WITH CHEF PALEY SERVES 4-6 TIME: 90 MINUTES
Impress your guests with this Holiday Recipe!
HAWAIIAN KANPACHI TOURTIÈRE
Part: Filet
This is a dish perfect for a celebration and a special dinner. It is also great when you feel like cooking something special. It is tailormade to feature Hawaiian Kanpachi as the fish is resilient when baked in pastry. To make sure Kanpachi stays moist, I layer other ingredients within the crust, insulating the fish so it cooks perfectly.
To make things easier, I suggest using a store-bought puff pastry as it significantly reduces prep time and demand for skill.
First read the recipe in its entirety then set your “mise en place” together. Allow yourself uninterrupted time in the kitchen and just go for it. I promise you will be rewarded with something very, very special.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 shallots, peeled and finely minced
- 2 tablespoons plus ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup brown basmati rice
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ cup water
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 hard cooked eggs, peeled and coarsely chopped
- ½ bunch dill, picked and coarsely chopped, plus few picked dill fronds for garnish
- 4 cups assorted mushrooms, cleaned, and roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- ½ cup cream sherry
- 2 tablespoons crème fraiche plus more for garnish
- 1/2 cup tightly packed flat leaf parsley, picked, washed, dried, and roughly chopped
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour to roll out pastry
- 2, 9 x 9-inch puff pastry sheets
- 1 Hawaiian Kanpachi filet, skin off, cut in half spine and bones removed
- 1 egg beaten for egg wash
- Salmon caviar for garnish (optional)(
- (Crème Fraiche, Dill, and Salmon Caviar for Garnish)
THE PROCESS
To make the rice, add 2 tablespoons of oil and into medium size straight sided pan. Add half the chopped shallots and cook over medium heat stirring until shallots get translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the rice, season generously with salt and pepper, and stir to toast lightly, another 2 minutes. Add the water, bay leaf, and bring to a simmer, about 5 minutes. Lower the heat to low, cover and cook till rice is done, about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally during cooking to make sure rice does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
When done, transfer the rice to a bowl, add a tablespoon of butter and fluff it with a fork. Let the rice completely cool, add the hard cooked eggs, and dill. Keep covered and refrigerated while preparing the other parts of the recipe.
To cook the mushrooms, pour the remaining olive oil into a cast iron or a nonstick skillet. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook over medium heat until they develop slight coloration and are cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add the shallots and garlic and cook stirring frequently for another 5 minutes. Pour in the sherry and cook till it has all been absorbed, 5 more minutes. Add chopped parsley and 2 tablespoons of crème fraiche and stir together. Transfer the mushroom mixture into a food processor and pulse 15 times, scraping the sides of the processor cup every 5 pulses. Transfer to a small bowl, cover and refrigerate while preparing other parts of the recipe.
To prepare the puff pastry, start by defrosting the puff pastry according to the instruction on the package. Then have two sheet pans or cookie sheets ready as well as 2 sheets of parchment paper the sheet pans. Lightly flour the work surface and the rolling pin then place a parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Take out one sheet of puff pastry and gently roll out it out to about 12 inch by 17-inch in size. When done, gently roll the sheet around the rolling pin like one would roll up a window shade. Unroll it onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and refrigerate.
Take out the other sheet of pastry and repeat the process but roll it out smaller to about 10-inch by 15-inch size. If you have a cookie sheet without sides, use it as it will be easier to work with assembling the pie. If not, turn the cookie sheet over to achieve a similar effect.
To assemble and bake the pie, transfer the smaller piece of rolled out pastry onto an upside-down cookie sheet lined with parchment. Start building the pie by spreading the rice mixture on the pastry by forming a rectangle about same size as the fish pieces. Generously season the kanpachi with salt and pepper on both sides and place them on rice, tapered end to wider end. Spread evenly on top the of the fish the mushroom puree. Brush the puff pastry border around the fish and the stuffing generously with egg wash. Take out the second pastry sheet and carefully lay it over the fish and the stuffing. Pull it as close as you can around kanpachi and the stuffing to avoid air bubbles from forming. Press down firmly with your fingers all around to seal. Trim the pastry by cutting it around the pie and leaving about half to three quarters of an inch all around. Use a back of the fork and gently press all around the pastry to create a decorative pattern and further ensure the seal is strong. Use the back of a knife and gently go around the top of the pie by making a crosshatch pattern. If you are unsure of your decorating skills as I am, skip this part. The pie will be very tasty as is. Generously brush the egg wash all around and refrigerate while preheating the oven to 350F, about 10 minutes. Use a paring knife and pierce right on top of the pie just enough to cut through the pastry in three separate places about 2 inches apart. As the pie cooks the steam forms inside. This technique will ensure the bubbles will not form and there are no blow outs.
Place the sheet pan with fish pie on it in the oven and cook for 30 minutes. Then turn the temperature to 400F, turn the pie around and cook until the pastry is uniformly golden brown, about 15 more minutes.
To serve the pie, remove from oven and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes. This is a perfect opportunity to share this creation with your guests. Using a sharp knife, cut the pie into 2-to-3-inch pieces, use a large, sturdy spatula and transfer the slices onto dinner plates, spoon a generous amount of crème fraiche on each slice, garnish with a generous serving of salmon caviar, few sprigs of dill and serve right away.
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