The Batch Lady’s festive Camembert puff pie recipe

“A glorious centrepiece!” says time-saving guru Suzanne Mulholland. “This is a ‘cook ahead’ recipe and some elements are cooked before freezing, but it will need further cooking once out of the fridge/freezer.”

Festive Camembert puff pie

Ingredients
(Prep: 20 minutes, serves 6)

500g frozen butternut squash chunks
2tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, diced
1tsp frozen chopped garlic
300g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
1 x 500g block of puff pastry
Plain flour, for dusting
150g Camembert cheese, cut into slices
2tbsp cranberry sauce
1 egg, beaten

Method (if making ahead for the fridge or freezer)

To cook in an oven:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan. Drizzle the squash with olive oil and season well, then roast on a baking tray for 20–25 minutes until golden.

2. Fry the onion and garlic in the remaining oil until soft, add the mushrooms and cook for 5–6 minutes.

3. Combine the cooked mushrooms and squash in a bowl and leave to cool.

4. Cut the pastry in half and roll out both pieces on a lightly floured surface to a £1 coin thickness. Cut a 23cm circle from one (use a plate as a template) and a 28cm circle from the other.

5. Place the smaller circle onto a parchment-lined baking tray. Add the mushroom and squash, leaving a 2.5cm gap at the edges. Top with the Camembert and the cranberry sauce.

6. Brush the pastry edges with beaten egg, then lay the larger pastry circle on top. Press around the edges with a fork. Brush all over with egg and decorate with leftover pastry, cut into shapes.

7. Flash-freeze on the baking tray then place the pie in a freezer bag.

1. Preheat the air fryer to 180°C. Drizzle the squash with olive oil and season well, then place in the basket and cook for 18–20 minutes, shaking halfway.

2. Fry the onion and garlic in the remaining oil until soft, add the mushrooms and cook for 5–6 minutes.

3. Combine the cooked mushrooms and squash in a bowl and leave to cool.

4. Cut the pastry in half and roll out both pieces on a lightly floured surface to a £1 coin thickness. Cut a 23cm circle from one (use a plate as a template) and a 28cm circle from the other.

5. Place the smaller pastry circle onto a parchment-lined baking tray. Add the mushroom and squash, leaving a 2.5cm gap at the edges. Top with the Camembert and the cranberry sauce.

6. Brush the pastry edges with beaten egg, then lay the larger pastry circle on top. Press around the edges with a fork. Brush all over with egg and decorate with leftover pastry, cut into shapes.

7. Flash-freeze on the baking tray then place the pie in a freezer bag.

To reheat:

Oven: Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan. Place the frozen pie on a lined baking tray and cook for 45–55 minutes, covering with foil if it’s browning too quickly.

Air fryer: Preheat the air fryer to 170°C and line the basket with baking parchment. Cook the frozen pie for 40–45 minutes, covering with foil if it’s browning too quickly.

If cooking now:

Follow the method in the ‘making ahead’ section up until the end of step 6.

To cook in an oven: Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan. Cook on a lined baking tray for 35–40 minutes until golden, covering with foil if it’s browning too quickly.

To cook in an air fryer: Preheat the air fryer to 170°C and line the basket with baking parchment. Cook for 35–40 minutes until golden, covering with foil if it’s browning too quickly.

The Batch Lady Saves Christmas by Suzanne Mulholland is published in hardback by Ebury Press, priced £25. Photography by Andrew Hayes-Watkins. Available now