Typical Loire: La Gouline - a hearty pie

A favorite for many years

Preparation: 45 mins + 40 mins cooking time
Main course for 4 guests; starter for 8 people (we suggest making individual pies when serving as a starter)
Level: easy recipe
Cost: low

For the pie

2 round of ready made all butter puff pastry
2x 40 gr of butter
500 gr of 'normal' mushrooms (local ingredient: champignons de Paris grown in caves in Saumur)
300 gr of shallots (local ingredient: échalottes IGP Anjou)
400 gr of rillauds (rillaud is local ingredient made with pork) -use NON smoked bacon pieces instead, however cook or blanch beforehand and let them cool; it should not be crispy-
10 cl Loire Valley white wine (preferably a slightly sweet wine made with Chenin grapes)

The mixture

For the cheese sauce

100 gr of grated Tomme de l'Anjou cheese (local ingredient: a half hard cow's milk cheese that's quite young will do nicely)
8 cl Loire Valley white wine (preferably a slightly sweet wine made with Chenin grapes)
15 cl of cream

Preheat oven to 180°C
Peel and chop shallots finely
Melt 40 gr of butter in a frying pan, colour the shallots; add the white wine and let it slowly cook until soft and brown
Clean and chop the mushrooms (in quarters if small mushrooms for a nice effect)
Melt 40 gr of butter and slowly cook the mushrooms for approx. 10 minutes
Mix the flour with a bit of water in a bowl, mix in the cream and mustard, then add mushrooms and shallots
Add pepper and salt (easy on the salt if you use bacon pieces!)
Put in fridge while you put the puff pastry in a low round baking tray
Add mixture, top with second puff pastry disc
Make a slight opening in the top pastry disc (in the Loire they cut out two eyes and a mouth)
Brush with some egg yolk
Cook in oven for 40 minutes
Serve with the cheese sauce on the side, a nice green salad with garlic vinaigrette and some French bread and an oh la la glass of Loire Valley wine
La Gouline refers to 'une bonne bouille': the round face of a small child that you feel you just have to kiss!
This hearty pie combines the best of our local terroir: it warms you in winter and allows our local farmers to gain a decent living when using the local ingredients
Logis loves local

Bon appétit !

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