Fennel, Artichoke and Gruyere Pithiviers

Use ready rolled pastry and canned artichoke hearts and it only takes minutes to prepare this dish for eight.
Serve as an easy supper or a vegetarian alternative to Christmas dinner.

Ingredients:
3 heads organic fennel
397g can artichoke hearts in water
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Small bunch fresh chives, chopped
125g Gruyère cheese, grated
2tbsp  Bearnaise Sauce
4tbsp Whipping Cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 x 375g packets  Ready Rolled Puff Pastry
1 egg, beaten

Instructions:
Cut the fennel bulbs in half lengthways and remove the hard core. Blanch in boiling salted water for 3 minutes. Drain, cool a little and finely slice.
Drain the artichokes well, pat dry and halve. Mix with the fennel, crushed garlic and chives. Stir in the grated cheese, béarnaise sauce and whipping cream and season with salt and ground black pepper.
Lay one piece of pastry over a large non-stick baking sheet. Spoon the vegetable mixture over the top, leaving a gap of 2.5cm around the edges. Brush the margin with a little beaten egg. Roll out the remaining pastry to a slightly bigger rectangle, about 40 x 30cm and drape over the pastry and vegetable base.
Press the edges together and crimp with fingers or an upturned fork. Cut leaf shapes out of the pastry for decoration and arrange on the top of the pie. Glaze with the remaining beaten egg and cook in a pre-heated oven 200°C  for 35 minutes until golden. Serve immediately. Serves 8.