Grand Evening Sturgeon Kulebyaka
A towering festive pie: golden leavened pastry enclosing sturgeon, buckwheat, egg, and melted onion. It is sliced at table and fragrant steam escapes: a spectacle dish.
A towering festive pie: golden leavened pastry enclosing sturgeon, buckwheat, egg, and melted onion. It is sliced at table and fragrant steam escapes: a spectacle dish.
When I receive Europe at my table, she must know where the center of the world now lies. See this pie: under its golden crust, the sturgeon from my rivers, the buckwheat groats, the egg and the long-melted onion. It is carried all steaming, opened before the ambassador, and I watch his eyes — for a man always betrays himself by the way he covets a beautiful dish. Make the dough the day before, fill it in tight layers, and glaze it as you would gild a church dome.
- •Sturgeon fillet (or sterlet) — a fine steak (heart of the pie)
- •Buckwheat groats (kasha) — one bowl cooked (absorbent layer)
- •Hard-boiled eggs — a few (filling)
- •Onions melted in butter — two handfuls (fragrant binder)
- •Butter-leavened dough — enough to wrap (crust)
- •Dill, salt, pepper — by hand (seasoning)
Grand Evening Sturgeon Kulebyaka
A towering festive pie: golden leavened pastry enclosing sturgeon, buckwheat, egg, and melted onion. It is sliced at table and fragrant steam escapes: a spectacle dish.
Why this dish? Catherine gave sumptuous banquets at the Winter Palace, where river fish — sturgeon and sterlet from the Volga and Don — were among the most prized dishes. The grand fish pie, which would become the 'kulebyaka' celebrated by French chefs, embodies this 18th-century imperial splendor.
When I receive Europe at my table, she must know where the center of the world now lies. See this pie: under its golden crust, the sturgeon from my rivers, the buckwheat groats, the egg and the long-melted onion. It is carried all steaming, opened before the ambassador, and I watch his eyes — for a man always betrays himself by the way he covets a beautiful dish. Make the dough the day before, fill it in tight layers, and glaze it as you would gild a church dome.
Ingredients (period version)
- Sturgeon fillet (or sterlet) — a fine steak (heart of the pie)
- Buckwheat groats (kasha) — one bowl cooked (absorbent layer)
- Hard-boiled eggs — a few (filling)
- Onions melted in butter — two handfuls (fragrant binder)
- Butter-leavened dough — enough to wrap (crust)
- Dill, salt, pepper — by hand (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Cod or salmon fillet (if sturgeon unavailable) — 500 g (heart of the pie)
- Cooked buckwheat (kasha) — 150 g raw (absorbent layer)
- Hard-boiled eggs — 3 (filling)
- Onions — 2 large (fragrant fondue)
- Butter — 60 g (cooking and richness)
- Brioche or puff pastry — 2 sheets (crust)
- Fresh dill, salt, pepper — 1 bunch (seasoning)
- 1 egg yolk — 1 (glaze)
Method
- Cook the buckwheat in salted water, drain. Melt the onions in butter until golden. Chop the hard-boiled eggs.
- Sear the fish in butter for 2-3 minutes, flake into large pieces, mix with dill.
- Roll out one pastry sheet. Layer: buckwheat, onions, fish, eggs, pressing firmly and seasoning.
- Cover with the second sheet, seal the edges, brush with egg yolk, and cut a steam vent.
- Bake at 190°C for 35-40 minutes until golden. Rest 10 minutes before slicing.
How it was made : The grand fish pirog was a centerpiece of Russian feasts. Sturgeon, from which caviar was also taken, symbolized the wealth of the Empire's rivers. The steam vent in the crust let steam escape without sogging the pastry.
The contemporary twist : Decorate the crust with pastry scraps shaped like a double-headed eagle — the imperial emblem — to set the tone from the table.
Sources : W. Pokhlebkin, A History of Russian Cuisine · Larousse Gastronomique (entry 'koulibiac')
Catherine II of Russia · Charactorium