November Cheese of the Month and Recipe - Sharpham Brie

November's cheese of the month from Sharpham Dairy is their award-winning brie. Inspired by the soft cheese from Coulommier in France, Sharpham Brie has been handmade to its own recipe for over four decades.

Starter cultures, vegetable rennet and salt are the only additions to fresh milk from their very own Jersey herd. Buttercup yellow in colour, this mould ripened cheese is revered for its silky, creamy texture. 

It has a rich unctuous flavour when young, developing 'mushroomy' notes and a chicory finish as it ages. To ensure this delicious cheese is just right each time, Sharpham Dairy uses a special breathable paper which allows the brie to continue to ripen in the cold store until it's ready to dispatch. 

Enjoy with crusty bread and fruits, charcuterie or even bake with garlic and basil. It pairs perfectly with the light fruitiness of sauvignon blanc and particularly well with Sharpham Estate Selection.

Sharpham Brie costs £6.10 for 300g or and is available from www.sharphamcheese.co.uk

Sharpham Brie and Mushroom Pithivier

Recipe by John Williams and Greendale Farm Shop

www.greendale.com 

Serves 8 

Ingredients

500g Puff Pastry (one with a diameter of 28cm, the other 26cm)

25g Butter

1 large Red Onion, peeled, trimmed and diced finely

Rapeseed Oil

900g Mushrooms (you can mix varieties), chop evenly

4 Garlic cloves, trimmed, peeled and sliced thinly

A small bunch of fresh Thyme, leaves only

110g Walnuts, chopped

50ml Dry Sherry

100ml Single Cream

150g Sharpham Brie, cut into roughly 2cm pieces (leave the rind on)

Plain Flour

1 Egg, beaten

Method

Put a sheet of kitchen roll on a plate, then set a large, shallow pan over a medium heat and add half of the butter. Allow the butter to melt, then turn down the heat, add the onion frying gently for about 10 minutes, or until starting to soften. Put the onion onto the kitchen roll to drain. 

Add a good drizzle of oil to the pan and turn up the heat. Fry the mushrooms for about 10 minutes, until golden, but (because the quantity is so large) it's best to do this in batches; have a large dish or mixing bowl ready to put the cooked batches into, and add a little more oil to the pan each time you start a new batch. When the final batch of mushrooms are cooked, leave them in the pan and reduce the heat slightly. 

Add the remaining butter, garlic, thyme leaves, walnuts, sherry and cream, and continue to cook for another couple of minutes, stirring gently. Tip the mixture into your large dish containing the rest of the cooked mushrooms, then add the drained onions and stir in half of the chopped Brie, giving everything a good mix through. Leave the dish to cool while you prepare the pastry.

Dust your work surface with the plain flour and lightly oil a large baking sheet. 

Take one-third of your pastry block and roll it out to a thickness of about 3mm. Cut out a 26cm-diameter pastry circle (if you can find a plate, tin or dish that's the right size, use it as a template) and put it on the baking sheet.  

Next, take your cooled mushroom mixture and spoon half of it into the middle of the pastry circle, leaving a 2cm border all around the outside edge. 

Pile the remaining Brie on top of the mushrooms, then use the other half of the mushroom mix to create a final layer on top of the Brie; the aim is to create a sort of dome-shaped mound of filling. 

Brush around the pastry border with the beaten egg. Dust your work surface with a little more flour if needed, then roll out the remaining pastry to the same thickness (about 3mm) and cut out another, slightly larger circle, this time with a diameter of 28cm. Lift this disc and lay it over the top of the mushroom filling, smoothing it carefully to maintain the 'dome' shape. 

Press the pastry together firmly all around the outside edge to seal – you can roll the edge up and over a little, if you're concerned the filling may leak. Brush the pastry all over with some of the beaten egg, then put the pithivier in the fridge and let it chill for an hour (minimum – or it can be left it in the fridge until you are ready to cook).

Preheat the oven to 200°C (Gas Mark 6). Remove the pithivier from the fridge and brush over a little more beaten egg. Gently score curving lines from the centre of the pithivier out to the bottom edge (see photo for guide), being careful not to cut through the pastry. 

Put the pithivier into the hot oven and bake for about 35 minutes, or until the pastry has risen and become golden in colour. 

Serve warm, cut into wedges, with plenty of green veg to accompany and perhaps a dollop of good, fruity chutney for a really festive finish! Thus making it ideal for Christmas feasting, we feel!

https://sharphamcheese.co.uk.