Serves 15-16
Ingredients
Puffed Bread
160g flour
90g warm milk (30°C)
10g yeast
10g sugar
2g salt
Bread filling
300g truffle
6 puffed pies
80g mascarpone
300g baby leeks
1kg fresh spinach
80g butter
3 tsp balsamic vinegar
5ml red port
Maldon sea salt
Salt and pepper
Method
Puffed Bread
Put the flour, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl and activate the yeast in the warm milk. Mix the dry mix with the yeast and milk for 2 to 3 minutes until you have a nice dough. Divide the dough into two equal portions and cover it clingfilm. Put it in the fridge for 1 hour. Afterwards, roll the dough to get a 1mm thick sheet then let it rest for 15 minutes in the fridge. Make portions with a 60mm diameter cutter and let it rest outside (25°C) for 45 minutes. Cook it for 3 minutes in a bread oven at 240°C, then turn upside down and cook for 3 more minutes.
Bread Filling
Peel the truffle and chop the truffle trimmings with a knife. Melt the truffle with the butter in a pot and add the red port until it is reduced by half. Add the balsamic vinegar and cook it slowly for 7 to 8 minutes then blitz everything to get a nice smooth cream truffle. Check the seasoning, cool it down and cook the baby leeks in water, then cut into cylinders of 6cm. Cook the spinach in hot water and cool it down in icy water. Take the spinach out of the cold water and ensure that no water is left on it before chopping. In a bowl, mix mascarpone with truffle cream. Check the seasoning and put this mix in a piping bag. With a small knife, make a hole on one side of the puffed bread, then fill with truffle mascarpone. Make sure you keep it warm. Reheat the spinach in butter and the baby leeks in a melted butter. Slice the truffles thinly.
To serve
Plate the spinach in the middle of the plate. Put the puffed pie on top of the spinach followed by the leeks. Top the dish with the chopped truffles and then the Maldon sea salt and pepper.
Take a look at Pierre Gagnaire’s chef profile .