Named after the central French town of the same name (which, confusingly, also claims a much older almond cake, the pithiviers fondant, as its own), the pithivier is a free-standing puff pastry pie so magnificent that it’s as much centrepiece as dinner. The traditional example, which is not dissimilar to the frangipane-filled galette des rois made to celebrate Epiphany, has a sweet almond centre, though these days a pithivier is just as likely to be savoury.
Indeed, though charcutier Nicolas Verot tells me that “what makes the big difference between a pithivier and a pie [tourte] is that a pithivier contains unchopped meat [or vegetables], unlike a tourte”, though in reality, it seems, anything goes. Pierre Koffman does a pheasant one, Rosie Birkett a version filled with cauliflower cheese, Parisian patissier and celebrity chef Cyril Lignac adds truffle to his pork and cheese number … the list goes on. In fact, the internet is full of recipes for pithiviers stuffed with fish, fruit, and even tofu and mushrooms – chopped and otherwise.
