Mushrooms With Rice In Pastry

Not quite a kulebiaka, not quite pate, but still an impressive dinner on a cold February evening.

I combined a number of recipes to arrive at this. I stayed with my standard kulebiaka pastry recipe because I like it, and it is simple to prepare. Keep in mind, that whatever pastry you decide to use, it needs to be firm enough to withstand the weight of these fillings in a 400 degree F. oven for an hour. I wouldn't go with a cream cheese based pastry for this. Conversely, you don't want it to taste like a leaden pie crust. I like the texture using both butter and solid vegetable shortening gives. If you have lard available, it might work nicely, but having never tried it, I can't guarantee it.

For The Pastry:

4 cups Ap flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 lb. unsalted butter cut into tiny pieces
2 tbsp. chilled solid vegetable shortening
12 tbsps. ice water (plus 2-3 more if needed)

Mix together flour and salt. Cut in butter and shortening until you have fine crumbs. Add the 12 tablespoons of ice water at once and quickly gather dough into a ball. If it is dry, add additional water a tablespoon at a time. Divide dough into 2 balls. Wrap in clingfilm and chill at least 1 hour.

For the filling:

1 cup brown rice soaked in water at room temperature for at least three hours.
1/4 cup olive oil
about 8 cups sliced shallots and scallions(plus or minus a cup won't matter)
1 cup chicken broth with a pinch of saffron dissolved in it
Black Pepper/Salt to taste
Nutmeg to taste
1 pound mushrooms, trimmed and chopped
1 cup cold, whole milk
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 large egg
1 tablespoon AP flour
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 1/2 tablespoons of a combination chervil, tarragon
Mace to taste

Drain the rice, place in a pot with water to cover and boil until soft (about 30 minutes). Drain, spread in a shallow pan and cool. Chill until needed.

For the mushrooms:
Cook the mushrooms in the milk in a covered pan until most of the liquid has been absorbe (about 30 minutes). Drain excess liquid and set aside.

For the onions:

Heat olive oil in a large, heavy pan. Add scallions and shallots and cook a few minutes until softened. Add broth and cook until onions are quite tender. Drain. Puree onions in a blender and return to pan. In a bowl, beat together cream, egg and flour. Add to onion puree and cook over low heat until it thickens. Add mushrooms and parsley. Stir in spices and adjust seasonings as needed. Chill.

To Assemble and Bake:

Roll out half of dough into a rectangle. Place on a well-buttered baking dish. Leaving a couple inches around the edges, mound the rice in the centre and flatten carefully on top. Add the onion/mushroom mixture atop the rice. Roll out second piece of pastry and fit it carefully over the filling and bottom pastry. Crimp the bottom well, and cut a hole in the top to vent. Decorate with rolled-out scraps cut int shapes if desired. Brush entire pastry with a wash of 1 egg yolk and 1 tablespoon heavy cream. Set pastry in refridgerator for 20 minutes while oven preheats to 400 degrees F.

Bake pastry on centre rack for 1 hour. Serve immediately.