Richard Bertinet’s Pain Surprise

Baking legend Richard Bertinet's Winter Pain Surprise is the ultimate party food! His take on a tartiflette, it is one of Richard's favourite recipes. Bread, cheese, bacon, leeks..all baked together. Layers and layers of happiness!

Ingredients

  • Olive oil, for greasing
  • 200g lardons
  • 1 shallot, finely sliced
  • 1 small leek, finely sliced
  • 250g crème fraiche
  • 2 whole eggs
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Freshly ground nutmeg, to taste
  • 1 large sourdough loaf
  • 2 medium potatoes, cooked and thickly sliced
  • 1 reblochon cheese, thickly sliced

Method

Preheat the oven to 190ºc. Very lightly grease a plan with olive oil, put in the lardons and saute until coloured. Then add the chopped shallot. Cook until softened, but not coloured, then add the leek. Stir together and remove from the heat – you want the leeks to keep their colour, so don’t carry on cooking them.

Stir the crème fraiche and eggs together in a bowl and season with a little salt, pepper and nutmeg. Don’t overmix: keep the mixture a little lumpy.

Put the bread on a sheet of baking paper. Slice into the bread, but not all the way through. You need to cut deep enough into the bread to open out the loaf and fill between the “slices, while leaving the loaf connected at the base.

Stuff a slice of potato into each slot in the bread and follow with some of the lardons, shallots and leeks.

Use the paper to lift the bread onto a baking tray. Spoon some of the cream and egg mixture into each slot, so that the bread absorbs as much as possible.

Finally insert the slices of cheese. Enclose the loaf fully in the baking paper and then wrap it in foil to make a tight parcel.

Put the wrapped bread into the preheated oven and bake for 30-40 minutes., then remove the tray and open the foil and parchment paper. Return to the oven until the top of the bread and its filling is golden brown. Remove and serve!

Ingredients

  • Olive oil, for greasing
  • 200g lardons
  • 1 shallot, finely sliced
  • 1 small leek, finely sliced
  • 250g crème fraiche
  • 2 whole eggs
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Freshly ground nutmeg, to taste
  • 1 large sourdough loaf
  • 2 medium potatoes, cooked and thickly sliced
  • 1 reblochon cheese, thickly sliced

Method

Preheat the oven to 190ºc. Very lightly grease a plan with olive oil, put in the lardons and saute until coloured. Then add the chopped shallot. Cook until softened, but not coloured, then add the leek. Stir together and remove from the heat – you want the leeks to keep their colour, so don’t carry on cooking them.

Stir the crème fraiche and eggs together in a bowl and season with a little salt, pepper and nutmeg. Don’t overmix: keep the mixture a little lumpy.

Put the bread on a sheet of baking paper. Slice into the bread, but not all the way through. You need to cut deep enough into the bread to open out the loaf and fill between the “slices, while leaving the loaf connected at the base.

Stuff a slice of potato into each slot in the bread and follow with some of the lardons, shallots and leeks.

Use the paper to lift the bread onto a baking tray. Spoon some of the cream and egg mixture into each slot, so that the bread absorbs as much as possible.

Finally insert the slices of cheese. Enclose the loaf fully in the baking paper and then wrap it in foil to make a tight parcel.

Put the wrapped bread into the preheated oven and bake for 30-40 minutes., then remove the tray and open the foil and parchment paper. Return to the oven until the top of the bread and its filling is golden brown. Remove and serve!