Executive head chef of the Holborn Dining Room in London, Calum Franklin is a self-described ‘pastry deviant’, specialising in intricately decorated pies and Wellingtons with unusual fillings. The restaurant sells over 200 of his creations a day.
See more of Calum Franklin’s recipes
Calum Franklin
Executive head chef of the Holborn Dining Room in London, Calum Franklin is a self-described ‘pastry deviant’, specialising in intricately decorated pies and Wellingtons with unusual fillings. The restaurant sells over 200 of his creations a day.
See more of Calum Franklin’s recipes
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Ingredients
3 large onions, thinly sliced
1 tbsp vegetable oil
15g unsalted butter
500ml double cream
500ml semi-skimmed milk
1 tbsp finely chopped rosemary
1 tbsp finely chopped thyme
3 garlic cloves, crushed
20g fine sea salt
1.9kg Maris Piper potatoes, peeled
150g vegetarian extra mature cheddar, coarsely grated
2 x 500g packs ready-made shortcrust pastry
2-3 large egg yolks
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Get ahead
Start this recipe a day ahead so that the dauphinoise can chill overnight
You need to start this recipe a day ahead to allow for chilling time. Sauté the onions with the oil, butter and a pinch of salt until soft and well browned, stirring occasionally (about 30 minutes).
Meanwhile, put the cream, milk, rosemary, thyme, garlic and salt into a wide pan (a deep frying pan or saucepan) and warm together on a low heat while you prepare the potatoes, but don’t let it boil.
Slice the potatoes on a mandoline (or with a knife) to 2.5-3mm thickness and drop into the cream mixture. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, and cook for 3-4 minutes until just tender. The cream will have thickened considerably, due to the starch from the potatoes. Drain into a colander set over a large bowl, keeping the cream mixture. Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6.
Line a deep 30cm x 20cm base ovenproof dish with baking paper and lay a third of the potato into the dish. Scatter half the cheese across the surface and pour in a third of the cream mixture. Layer in another third of the potato and then spread all the onions across the surface. Scatter on the remaining cheese and layer the rest of the potato on top. Pour another third of the cream mix all over, then press a sheet of baking paper onto the surface. Bake for 35 minutes.
Remove from the oven, remove the paper; add the last of the cream mix. Press the paper back on, reduce oven to 190°C, fan 170°C, gas 5; cook for 20 minutes or until the potato is soft. The dish should be saucy and not dry.
Cool the whole dish on a rack to room temperature – at least 2-3 hours. Then chill in the fridge for a couple of hours, preferably overnight, until really firm.
Roll out 500g pastry on a floured surface to make a large rectangle 5mm thick. Trim to make a pie base 35cm by 25cm. Transfer to a lined baking tray and chill for 10 minutes in the fridge or freezer. Discard the top paper from the dauphinoise, loosen the paper at the edges of the dish and quickly flip over onto the pastry.
Roll out the remaining pastry into a rectangle large enough to cover the potatoes and join with the base pastry. Trim to neaten and crimp the edges together (use pastry trimmings for decoration). Beat the egg yolks with a pinch of salt and brush the whole pie with the glaze. Chill for 10 minutes, or until firm, then glaze again for a really rich colour. Cut a steam hole, then bake at 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6 for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
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Our pies are the best pies in Britain (well, our pie chef has won five categories at the British Pie Awards and was crowned Supreme Champion). Packed in boxes of four, each pie serves one generously.
The curdling is caused by high heat, which is hard to avoid in an oven. So to keep the sauce together, tackle it before the dish goes in the oven. Instead of simply layering grated cheese and milk or cream with the potatoes, you need to make a smooth cheese sauce.
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Whole milk alone can work in some instances as a substitute. At 3.5%, its fat content is low, but it's a good substitute in mashed potatoes or potatoes au gratin.
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Blind-bake your base before adding a filling to help to firm the base and avoid liquid being absorbed into it. Prick the base with a fork to help steam escape, cover with foil or parchment, and weigh it down with ceramic baking beans, uncooked rice or white sugar. Then bake at 220°C (425°F) for 15 minutes.
Don't rinse – the potato starch helps thicken the sauce
Some recipes say to rinse and dry the potatoes before stacking, but we found that by cutting out this step, the starchy potato water helps thicken the cream as it cooks.
Why is my dauphinoise watery? If your roasting tray is too small the liquid won't reduce as quickly, so be sure to pick a large one. Also, don't forget to simmer on the hob for 5 minutes (step 4) before baking.
Dauphinoise potatoes fall somewhere between scalloped potatoes and gratin, as the spuds aren't precooked, though they do include cheese. However, traditional versions of dauphinoise are cheese-free, making them essentially the same as scalloped potatoes.
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Under EU law a Cornish pasty can only be described as such if it is made in a D shape and is crimped on the side.By contrast, Devon pasties are crimped on top and include carrots, which would be a punishable offence in the eyes of their near-neighbours.
The British use double cream in recipes the way we use heavy cream or whipping cream here in the US, but they also allow it to accompany dessert the way we might use ice cream.
Evaporated milk can be used as a substitute in recipes in which heavy cream is used as a liquid ingredient, such as in baked goods, but it doesn't whip well. Substitute the heavy cream in your recipes with an equal amount of evaporated milk.
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Prep time: 1 hr 45 mins
