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Wild Mushroom Stuffed Brie en Croute with Cheat's Aged Balsamic

From Paul Bloxham, Sky Taste

4 shallots finely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
300g wild mushrooms chopped
1 tbsp dry sherry
Few rasps of fresh nutmeg
1 pack frozen puff pastry
500g chilled brie wheel (or use Camembert)
1 large egg
1 escarole lettuce, prepared
Handful of picked dill, tarragon, parsley and chervil
Olive oil and lemon juice to dress the salad
For the cheat's balsamic:
100ml good balsamic vinegar
50g sugar
50ml water

1. In a sauté pan, sauté the shallot over the heat, stirring, until softened. Add mushrooms, sherry, nutmeg, and salt and pepper, to taste, and sauté over high heat, stirring, until the liquid that the mushrooms give off is evaporated. Cool mushroom mixture.

2. On a lightly floured board roll out 1 sheet of pastry into a square and, using brie as a guide, cut out 1 round the size of the brie. Horizontally halve brie. Roll out remaining sheet of pastry into a 13-inch square and transfer to a shallow baking pan.

3. Centre the bottom half of brie, cut side up, on pastry square and spread mushroom mixture on top. Cover mushroom mixture with remaining half of brie, cut side down. Without stretching pastry, wrap it snugly up over brie and trim excess to leave a 1-inch border of pastry on top of brie. In a small bowl, lightly beat egg and brush onto border. Top brie with pastry round, pressing edges of dough together gently but firmly to seal.

4. Brush the top of pastry with some egg and arrange pastry decoration. Lightly brush decoration with egg, with back of a sharp small knife, gently score side of pastry with vertical marks, being careful not to cut through dough. Chill brie, uncovered, 30 minutes.

5. Preheat oven to 200C. Bake brie in middle of oven until pastry is puffed and golden, about 20 minutes. Let brie stand in pan on a rack 15 minutes and transfer to a serving plate.

6. Combine balsamic, sugar and water in saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat and reduce slightly until syrup consistency, about 12 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

7. To serve portion the brie pie and serve with escarole lettuce dressed with the herbs, olive oil and lemon juice, and of course an artistic drizzle of cheat's balsamic.