layer of beaten egg. Press two opposite corners of the pastry together up around the mushroom to enclose the topping.

5 Press the other corners together. Place the pyramids onto a greased baking tray. Brush with the remaining butter. Bake in a preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes until golden. Warm up the reserved sauce just before you are ready to serve. Spoon some sauce onto each plate or serve in a small bowl on the plate. Serve with cranberry relish alongside.

Words and images: Ideas magazine