Baked Le Pleine Lune with Mushrooms and Walnuts
Make this delicious appetizer for a wonderful treat!
I love that our local grocery stores have really increased their cheese varieties. I'm always on the lookout for some new cheese to try!
One that has become a favourite is Le Pleine Lune, by DuVillage in Quebec. The vegetable ash rind adds a unique flavour to its buttery softness.
Inspired by the various types of baked cheese we enjoy, I came up with this version, and it was a real hit! The flavour of the cheese is complimented by the mushrooms and walnuts, hidden in a puff pastry "cave." Served with slices of bagette, it makes a delicious appetizer.
Although this recipe calls for Le Pleine Lune, you can substitute with a similar soft cheese with a rind, such as a brie or camembert. Look for a wheel about 600grams for the quantities in this recipe.
Save time by buying pre-sliced mushrooms and garlic.
Use kitchen scissors to quickly snip your chives to size.
Cook Time
Prep Time: about 45 minutes to an hour
Total Time: about 1 1/2 hours
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
- 1 wheel Le Peine Lune (600g)
- 1 cup thinly sliced crimini mushrooms
- 1 -2 Tbsp chopped chives (green onions can be substituted)
- 2 cloves thinly sliced fresh garlic
- 3 Tbsp chopped walnuts
- 2 Tbsp olive oil and butter (for browning)
- 1 pkg frozen puff pastry (thaw overnight in the fridge)
- 1/4 cup melted butter
Instructions
- In a frying pan, heat the olive oil and butter together on medium-high.
- Brown mushrooms and chives in the oil and butter mixture until moisture is gone - about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and walnuts and sauté for another minute.
- Remove from heat and set aside.
- Carefully remove the rind from the top of the cheese. Set aside.
- Gently unroll the puff pastry and brush with melted butter, leaving about half an inch around the edge with no butter.
- Place the mushroom mixture in the middle of the puff pastry in a mound the same size as the wheel of cheese.
- Place the cheese wheel, cut side down, on top of the mushroom mixture.
- Using the waxed paper under the puff pastry, lift each corner up and over the cheese. Gently pull the waxed paper away from the puff pastry corners as you go along. This will leave "points" around the cheese. Fold those up to partially cover the seams in the dough.
- Butter your baking dish. Transfer the puff pastry covered cheese to the baking dish, seam side down.
- Gently remove the waxed paper.
- Brush puff pastry with melted butter. At this point, you can place the pastry covered cheese into the fridge to bake later. Allow to return to room temperature while preheating your oven.
- Bake at 400F for 25-30 minutes, or until the puff pastry is golden brown.
- Serve hot on slices of bagette or crusty bread.
Do You Love Cheese?
With so many varieties of cheese available, do you enjoy trying them out?
Step-by-Step Baked Le Pleine Lune
Enjoy making this delicious dish for any occasion - or just as a personal treat!
For the beer lovers, pair it with a pilsner, pale ale or porter.
For wine lovers, try it with a Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir or any medium bodied wine.
Time required: up to 1 1/2 hours, including baking time
Cost: under $25
Materials:
- 1 cup thinly sliced crimini mushrooms
- 1-2 Tbsp chopped chives
- 2 cloves thinly sliced garlic
- 3 Tbsp chopped walnuts
- 2 Tbsp olive oil and butter (for browning)
- 1 wheel Le Pleine Lune (600g)
- 1 pkg frozen puff pastry, thawed overnight in the fridge
- 1/4 cup melted butter
Tools:
- large cutting board (for ease of transfer)
- frying pan
- baking dish
Instructions:
1. Prepare your ingredients; you can save time by buying pre-sliced mushrooms and garlic.
Use kitchen scissors to snip chives to size. I used chives from my balcony garden and included some flower buds as well. Chive blossoms are edible and can be included.
Green onions can be substituted for the chives.
2. In a frying pan on medium-high, heat the olive oil and butter.
Sauté the mushrooms and chives together. Mushrooms will release moisture at the start of cooking, so be sure to cook until the moisture is evaporated and the mushrooms are slightly browned.
3. Add the chopped walnuts and garlic and continue to sauté for another minute.
Remove pan from heat and set aside.
4. Carefully remove the rind from one side of the cheese wheel.
Le Pleine Lune is a very soft and buttery cheese, so you might have to shape it back into a circle when you're done!
Save the rinds for a snack, later!
5. Unroll the puff pastry on its waxed paper. Brush with butter, leaving the edges so the seams will stick.
Hint: Unroll your pastry on a large cutting board. This will make it easier to flip your cheese over later.
6. Arrange the mushroom mixture into a circle, the same size as the cheese wheel, in the middle of the puff pastry.
7. Place the cheese, cut side down, on top of the mushroom mixture.
8. Using the waxed paper, lift the corners of the puff pastry over the cheese wheel, then gently pull the waxed paper free of the pastry.
Pull up the "points" of pastry left behind.
9. Butter the bottom of your baking dish, then transfer the pastry covered cheese into it, seam side down.
To make it easier, turn the buttered baking dish upside down over the pastry. Carefully holding the dish in place, use the cutting board (or slide your hand under the waxed paper) to flip the whole thing over.
Gently remove the waxed paper from the puff pastry.
10. Brush the pastry with melted butter.
At this point, the pastry can be put into the fridge to bake later. If refrigerated, remove and allow to reach room temperature while preheating the oven.
Bake in 400F preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes, or until the puff pastry is golden brown and crisp.
11. Serve hot on bagette slices or crusty bread.
Photos to Make You Hungry!
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© 2014 AnnaMKB
