Coulibiac — a fine pie of salmon, eggs, dill and rice — is nontraditional, but a wonderful fish buffet dish. Although it can be made early in the day, it's best baked fresh for the meal.
- Portion size 16 servings
Ingredients
Filling:
Garnish and Sauce:
Glaze:
Pastry:
Method
Pastry: In large bowl, combine flour and salt ; cut in shortening until mixture is crumbly. Gradually add water, gently tossing, then pressing ingredients together to form ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Filling: In saucepan, combine rice and water. Cover, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until tender and water has evaporated, about 15 to 20 minutes. Uncover and, using fork, toss lightly with 2 tbsp (25 mL) butter. Let cool.
In skillet, melt remaining butter; saut?nions and mushrooms until soft, about 5 minutes. Skin salmon fillets and pull out any small bones. Separate egg yolks from whites and chop each into 1/4-inch (5 mm) cubes.
On floured pastry cloth, roll out dough to 18- x 15-inch (46 x 38 cm) rectangle. Trim edges neatly, reserving all scraps of dough.
Fold dough in half lengthwise. Transfer to centre of large baking sheet. Fold back top half of pastry so it extends over edge of sheet. Spread rice along bottom half of pastry on sheet, leaving a 1-inch (2.5 cm) border. Season this and all following layers with salt and pepper to taste. Spread onion-mushroom mixture over rice, then salmon, trimming to make fillets approximately the same thickness. Sprinkle with dill, then yolks, then whites.
Glaze: Whisk together egg and milk and brush some of glaze onto the 3 narrow pastry edges around filling. Fold remaining pastry over filling; press edges together and fold under neatly. Cut 2 steam holes equidistant from ends.
Gather up pastry scraps, roll out again and cut into the shape of holly leaves. Brush gently with some of glaze and arrange over pastry. Use diced red pepper for berries. Reserve remaining glaze. Chill Coulibiac, lightly covered, for at least 1 hour.
Brush with remaining glaze and bake in 400°F (200°C) oven for 1 hour or until golden. Transfer to serving platter; garnish with dill or parsley. To serve, cut into slices about 1-1/2 inches (4 cm) thick.
Sauce: Heat together butter, vermouth and lemon juice; serve in a pitcher for guests to ladle over their slices of Coulibiac.
