[France] Pierre Deladonchamps' recipe for two-salmon pie

As part of our Ursino project, each month we invite you to discover a traditional recipe shared by a chef, celebrity, or anonymous contributor.
Discovering a dish, its history, how it is eaten, and even the memories associated with it is precisely what our students around the world are doing.
On this basis, they conduct research to discover the origins of dishes and their ingredients.

The goal: for them to discover for themselves that our cultures, particularly our culinary cultures, have always been enriched by diversity and encounters between peoples.

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This month, Pierre Deladonchamps, French actor and winner of the César Award for Most Promising Actor in 2014, took part in the Ursino questionnaire.

Tell us about a traditional recipe that is close to your heart.

Who prepared this dish? How was it passed down to you?

What does this dish remind you of? Do you have any special memories or stories associated with it?

Do you know of any other variations of this dish?

Does this dish seem rather old or recent to you? Is it disappearing? Which region do you think it belongs to?

I think it's a classic. My mother's recipe is quite original, even though it's become quite common since salmon became so popular. It's a nice change from the usual ways of eating salmon. We call it migaine, which is what binds the pie together with egg and milk, plus the crème fraîche sauce that adds freshness. You can use cream instead of milk, or a mixture of both.

How and when is this dish usually eaten?

Rather on Sunday lunchtime with the family, with a nice green salad. It serves as a main course and we make large portions. We put crème fraîche on the hot pie. You can eat it with a good Alsace white wine (a Pinot Gris).

"Cooking is above all about passing on knowledge."

Are there any rituals associated with eating this dish?

I have a little personal ritual. There are often leftovers, and I love getting up in the night or after a movie to have another slice.

Are there any other traditional dishes that you are keen to pass on to your children?

What do you associate with cooking and mealtimes?

Cooking is above all about passing on traditions. It's everything we learn from our parents or grandparents, and there's a strong emotional aspect to it. My mother makes a special sauce called Marie-Claude sauce. It's really touching, moving, and family-oriented. It's important because it gives people an identity and allows them to discover and share things with each other. The person cares deeply that we like what they're going to let us taste.

Recipe for two-salmon pie

Ingredients

Shortcrust pastry
Puff pastry
Fresh salmon
Smoked salmon
3 eggs
Fresh cream
Milk
Salt
Pepper

For the sauce

Isigny fresh cream
1 whole lemon, juiced

1. Place a layer of shortcrust pastry in your dish.

2. Mix the diced fresh salmon and the smoked salmon strips.

3. Mix the eggs, 2/3 tablespoons of cream, a little milk, salt, and pepper to make a fairly thick mixture. Add cooked spinach or broccoli.

4. Cover with puff pastry sealed with egg wash.The pastry underneath should be thick enough so that it does not fall apart.

5. Bake at 180°C until the top of the pie is golden brown.

6. Serve witha red oak leaf lettuce salad or a curly lettuce salad (a slightly strong salad).

(For the salad dressing: 1 teaspoon mustard, 1 whole fjord, a little olive oil, salt and pepper, shallot, mild honey vinegar, you can add a little red wine vinegar)

7. Mix the Isigny crème fraîche and lemon juice, then pour the sauce over the pie just before serving.

Bonus

What is your favorite world food?

I would say Italian cuisine for its traditional appeal, but I could also have said Japanese cuisine for its meticulousness and expertise.

Can you recommend a restaurant?

L’Osteria Dell’Anima in Paris’s 11th arrondissement is a small, romantic restaurant that serves delicious fresh pasta.