Serves: 4–6

Why this spice: Collected Foods Umami Blend turns a mushroom-and-leek filling into something deep and savory — the kind of pot pie that tastes like it simmered all afternoon.

Rob’s cooking this one in the next week or two — full puff-pastry lid, cross-hatch scored, with fall-leaf cutouts on top.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 large leeks (white and light green parts), cleaned and sliced
• 1 1/2 lb mixed mushrooms (cremini, shiitake, oyster), thick-sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp Collected Foods Umami Blend, plus more to taste
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (or extra broth)
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 1/2 cup heavy cream or crème fraîche
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 tsp dried)
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 sheet all-butter puff pastry, thawed
• 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
• Flaky salt, for finishing

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400°F. In a wide skillet, melt butter with oil over medium heat. Soften leeks until silky, 8–10 minutes.
2. Add mushrooms in a mostly single layer. Cook undisturbed until they brown, then stir and cook until their liquid cooks off, 12–15 minutes total.
3. Stir in garlic and Umami Blend; cook 30 seconds. Sprinkle in flour and cook 1 minute.
4. Deglaze with wine; scrape up browned bits. Add broth and thyme; simmer until thick and glossy, 5–8 minutes. Stir in cream. Season hard with salt, pepper, and another pinch of Umami Blend if needed. Transfer the filling to the baking dish and let it cool until just warm or room temp — at least 15–20 minutes (hot filling will melt the puff pastry before it can bake).
5. Only once the filling has cooled, roll or trim puff pastry so it fully covers the dish edge to edge like a classic pot pie (seal or tuck the rim). Cross-hatch score the entire top with a sharp knife; cut a few leaf shapes from scraps and lay them on the full crust. Cut 2–3 small steam vents. Brush with egg wash; finish with flaky salt.
6. Bake on a sheet pan until the pastry is deep golden and the filling bubbles at the edges, 25–35 minutes. Rest 10 minutes before serving.

Clean leeks well — grit hides between the layers. A hot, uncrowded pan is what gets the mushrooms browned instead of steamed. Don’t skip cooling the filling: warm is fine, hot will soften the pastry before the oven can set it.

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