HOW TO MAKE FLAMICHE AU MAROILLES

A pool of strong-flavoured melted cheese and cream, baked into a rich bread dough and served warm. Maroilles cheese is a pungent, washed-rind cheese from northern France. I’ve replaced it with some local alternatives.

BREAD: 240g (2 cups) flour plus extra 7.5ml (11/ tsp) salt

2 10g (1 sachet) instant yeast 150ml lukewarm water 2 extra-large eggs 100g butter, softened FILLING: 230g maroilles cheese (use a Dalewood Lanquedoc or Fairview La Beryl cheese) 125ml ( 1/2 cup) sour cream or crème fraîche 1 extra-large egg, plus an extralarge egg yolk Salt and freshly ground black pepper A dash of freshly ground nutmeg In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt and yeast. Mix together the water and eggs and add to the flour. Mix to a soft dough. Work the butter into the dough, a little at a time — it will make a fairly sloppy but rich dough. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place till doubled in size. This will take about 45 minutes.

Knock back dough and rest for 5 minutes before rolling out on a lightly floured surface into a circle about 25cm in diameter. Carefully lift the dough onto a large baking tray and lift the edge of the dough inwards so it forms a lip to hold the cheese.

Using a sharp knife, remove the rind of the cheese and finely slice. Arrange over the base of the dough within the lip. Beat the sour cream with the egg and egg yolk, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Pour mixture over cheese and leave tart to rise for 30-45 minutes until nice and puffy. Bake in a preheated oven of 200°C for 40-50 minutes until filling is set and crust golden brown. Serve with a salad — or cut into thin wedges and serve with drinks. Serves 8