Chef Juliette
John Dory (St. Pierre)
John Dory has the delicacy of sole and the firmness of turbot. A light flouring, a quick butter sauté, and nut-brown beurre noisette show exactly why looks never mattered.
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Lampreys
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 764, Lampreys, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Cold filling, cold pastry, and a hot oven turn the canon’s lamprey cross-reference into a generous tourte, its burnished crust holding the linked eel-pie preparation for one cook and four diners.
Main Dishes
French
Comfort Food
Special Occasion
30 min
Active Time
50 min cook•1 hr 35 min total
Yield4 servings
Tourte de lamproie (lamprey pie) teaches one hard and useful truth: a pie is only as good as the temperature of its filling. Put warm filling beneath butter-rich pastry and the fat runs before the layers can set. Chill it fully and the crust rises crisp around a generous, savory center. Cold filling is the one thing to settle before touching the rolling pin.
The source gives lamprey no separate sauce or seasoning. It sends the cook directly to Eels (No. 755), assuming that preparation is already understood, a pastry cook is nearby, and the fish arrives properly dressed. At home, the separate pastry station is scaffolding and goes. The finished referenced preparation stays whole, dressed lamprey replaces the eel, and bought all-butter puff pastry stands in honestly for the pastry bench. Nothing Bordelais is imported because the entry does not call for it.
This scales to one 9-inch tourte: one cook, one stove, one evening, provided the linked filling is ready and cold. Keep the filling chilled, handle the pastry briefly, and give the base strong heat from the first minute. If the pastry softens, stop and chill it. Ça se rattrape.
Lamprey has two distinct classical lives: around Bordeaux and the lower Garonne, lamproie à la bordelaise simmers with red wine and leeks, while the source entry sends the fish into a pie modeled on Eels (No. 755), a preparation admired in coffee-shops along the Thames. Lamprey only resembles an eel; it is a jawless fish, and this tourte follows the source’s pastry branch without importing the Bordelais blood-thickened sauce.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
finished referenced pie filling
Quantity
1 chilled batch Eels (No. 755), using 2 lb (900 g) dressed lamprey
prepared exactly as its own entry directs, with lamprey replacing eel, then cooled completely
all-butter puff pastry
Quantity
1 package (1.1 lb / 500 g)
thawed but cold
plain flour
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 16 g)
for rolling
unsalted butter
Quantity
1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g)
softened
large egg
Quantity
1
cold water
Quantity
1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g)
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| finished referenced pie fillingprepared exactly as its own entry directs, with lamprey replacing eel, then cooled completely | 1 chilled batch Eels (No. 755), using 2 lb (900 g) dressed lamprey |
| all-butter puff pastrythawed but cold | 1 package (1.1 lb / 500 g) |
| plain flourfor rolling | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 16 g) |
| unsalted buttersoftened | 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) |
| large egg | 1 |
| cold water | 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •9-inch (23 cm) deep pie dish
- •Heavy rimmed baking sheet
- •Rolling pin
- •Pastry brush
- •Instant-read thermometer
Instructions
- 1
Secure the filling
Buy lamprey already killed, skinned, cleaned, and cut by a licensed fishmonger, observing any local restrictions on its sale. Have the finished Eels (No. 755) preparation ready, made exactly as that entry directs but with 2 lb (900 g) dressed lamprey replacing the eel. Spread the filling in a shallow dish and refrigerate it until cold throughout, below 40°F (4°C). Do not attempt to dress a live lamprey at home; careful cleaning and thorough cooking belong to the preparation.
- 2
Heat the oven
Set a heavy rimmed baking sheet on the lower rack and heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Butter a 9-inch (23 cm) deep pie dish. The hot sheet gives the bottom crust the fierce first heat once supplied by a dedicated pastry oven.
- 3
Line the dish
Divide the cold pastry into two pieces, one slightly larger than the other. On a lightly floured surface, roll the larger piece about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick and wide enough to line the dish with a 1-inch (2.5 cm) overhang. Ease it into the corners without stretching, because stretched pastry shrinks back in the oven. Refrigerate the lined dish while you roll the lid.
- 4
Add the filling
Spoon the completely chilled Eels (No. 755) preparation into the pastry shell, distributing the lamprey evenly and leaving about 3/4 inch (2 cm) below the rim. Warm filling melts the pastry’s butter before the layers set. If yours has lost its chill, stop and refrigerate both shell and filling for twenty minutes. Ça se rattrape.
- 5
Seal the tourte
Beat the egg with the cold water. Brush the pastry rim lightly, lay the rolled lid over the filling, and press the two layers together. Trim the excess, fold the edge inward, and crimp firmly. Cut three small vents in the center and brush the top with egg wash. If the pastry tears, patch it with a thin scrap and a touch of egg wash; do not gather and reroll the whole lid. Chill the sealed tourte for ten minutes if the pastry feels soft.
- 6
Bake until burnished
Set the tourte on the hot baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Lower the oven to 375°F (190°C) and continue for 30 to 35 minutes, until the crust is deeply golden, the filling bubbles at the vents, and the center reaches 165°F (74°C). If the rim darkens before the center is hot, shield only the rim with foil and keep baking; a pale bottom needs another five minutes on the lowest rack.
- 7
Rest and serve
Rest the tourte for 15 minutes before cutting. This lets the filling settle while the pastry keeps its crisp layers. If a little sauce escapes from the first slice, spoon it back over the filling and carry on with confidence. Never apologize at your own table. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Lamprey is scarce and its harvest may be controlled. Order it from a fishmonger who can confirm the species is legal to sell and deliver it fully dressed; if none is available, wait for it rather than quietly turning an eel pie into a lamprey dish.
- •The source is spare by design: it tells the cook to reach for Eels (No. 755), so that finished preparation remains whole and is not re-derived here. Red wine, leeks, and blood belong to lamproie à la bordelaise, which is a different dish.
- •All-butter puff pastry is the honest home equivalent of a staffed pastry bench. Butter, not margarine. Keep it cold enough to bend without becoming greasy, and return it to the refrigerator whenever it softens.
- •A bitter green salad with mustard vinaigrette is enough beside the tourte. Pour a firm, dry red if you like, and leave the plate free of decorative fuss.
Advance Preparation
- •Prepare the linked Eels (No. 755) component with lamprey up to one day ahead, spread it in a shallow dish, cover, and refrigerate until completely cold.
- •The tourte may be assembled up to four hours before baking and held in the refrigerator. Brush it with a fresh, thin coat of egg wash just before it enters the oven.
- •Refrigerate leftovers within two hours. Reheat uncovered at 350°F (180°C) for 20 to 25 minutes, until the center reaches 165°F (74°C) and the pastry is crisp again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 425g)
Calories
1320 calories
Total Fat
91 g
Saturated Fat
43 g
Trans Fat
2 g
Unsaturated Fat
44 g
Cholesterol
500 mg
Sodium
1350 mg
Total Carbohydrates
70 g
Dietary Fiber
5 g
Sugars
7 g
Protein
55 g
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