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Pain surprise
Filled party sandwich loaf
Pain surprise: hollowed party loaf filled with little vegetarian sandwiches
The pain surprise is the showpiece of French birthday parties, weddings and New Year apéros, a big round loaf hollowed out and refilled with stacks of tiny sandwiches made from its own crumb, so guests lift the lid and find it full. Classic fillings are ham and pâté; this vegetarian version uses herbed cream cheese with cucumber, egg mayonnaise, and butter with Comté (use a vegetarian cheese, as Comté uses animal rennet). The common mistake is cutting the sandwiches unevenly, so they do not fit back. Chef's tip: chill the loaf before cutting out the centre, and use a long serrated knife.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
- 5 ½ oz herbed cream cheese
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 ⅛ oz soft butter
- 2 tbsp chives, chopped
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Cut the top off the 1 large round country loaf (pain de campagne), about 1 kg, a day old to make a lid. With a long knife, cut round inside the crust 1 cm from the edge, right down to 1 cm above the base. Push the knife in sideways through the crust near the base and swivel it to free the centre, then lift out the crumb in one piece.
10 minStep 2: Slice the crumb horizontally into 8–10 thin, even rounds.
5 minStep 3: Mix the 3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped with the 3 tbsp mayonnaise and 2 tbsp chives, chopped. Spread pairs of slices with 5 ½ oz herbed cream cheese and ½ cucumber, thinly sliced, with the egg mix, and with 2 ⅛ oz soft butter and 3 ½ oz Comté or vegetarian hard cheese, thinly sliced, and sandwich them.
15 minStep 4: Press lightly, cut each round into 8–12 wedges or squares, and stack back into the hollow loaf.
10 minStep 5: Put the lid on, wrap in cling film and chill until serving, up to 6 hours.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 10 g
- Carbs
- 28 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pain surprise take?
- About 60 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of herbed cream cheese?
- Mascarpone, same amount.
- What can I use instead of cucumber, thinly sliced?
- Courgette, same weight (in salads, use young ones).
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