Koulibiaca

Saw this while watching The Essence of Emeril. Thought Matt would like it.

It really doesn't take long to make, and since I didn't have to handle the fish (yay!), I have to admit: if I ate fish, I'd probably enjoy it, too.




The Koulibiaca cooked a bit faster than we expected, so the puff pastry is darker than it should be!


Traditional Koulibiaca
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2000
Prep Time: 40 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Yield: 6 servings
1 1/2 cups water
2/3 cup white wine
1 bouquet garni
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Scant 1 pound fresh salmon, skinned and boned
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
3/4 pound chopped mushrooms
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
Egg wash (1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon water)
In a saucepan, combine water, white wine, bouquet garni, salt and cayenne pepper to a boil. Add salmon and poach until cooked through, about 12 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and set aside until salmon is completely cooled in the cooking liquid. In a skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat, melt butter and add shallots and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and saute until mushrooms are softened and shallots are translucent, about 4 minutes. Set aside to cool. On a lightly floured flat surface, roll out 2 puff pastry sheets to rectangles * inch thick. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to assemble koulibiaca.
When all elements are cool, assemble koulibiaca: Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place one of the rectangles of puff pastry on a flat surface. Leaving a narrow border all the way around, layer rice, then flaked salmon, then mushrooms, then eggs, then parsley making sure every layer is well-seasoned. Drizzle with a few tablespoons of the melted butter, then place second sheet of puff pastry on top of layered ingredients. Roll bottom edges up over top edge and pinch together decoratively. Brush top of koulibiaca with egg wash and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve hot with remaining melted butter.