Coulibiac Recipes

SALMON COULIBIAC

Steps:

• First, get everything prepared. Boil a pan of salted water, add the eggs and cook for 8 mins exactly. Drain and cool under cold water, then peel and set aside.
• Heat half the butter in a non-stick frying pan and sizzle the slices of salmon for 1 min on each side (Pic 1), just to firm up the fillets but not cook them all the way through. Lift the salmon onto a plate.
• Now cook the rice. Melt the rest of the butter in the same pan. Add the onion, cumin and coriander seeds, cardamom and star anise, then gently fry for 8 mins until golden. Stir in the rice and add the bay leaf and cinnamon stick (Pic 2), then pour over the stock and season generously. Cover and bring to the boil, then lower the heat to its lowest setting and continue to cook for 10 mins. Turn off the heat and leave covered for 10 mins, then stir through the lemon zest and juice. Set aside to cool. This can be done several hrs in advance. Once cool, stir though the chopped dill.
• To assemble the pie, roll out one of the pieces of pastry to a rectangle as wide but a third longer than this magazine (23 x 40cm), then lay on a baking tray. Pack half the rice along the middle of the pastry, discarding the star anise and cinnamon as you do so, leaving a good 5cm border around the edge. Lay the salmon over the rice, then slice the eggs and lay those over the whole salmon layer (Pic 3). Top the eggs with the remaining rice and use your hands to gently pack everything down to a firm, even shape. Brush any stray grains of rice off the border, then brush the border with beaten egg,
• Roll the second piece of pastry out to a rectangle slightly larger than the first. Drape over the coulibiac and gently press the edges to seal the 2 pastry sheets together. Trim the edges to neaten and crimp with your fingers or press down with a fork. The uncooked pie can now be chilled, on the baking sheet, for a day or frozen for up to 2 months.
• To cook, heat oven to 220C/200C fan/ gas 7. Brush the pie all over with beaten egg and, if you want, lightly score the pastry with the back of a knife in a criss-cross fashion, making sure you don't cut all the way through (Pic 4). Bake for 20 mins, then reduce the heat to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and continue to cook for 20 mins until golden brown. Leave to rest for 10 mins, then serve in thick slices with a bowl of Dill cream or Herb salsa (see recipes, below).

COULIBIAC

Steps:

• For crêpes, sift flour, sugar and ¼ tsp salt into a bowl. Whisk cream, eggs and milk in a separate bowl, then gradually stir into flour mixture (don't worry about lumps; they'll dissolve when lightly beaten after resting). Cover, refrigerate for 1 hour to rest, then stir to dissolve any lumps. Test consistency by dipping a finger into batter - it should thinly coat your finger; thin with extra milk if necessary. Lightly spray a 22cm crêpe pan with oil and heat over medium-high heat until smoking, then remove from heat for 30 seconds and ladle in enough mixture to coat base of pan thinly, tilting to cover evenly. Cook over medium heat until bubbles appear on the surface (1-2 minutes), then turn and cook until pale golden but not dry (30 seconds). Turn onto a sheet of baking paper and repeat until all batter is used, stirring batter between making each crêpe. The recipe makes around 6, but you need only 4.
• While crêpe batter rests, make the brioche. Mix flour, yeast, sugar and 1½ tsp salt in an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook to combine. Whisk eggs and milk in a separate bowl, then gradually add to flour mixture and mix on medium speed, scraping down sides of bowl if necessary, until dough pulls away from sides of bowl and begins to make a slapping sound. Gradually add butter, beating to incorporate well between additions, until dough is smooth and glossy (2-3 minutes). Transfer to a container, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled (30 minutes).
• Sauté onion in butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat until softened without colouring (4-5 minutes), then add mushrooms and sauté until tender (6-8 minutes). Cool, add a third of the dill, season to taste and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 200C. Lay out a clean tea towel on a work surface, place a 15cm x 50cm piece of baking paper lengthways in centre of tea towel and dust with flour. Quickly and lightly knead brioche dough, then roll out on baking paper to a 50cm x 15cm rectangle, using paper as a guide and dusting dough and rolling pin with flour to prevent sticking.
• Place crêpes on dough, overlapping slightly, to cover width and 40cm of the length, leaving 5cm space at each end.
• Spread a third of the rice in a strip about 10cm wide on crêpes. Scatter with half the remaining dill, then place a piece of salmon on top crossways and season to taste.
• Spread half the mushroom mixture on salmon, cover with half the sliced egg, top with remaining salmon and season to taste. Repeat layering, finishing with rice, scatter with remaining dill and press together firmly.
• Fold crêpes over to enclose salmon.
• Use the paper to help lift dough over salmon and form a parcel, finishing seam-side down. Trim ends slightly and fold up to seal.
• Use baking paper to lift coulibiac into a 24cm x 13cm x 11cm-deep loaf tin brushed with melted butter. Brush top of coulibiac with beaten egg; take care not to brush too close to sides of tin as brioche may stick. Rest for 10 minutes, then bake for 20 minutes, reduce oven to 160C and bake for another 10 minutes until puffed and golden. Remove from oven, stand for 5 minutes, then lift coulibiac out of tin onto a platter and rest for 10 minutes. Trim ends (discard), then thickly slice and serve drizzled with a little melted butter.

