Europe 1 11:38 a.m., April 1, 2024

In “La Table des bons vivants” by Laurent Mariotte, Sonia Ezgulian, culinary journalist, provided the recipe for her coral lentil, spring onion and soft-boiled egg pie.

Ingredients for 4 persons

  • 250 g shortcrust pastry*

  • 300 g of coral lentils

  • 12 spring onions

  • 1 drizzle of olive oil

  • 1 pinch of fenugreek seeds

  • 1 pinch of cumin seeds

  • 4 eggs + 1 yolk

  • 1 teaspoon of whipping cream

  • Fine salt and freshly ground pepper

Preparation

The day before

1.

Prepare your shortcrust pastry recipe by replacing your usual butter with cream butter* as well as the pie filling.

2.

Cook the soft-boiled eggs: immerse them in boiling water for 6 minutes then reserve them in iced water. Peel them delicately.

3.

In a frying pan, heat the olive oil with the fenugreek and cumin seeds for a few moments. Add the finely chopped white part of the spring onions and reserve the green ones for later. Add the coral lentils, cover with water, add salt and pepper and simmer for 30 minutes over low heat. Drain the lentils for a long time (pressing them strongly). Take half of the cooked lentils and mix them with the greens of the spring onions before mixing them with the rest of the unmixed lentils.

4. 

Place a circle of 15 cm in diameter on a plate, line the edge of the circle with baking paper. Place half of the coral lentil stuffing, then the soft-boiled eggs rather in the center, again with the lentil stuffing. Pack and place a block and a weight. Refrigerate until the next day.

The day after

1.

 Roll out the shortcrust pastry. Prepare the gilding. Carefully separate the yolk from the egg white and filter through a fine sieve if necessary. Add the whipping cream** and mix. Cut out a circle much larger than that of the lentils. Place the lentil puck and cover it with dough, following the shapes of the lentil puck as closely as possible. Cut the edges of the pie and make decorations with the trimmings. 

2.

Preheat the oven to 220°C. Using a brush, brush the pie with the painters' technique: a little gilding on the brush and in regular stripes. Let the first layer of gilding dry in the refrigerator before applying a second layer***. With the tip of a sharp knife, you can highlight the decorations. Bake at 220°C for 5 minutes then lower the oven temperature to 180°C for 30 minutes of cooking****.

*because Lescure AOP Poitou Charente Tourage Butter for its excellent plasticity, its malleability and its high melting point (to order from your cheesemonger or on the internet)

**tip from chef Yannick Alleno

***tip from chef Callum Franklin. When it comes to pies, the English must be recognized for their undeniable know-how. One of the stars of the category, Calum Franklin, chef of the London restaurant The Pie Room, entirely dedicated to pies (the English name for the pie), thrills the taste buds of lovers of beautiful crusts by opening a fabulous brasserie in Rue Daunou. For the moment, I was content to dream in front of his videos on Instagram and in the pages of his very inspiring book “the very exclusive club of pie lovers” which will soon be republished by Hachette editions.

****advice from chef Yannick Alleno. The very hot oven grips the pie and preserves its shape then the cooking becomes more gentle to cook the dough perfectly.