#croustade

This is my take on a favourite my husband grew up with, passed on to me by his mum, Sian, a brilliant cook. Making a crust from breadcrumbs is a lot more straightforward than pastry: easy, affordable comfort food. For a vegan version, swap the butter for coconut oil, the cheese for two tablespoons of nutritional yeast, and a non-dairy milk for the filling.

Prep 15 min Cook 1 hr Serves 6

For the croustade 170g breadcrumbs (I use wholemeal or sourdough) 110g butter, softened 175g strong cheddar, grated 60g pumpkin seeds, roughly chopped 1 small bunch fresh winter herbs, (thyme, rosemary or sage), picked and roughly chopped 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped

For the filling 3 medium leeks, trimmed, washed and finely sliced 1 bay leaf 50g butter Salt 285ml milk 2 tsp dijon mustard 1 tbsp flour (I use spelt or wholemeal) 1 small bunch tarragon, leaves picked and chopped 400g tin cherry tomatoes, drained 100g butternut squash, finely sliced

Heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas 6. Use your hands to mix together all the croustade ingredients. Press two-thirds of the mixture into the bottom of a 27cm gratin dish, ensuring an even layer, and keep the rest for later. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Sweat the leeks with the bay leaf in the butter, along with a pinch of salt. Once the leeks are soft, add the milk and mustard, and simmer for five minutes to allow the bay to flavour the mixture.

Whisk the flour into the milk, and cook for a further two to three minutes. Keep whisking until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Once ready, remove the bay leaf, add the tarragon and spoon the sauce over the croustade base.