Mushroom and Chestnut Wreath

An alternative to nutloaf or a chunk of fake meat, this wreath is designed to be truly satiating whilst using natural, seasonal ingredients that shine as what they are (without trying to be something else). In other words, real food.

Now I’ve had my rant, let’s talk about the flavours. Mushrooms, chestnuts and leek form the main ingredients of the filling, held together with yoghurt and soft goat’s cheese (which can easily be substituted with a plantbased alternative such as vegan cream cheese - see recipe notes for more info). Combined with wholegrain mustard, fresh sage and thyme, this Christmas centrepiece scratches every itch for something umami and a bit sausagey. Wrapped in puff pastry and paired with cranberries and orange, from start to finish it only takes 1 hour (30 minutes of which is baking time) and couldn’t be easier. If that doesn’t peak your interest, wait until you hear about the secret ingredient.

Wreath Recipe - Feeds 4-5 - Takes 1 hour

Filling ingredients:

• 275g mushrooms

• 200g chestnuts (cooked)

• 200g soft goat’s cheese

• 5tbsp natural yoghurt (extra tangy)

• 1tbsp wholegrain mustard

• 20ml cider vinegar

• 1 leek

• 5 fresh sage leaves (thinly sliced)

• 5 sprigs of fresh thyme (woody parts removed)

• 4-5 large kale leaves (shredded)

• 40ml olive oil (or rapeseed)

• 50ml water

• 2 big pinches of nori flakes

Pastry ingredients: (or buy premade puff pastry, nobody’s judging)

• 130g plain flour

• 130g salted butter

• 60g cold water

Cranberry sauce:

• 200g fresh cranberries (or frozen)

• 40ml balsamic vinegar

• 100g raw cane sugar

• 3 strips of orange peel

• 240ml water

Extra:

• 2-3 figs

• 1 egg yolk or 1tbsp maple syrup (to glaze the pastry)

Step 1.

If making your own puff pastry, try this technique as it’s by far the easiest way to cheat and get pretty good results. Add the plain flour and 85g of salted butter into a food processor. Pulse it 10-15 times until the butter is largely combined with the flour, then add the remaining 45g of butter and pulse it 3 more times (each pulse should last 1 second). There will still be small but visible lumps of butter in the dough but don’t worry, this is what will give us our rise.

Next, add the water and pulse for another 3-4 times until the dough comes together. When it does, remove it from the food processor and knead lightly on a floured surface for 20 seconds.

Dust a rolling pin with flour and roll the pastry out to roughly 25-25cm, then fold it like an envelope, taking one edge a third of the way over, then fold the other side over this (to make 3 layers of pastry). Finally, fold the whole thing in half again, this time sideways to make a square, making a total of 6 layers. Repeat this process once more, then place the pastry in an airtight container and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Step 2.

Quarter the mushrooms and chuck them in a large, heavy duty frying pan on full blast. Drizzle with an oil of your choice and cook them for 10 minutes until they’re golden brown. (Note, if the mushrooms don’t make a squealing sound when lightly pressed then the pan isn’t hot enough). During this process, don’t be tempted to stir too much. This will release heat from the pan and you’ll end up steaming the mushrooms more than browning them.

Step 3.

Once browned, deglaze the pan with cider vinegar and 50ml of water. As the liquid bubbles up, turn the temperature down and scrape the bottom of the pan to release the sticky caramelised goodness back into the food.

Finley slice the leak and add it into the pan with the cooked chestnuts. Mix everything together and cook for a further 5-10 minutes, until the leek is soft and wilted.

Add the remaining ingredients from the filling list, mix and remove the pan from the heat, allowing the cheese time to melt and the kale to wilt as the mixture cools before assembly with the pastry.

Step 4.

Preheat the oven to 200c (400f).

Roll the pastry out to 2mm thick and place a large bowl on top as a template to cut out your wreath. With a sharp knife, cut a circle of pastry out and reserve the spare to make decorations with.

Leaving 3cm or so from the edge, cut the pastry like a star in either 8ths or 16ths and pile the filling around the outside (as seen below).

Fold each piece of pastry back over the filling and pinch it onto the base on the other side. Decorate the top with cut out pastry shapes and brush on a wash (either an egg yolk with 30ml of water OR pure maple syrup), then bake for 25 minutes.

Step 5.

Whilst the wreath bakes, add all the ingredients for the cranberry sauce into a small saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 8-9 minutes, then remove from the heat, preserving the whole cranberries.

Serve the wreath with fresh fig.

Notes on plant based ingredients:

I’ve found the best tasting cheese to use in place of a soft goat’s cheese in recipes like this is a cream cheese alternative like Sheese, and any greek style, unsweetened yoghurt. If the yoghurt isn’t tangy enough, you can either add a drop of cider vinegar to curdle it further, or you can add a ground up vegan probiotic supplement and leave it out of the fridge (covered up) overnight. The cultures from these tablets produce lactic acid which helps make a naturally cheesy, sour tangy. Having done this, you should then consume the yoghurt within 2-3 days. Lastly, maple syrup may be sweet, but it’s by far the best alternative to glaze pastry with. You will only require the smallest amount but it will brown beautifully.