Pithivier with Mushrooms, Leeks, and Potatoes
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This vegetarian puff pastry pithivier recipe features mushrooms, leeks, potatoes, garlic, herbs, and spices, as well as Gruyère and Parmesan cheeses, all wrapped inside two sheets of puff pastry and baked until flaky and golden brown. This savory spin on the classic French dessert pithivier makes an impressive (but easy!) weeknight dinner.Along with this fig and goat cheese tart and these hand pies with leeks and blue cheese, it’s one of my favorite savory puff pastry preparations.
What Inspired This Savory Pithivier Recipe?
A pithivier is a large, dome-shaped pastry, generally featuring scalloped edges and a pretty scored top. In pastry school, we made a dessert pithivier with poached cherries and an almond and pistachio cream. At home I usually prefer to make a main dish version, filling it with an assortment of vegetables, cheeses, and herbs.
I first developed this savory pithivier recipe back in the spring of 2020, with Covid-19 lockdowns in full effect and grocery store shelves devoid of many baking staples. Thanks to the great flour shortage of 2020, I had to find creative ways to keep up my baking despite the lack of common pantry ingredients. I spent several months making flourless cookies, flourless cakes, flourless brownies, flourless everything I could think of. And although I couldn’t get my hands on a bag of flour during that time, I had no problem securing plenty of store-bought puff pastry. Thus, the creation of this savory pithivier with mushrooms, leeks, and potatoes.
Key Ingredients
- Mushrooms – I’ve tested this recipe with white mushrooms, as well as with baby bellas. They’re both great! But feel free to experiment with other varieties of mushrooms, or a combination of your favorites. Whichever you choose, just remember to very thoroughly drain the mushroom filling before piling it on the pastry, or your pithivier will be soggy.
- Leeks – Leeks are dirty! To make sure they’re completely clean, I suggest washing and slicing, then soaking the slices in a large bowl of water with a splash of vinegar to remove any last traces of dirt. Otherwise, your pithivier may have a gritty texture, which, while not dangerous, will not be very appealing to eat. And if you don’t like (or can’t find) leeks, you can replace them with caramelized white onions instead.
- Puff Pastry – If you are feeling adventurous, you can make this recipe using homemade puff pastry. Puff pastry is not difficult to make from scratch, but it does require a bit of a time commitment. And for most recipes the commercially-made stuff is much faster, and works just as well as homemade. (In fact, I remember one of the chefs at Le Cordon Bleu telling us that most bakeries and restaurants purchase puff pastry from a supplier, rather than making their own in-house.) If opting for frozen (rather than refrigerated) puff pastry, just make sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for thawing, so the pastry is ready when you want to use it.
- Cheeses – I used a blend of Gruyère, and Parmesan cheeses, but you can swap the Gruyère for blue cheese or sharp cheddar, or use another hard cheese (Grada Padano, Parmigiano Reggiano) instead.
Tips and Tricks
- Don’t egg-wash the edges. When applying the egg wash, avoid the bottom edge of the pastry (where the top and bottom pieces meet). Egg washing this part will cause the egg to act as a “glue,” causing the layers to stick together and preventing the puff pastry from “puffing” as intended.
- Save the scraps. Because you’re cutting the pastry into a circle, you will have some scraps left over. Don’t throw away the trimmings! Puff pastry scraps are perfect for making easy snacks like anchovy sticks, cheese and Marmite twists, or sweet palmiers. In fact, I used my pithivier scraps to develop this puff pastry twists recipe.
- Use a box grater. Grate your cheeses on a standard box grater. (This is the type of grater you’d typically use for cheese or carrots.) The cheese will melt into the vegetable mixture anyway, so no need for the fine precision of a Microplane.
- Experiment with add-ins. Try adding chopped walnuts or a handful of chopped fresh herbs to the filling mixture.
- Trace around a plate. When rolling out the puff pastry, I like to use a standard-size dinner plate (about 9 – 9 1/2 inches) as a guide for measuring the size of my finished pithivier. You can also use a large metal pastry ring, if you have one.
Pithivier with Mushrooms, Leeks, and Potatoes
- Total Time2 hours 10 minutes
- Yield4-6 servings 1x
A pithivier pastry filled with mushrooms, potatoes, leeks, and two kinds of cheese, then baked until flaky and golden brown.