SALMON COULIBIACS

Steps:

• Bring wine, 2 cups water, bay leaf, celery, and peppercorns to a simmer in a small, wide saucepan over medium-high. Add salmon, cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until slightly opaque but still pink on inside, about 3 minutes. Remove salmon; let cool slightly. Strain liquid through a fine-mesh sieve; reserve. Flake salmon into large pieces.
• Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a medium saute pan over medium-high. Add leek and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Melt 4 more tablespoons butter in pan; add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, about 5 minutes. Add to leeks.
• Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in pan. Whisk in flour, stirring constantly, until mixture is foamy and light brown, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in 1 cup reserved poaching liquid. Bring to a boil, reduce to a rapid simmer, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool. Stir into leek-mushroom mixture. Add rice, dill, and salmon. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.
• On a floured surface, roll each piece of puff pastry (dusting with flour as necessary) into a 12-by-16-inch rectangle, 1/8 inch thick. Cut out twelve 4-by-6-inch rectangles; transfer to 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. Use small cookie cutters to cut shapes from excess dough, if desired.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Divide filling evenly among pastry rectangles (about 1/4 cup each), mounding in center of one short side. With a pastry brush, dampen borders with cold water. Fold tops of pastry over filling. Press edges; crimp to seal tightly with the tines of a fork. Place cutouts on top, if desired; adhere with cold water. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm, 20 minutes.
• Beat together yolk and cream; brush each coulibiac with mixture. Bake, rotating halfway through, until puffed and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serve warm, with lemon wedges and sauce.

KOULIBIAKA

Steps:

• To make the rice pilaf, heat 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in 2 1/2 tablespoons of onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat with butter. Pour in 1 cup chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the rice is fluffy and all of the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set the rice aside.
• For sauce, melt 1/4 cup of butter in a saucepan over medium heat until a pinch of flour sprinkled into the butter will just begin to bubble. Whisk in the flour to form a thick paste the consistency of cake frosting. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the flour has turned golden, and begins to smell like toasted bread, about 20 minutes. Whisk in 2 cups chicken broth and simmer until thickened and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Pour the sauce into the rice pilaf, reserving about 1/4 of it for serving, if desired.
• Heat another 1/4 cup of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the mushrooms and cook until soft, about 5 minutes; add the 1 1/2 cups onion. Cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 8 minutes. Combine the onions and mushrooms with the rice mixture and allow it to cool slightly. Stir in the lemon juice, chopped hard-cooked eggs, and fresh dill.
• Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with buttered parchment paper.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the cabbage leaves and cook, uncovered, until softened, about 2 minutes. Drain in a colander, then immediately immerse in ice water for several minutes to stop the cooking process. Once the leaves are cold, drain well, and blot dry with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to a 1/4-inch thickness. Cut the pastry into 6 rectangular shapes; they should be three times wider than the salmon fillets, and 2 inches longer. Lay 2 cabbage leaves on each rectangle and top each with a spoonful of the rice mixture. Place each fillet "skin-side" up on top of the rice, and season with salt and black pepper. Top the fillets with another spoonful of rice; fold the cabbage leaves over the fillets to encase them. Center the folded leaves on the puff pastry.
• Fold the short ends of the pastry in, and then the sides together to make a packet; pinch along the seams to seal. Place the pastries onto the parchment-lined baking sheet seam sides down. Cut a small slit in the center of each pastry to act as a steam vent. Beat the egg and 1 tablespoon water together in a bowl; brush the pastries with the egg wash.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the pastries are deep golden brown, about 15 minutes. The internal temperature of the salmon should reach 135 degrees F (57 degrees C).

SALMON COULIBIAC

Steps:

• Roll out 2 pastry sheets to 1/2-inch thickness and set aside in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to rest prior to assembly. (This will make it easier to handle). At this time preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• When ready to assemble, lay 1 of the pastry sheets on a flat floured surface. Brush with egg wash and evenly spread the spinach on top. Then cover the spinach with the sauteed mushrooms.
• Lay the whole side of salmon on top of the spinach and mushrooms, making sure you have at least 1/2-inch of pastry left all around the salmon.
• Preheat oven at 350 degrees F.
• Season the salmon with salt and pepper and top with the chopped eggs and sliced raw onion.
• Sprinkle with chopped dill and thyme and brush the egg wash liberally around the edges of the bottom pastry.
• Place the other pastry sheet on top of the salmon and press the 2 sheets together so they seal tightly (the whole thing should look like a parcel). Egg wash the top and sprinkle with little salt. Transfer the salmon to a sheet pan and place in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes check internal temperature by placing an instant-read thermometer into the center of the salmon. When it reads 125 degrees F remove from the oven and allow to rest for a further 10 minutes. It will continue to cook for a further 20 minutes or so.
• Transfer salmon to a cutting board and using a serrated knife, slice into 2-inch pieces. Place on a serving platter and enjoy.

