Description
One of the oldest and greatest Normandy cheeses, Livarot is a monastic French cheese and it smells, big-time. The taste is nutty and it melts in your mouth to release flavours of salt, lemon and spice. The texture is creamy, smooth and quite runny at room temperature. It reminds me of holidays in France.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 150 milliliters Milk
- 250 grams Flour
- 50 grams Butter
- 1 whole Egg
- 2 whole Onions
- 1 teaspoon Butter
- 250 grams Livarot Cheese
- 250 milliliters Cream
- 1 whole Egg
- 1 pinch Cayenne Or Smoked Paprika Powder
- 8 slices Bacon
- Salt And Pepper, to taste
Preparation
In a large mixing bowl, combine the baking powder and milk. Then add the flour, the butter and the egg. Mix well and form a ball of pastry. Roll out the pastry to a size that will line your tart pan (I used 6 individual tart pans of 41/2 inches, but for a whole pie I would suggest a tart pan of 10 inches). Cover with a damp cloth and keep aside at room temperature. You could also use a store bought pie crust, or your own favorite pie crust recipe.
Peel and slice the onions. Put them into a skillet with the butter over medium heat. Pan fry them, covered, for 20 minutes until soft and slightly brown.
Preheat the oven to 150 C. Take off the rind of the cheese, and cut cheese into thin slices.
In a small bowl mix the cream with the egg then add a dash of salt and pepper and a pinch of cayenne or smoked paprika powder.
Put the onions on top of the pastry. Add the bacon slices (I always fry these beforehand, but they can also be added raw) and the cheese. Then pour in the cream and egg mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Bake for 40 minutes and smell the deliciousness. Serve with a baby spinach salad with a tangy dressing and some glazed apples.
