Lyndey Milan’s Mushroom Strudel

Serves 6 as main or 10 as entree
Preparation 20 minutes
Cooking 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS
100 g button mushrooms
100 g mushroom caps
150 g flat mushrooms
200 g portabello mushrooms
2 tablespoons (40ml) extra virgin olive oil
60 g salted butter
250 g eshallots, peeled, halved if large
¼ cup (60 ml) sherry or apple juice
½ cup (125 ml) vegetable or chicken stock
½ cup (120 g) sour cream
1 teaspoon cornflour
2 tablespoons chopped chives
¼ cup chopped parsley
1 sheet butter puff pastry, defrosted
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
To serve, sour cream mixed with chopped chives, optional

METHOD
1 Wipe mushrooms. Quarter the buttons, thinly slice the caps, and slice the flats and portabellos a little more thickly.
2 Heat oil and butter in a large frying pan over moderate heat. When butter melts add the eshallots, and cook, stirring occasionally until just soft, about 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, set aside.
3 Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook stirring occasionally until all have softened. Increase heat, and add sherry or apple juice and cook for 1 minute or until sherry or juice has reduced. Return the eshallots to the pan, add the stock and cook until stock has reduced. Add the combined sour cream and cornflour, stir until bubbling, then for 1 minute, or until there is very little liquid left in the pan. Stir in the herbs, season well. Cool the mixture.
4 Preheat oven to hot 220°C (200°C fan-forced).
5 Lay one sheet of puff pastry out flat on a large flat oven tray lined with baking paper.Place cooled mushroom filling down the middle third, leaving one third of puff pastry free on each side. Using a sharp knife, cut these into 2cm strips from the mushrooms to the edge of the pastry. Fold over the mushroom filling  alternately, as if the pastry is being plaited. Tuck ends under to secure. Brush strudel with the egg yolk.
6 Bake for 10 minutes and then reduce heat to moderately hot 200°C (180°C fan-forced) and bake for 15 minutes or until strudel is puffed and golden. Remove from oven, stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with sour cream and chives if desired.

Lyndey’s note
You can make the mushroom filling in advance, keep it covered in the fridge for several hours or overnight. It’s best to assemble and bake the strudel just before serving. You could use thinly sliced leeks in place of the eshallots.

From Lyndey Milan’s Summer Baking Secrets, airing on Channel 7 at 12 noon on Sundays. Click here for information about Lyndey’s new baking range