Ingredients
2 medium potatoes (500 grams; 4 cups cubes), diced into 1/2-inch cubes
2 leeks, white and pale green parts only (300 grams ; 4 cups slices), thinly sliced
225 grams mushrooms (8 ounces; 3 1/2 cups), sliced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1-2 tablespoons olive oil, for cooking the leeks
1 cube vegetable bouillon, or 1 teaspoon vegetable base
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 sheets puff pastry, thawed according to package directions if frozen
85 grams Gruyere cheese, grated (about 3 ounces, or 1 cup grated cheese)
85 grams Parmesan cheese, grated (about 3 ounces, or 1 cup grated cheese)
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
Red gel food coloring (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350° F (176° C). Line a half-sheet rimmed baking tray with parchment.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add diced potatoes and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until fork tender.
Pass through a fine mesh strainer to drain. Set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the minced garlic and sautée for 1-2 minutes.
Add the sliced leeks. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt and sautée until mushrooms release their juices, about 2-3 minutes more.
Add the vegetable bouillon, water, thyme, rosemary, nutmeg, and red pepper flakes. Cook 2-3 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Pass vegetable mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove excess liquid. Discard liquid.
Scoop vegetable filling into a large mixing bowl. Add cooked potatoes and stir to combine. Set aside to cool while you prepare the pastry.
On a silicone rolling mat or lightly floured countertop, unroll one sheet of puff pastry. With a rolling pin roll pastry until large enough to cut a disc no smaller than 9 inches in diameter (roughly the size of a dinner plate). Just measure for now. Do not cut the pastry!
Arrange on prepared tray.*
Add the shredded cheeses to the vegetable filling and toss to combine.
Scoop filling into a round mound in the center of the pastry, allowing 1 – 1 1/2 inches of space around the outside edge. (Depending on the size and shape of your puff pastry sheet, you might have a few extra inches of pastry on both sides.**)
With a pastry brush, apply a thin strip of beaten egg around the vegetable mound.
Roll the second sheet of puff pastry and drape it over the vegetables.
With your fingertips, seal the pastry around the vegetable mound. When finished, it should look something like this:
With a paring knife, cut the pastry into a circle shape. (I like to use a 9-inch pastry ring or bowl as a guide, but you can freehand it, too!). Be sure to allow a 1-inch border between the vegetable mound and where you cut the pastry—if you cut too close to the filling and can’t seal it properly, it will leak while baking.
With a pastry brush, apply a layer of egg wash to the pastry.
Use a knife to scallop the edges, or crimp with a fork.
If desired, tint the remaining egg wash with red gel food coloring.
Once first coat of egg wash is completely dry (it should have a matte appearance) use a pastry brush to apply a second layer of egg wash.
With a skewer or toothpick, poke a small hole in the center of the pastry, creating a place for air to escape.
Use the back of a paring knife to score the pastry as desired.
Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until flaky and deeply golden brown.
Slice and serve immediately. Wrap leftovers in aluminum foil and store in the refrigerator overnight. Eat at room temperature, or rewarm in a 350° F oven until heated through.
Notes
*You can also roll the pastry directly on the sheet of parchment.
**Save the scraps to make palmiers, cheese twists, or other puff pastry snacks.
Serving Suggestions
Once baked, I like to slice my pithivier (pie or pizza-style) into individual portions, then serve while still very warm. This recipe makes a nice lunch or a light dinner, especially when accompanied by a salad or a bowl of homemade soup. It also makes a fantastic vegetarian main course for special occasions or holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions
To reheat: Wrap leftovers in aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight. Enjoy leftovers at room temperature, or place on a parchment-lined tray and rewarm in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes, or until warmed through.
To make ahead: You can make the vegetable filling up to 24 hours in advance. Refrigerate until ready to use.
To freeze: Wrap pithivier in foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen.
Other Savory Puff Pastry Recipes You Might Enjoy
Lattice Pastry with Cheese and Caramelized Onions
Fig and Goat Cheese Galette
Pesto Puff Pastry Pinwheels
Savory Hand Pies with Blue Cheese, Leeks, and Walnuts
Rainbow Veggie Pizza
Puff Pastry Tartlets with Ricotta, Peas, and Mint
Everything Bagel Smoked Salmon Tart
If you make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
I’ve made this for two Christmases; it’s a wonderful vegetarian main. I made it vegan by omitting the cheese (used some nutritional yeast for flavor) and a vegan puff pastry
Thank you for the review! This is one of my favorite vegetarian mains, too. And I love the idea of a vegan version!
I have a question re vegetable bouillon cube. When you add it to the vegetables, is it added as a cube or dissolved onto an actual bouillon? I assume it is added dry. Thank you!
You can just add the whole cube. (It’s hard to spot, but if you look at the photo below the step where the bouillon is added, you’ll see the yellowish cube near the bottom left side.) It will dissolve in the warm juices from the mushrooms, and the small amount of additional water added to the pan.
This is a nice recipe. I made it with only one change. Rather than packaged pastry, I made my own puff pastry. It was delicious. Thank you for sharing this