600 g cooked potatoes
1 tbsp white miso
1 teaspoon of white almond puree
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for the mold and for the sage leaves
2 onions, finely chopped
400 g mushrooms and chestnuts, chopped
4 tablespoons ground flax seeds
grated nutmeg
8 sage leaves (4 finely chopped, 4 whole)
50 g fresh breadcrumbs
Garlic powder
White pepper
4 sprigs of rosemary, picked and finely chopped
400 g canned green lentils, drained, or 270 g cooked green lentils
160 g cooked chestnuts (vacuum-packed or canned), finely chopped
For the jewel-shaped trim
125g mixed dried fruit (we used a mix of cranberries and apricots), roughly chopped
1 orange, with its juice
Start by preparing the filling. Mix the dried fruit and orange juice in a saucepan, and heat over low heat for 5-10 minutes until all the juice has been absorbed and the fruit is well swollen. Set aside and let cool.
Peel and boil the potatoes, mash them into a puree and mix with the miso and almond puree. Salt.
Meanwhile, oil a cake mold. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper - it's easier to cut smaller rectangular pieces of parchment paper and overlap them in the bottom of the pan. Heat 1 additional tablespoon of oil in a skillet over low heat and cook onions until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the mushrooms, season and cook for another 5 to 8 minutes, or until the mushrooms are tender and any liquid they have released has evaporated. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Mix the flax seeds with 8 tablespoons of hot water and let sit until the mixture looks like a gel.
Make breadcrumbs using stale bread. Cut it into pieces, add a little oil and put in the oven at 200° for 15 minutes. Reduce to powder using a herb grinder.
Rub a little oil on the whole sage leaves and place them in the bottom of the mold. Press the fruit filling onto the leaves so that the bottom is completely covered.
Mix the mashed potatoes with the cooled onion and mushroom mixture, flax seeds, nutmeg, breadcrumbs, chopped sage leaves, rosemary, lentils and chestnuts. Season well, then distribute in the mold over the fruit. Cover with aluminum foil. The unbaked crown will keep in the refrigerator, covered, for two days.
With the oven still at 180°/6, bake the crown for 45 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for a further 15 minutes. Let cool in the pan for a few minutes, then run a knife around the inside and outside edges to loosen. Place a plate on the mold, invert, then lift the mold. Remove the parchment paper and serve.
This preparation could be used in pithiviers (pie) with the red fruits to make into a sauce (dilute with water and a little cornstarch).