SALMON COULIBIAC

Steps:

• For the court bouillon: Add the mushrooms, wine, bay leaves, thyme, onions and 1 quart water to a saucepan. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low and continue simmering about 1 hour. Strain.
• For the salmon: Place a flameproof roasting pan over medium-high heat. Add the court bouillon and bring to a simmer. Add the salmon, skin-side up. Turn heat to low and bring to a slow simmer. Cook for 5 minutes per inch, measuring the thickest part of the salmon, about 10 to 15 minutes total. The salmon should be cooked to rare (a thin knife can be inserted into the center with slight resistance); keep in mind the salmon will cook a second time later in the recipe. Remove from the poaching liquid and let cool slightly. Break the salmon up into chunks and place in a bowl. Discard the skin and set aside.
• For the mushroom duxelles: Add the shallots to a food processor and pulse to chop. Add the mushrooms and continue pulsing until a rough puree forms.
• Add the butter to a medium skillet over medium heat and cook until foaming. Add the shallot and mushroom puree and cook until the mushrooms have released their liquid, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the cream and continue cooking until incorporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• For the spinach: Add the butter to a medium skillet over medium heat until foaming, then add the onions. Saute until translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the spinach and toss and saute until just wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• For the crepes: Whisk together the eggs, butter and heavy cream in a large bowl. Whisk in both flours until incorporated and a pourable batter forms. Let the batter rest at least 10 minutes and up to 1 hour.
• Heat a 9-inch nonstick crepe pan over medium heat, then add a thin layer of batter (about 1/2 cup). Spread around the pan to completely cover the bottom. Cook until the top is dry and the edges begin to curl up, around 1 minute. Flip and cook another minute, then remove the crepe to a sheet pan and repeat to make additional crepes, using all the batter.
• To assemble: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Line a large roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay a thawed sheet of puff pastry on the bottom. Cover the puff pastry with 3 crepes, overlapping a bit. Add half of the cooked spinach followed by half of the salmon, leaving a slight border of puff pastry and crepes around the edges. Make a furrow in the middle of the salmon running the length of the pan, then add the duxelles. Top with the remaining salmon and spinach, in even layers. Cover everything with more crepes, overlapping a bit. Top with the remaining puff pastry sheet. Crimp the edges together to seal. Whisk the egg together with a tablespoon of water in a small bowl. Brush over the top. Brush the melted butter over the egg wash. Using a sharp knife, score the top in a cross-hatch pattern to release steam as it bakes. Bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes.
• For the beurre blanc: Cook the white wine, champagne vinegar and shallots in a heavy nonreactive saucepan over medium heat to a glaze, about 10 minutes. Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking until each piece is absorbed before adding the next piece. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to a bare simmer and keep warm.
• For the rice pilaf: Add the butter, onion, a good pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper to a saucepan over medium heat. Add the wild rice and cook for 5 minutes. Add 2 cups cold water and bring to boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan.
• For the creme fraiche: Mix the creme fraiche and caviar together in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Slice the coulibiac into 2- to 3-inch pieces. Drizzle with the beurre blanc. Serve with the creme fraiche and rice in bowls on the side.

COULIBIAC OF SALMON

Steps:

• The day before party, prepare all the individual layers and refrigerate. Salmon layer: Cook shallots in butter. Add mushrooms. Saute 1 minute. Place fish in poacher. Add mushrooms, shallots, dill, salt and pepper. Pour in wine , cover and bake 20-25 minutes until firm. Remove and reserve liquid for rice. Cool. Spinach layer: Saute spinach in butter with garlic and shallot. Add Pernod and leeks. Saute about 1 minute. Cool. Rice layer: Saute onions in butter until soft. Add rice and cook, stirring, until transparent. Add bouillion. Reduce heat and cook about 20 minutes, covered, until rice is done. Assembly: Preheat oven to 375. Roll out 4 sections of crescent roll pastry to about 7"x10" on greased baking sheet. Onto pastry, layer rice mixture, spinach mixture, then salmon and mushroom mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Top with same 7" x10" pastry as on bottom. Pinch edges and seal completely. Make egg wash of 2 eggs beaten with 2 T. water. Brush onto pastry. Cut out decorations and affix to top of pastry. Rebrush with egg wash. Cut several little slits in top for vents. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Bake for approximately 1 hour. Let sit for at least 1/2 hour before serving.