Monk's Lake House | Savory Cake

The idea for this cake was born due to a challenge — what would a savory version of the Monk’s Hut cake be. Monk’s Lake House is a combination of Rye Galette with Fish and 7-Herb Green Sauce because they were born to complement each other! With all the right herbs, you will get the best-tasting cake. Since it’s challenging in the U.S., substitute with those available herbs. Even if you go for parsley, dill, chives, and arugula, your cake will be amazing! I tested this recipe with fatty steelhead trout and Atlantic cod fillets. Other oily, not-too-fishy kinds of fish can be a good substitute. Lean fish will become dry after baking. Theoretically, another option is to make a fishcake-like filling combining any fish with some fat. The longer this cake is resting in the fridge, the better it tastes. And the more sour cream is in the sauce, the more rounded its flavors are. Unfortunately, with more moisture in the sauce, it is trickier to keep the shape of this cake because the fish pies of the upper layers tend to sink between the pies under them.

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Step 1

In a stand mixer bowl, measure the flours, mahleb (if using), and salt, mix and sift. Add cold cubed butter and stir on low speed with a paddle attachment until the mixture looks like crumbs. Add ice-cold water and, with the same paddle attachment, knead the dough until smooth. Stop, remove the dough, shape into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest for an hour in a fridge.

Step 2

Give the frozen pitted sour cherries about 12 hours to thaw in a bowl in a fridge, then strain the juice to use it for other purposes. Combine cherries and corn starch. Option 1. Roll the dough 3mm (1/8") thick, ~ 6" wide, and ~ 22" long. Cut it to 15 strips 1.5" wide and 6" long. Option 2. Divide the dough into 15 portions 34-35g each. Shape them into logs and cover them with plastic wrap to prevent drying.

Step 3

Preheat the oven to 425F. Make an egg wash by mixing 1 egg yolk with 1 tbsp of cold water and a pinch of salt. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

Step 4

Place 10 cherries on each strip of the dough.

Step 5

Pinch the long edge shaping them into a pie as shown in the pictures.

Step 6

Lightly brush the pies with the egg wash and bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden. Let rest on a cooling rack until they are room temperature.

Step 7

Wash, pat dry, and chop the herbs. You can use a knife or a food processor, depending on your preferences.

Step 8

In a bowl, combine the herbs and the dressing, season to your taste, mix well. Transfer into a container with a lid and refrigerate until ready to use.

Step 9

Start with 3 fish pies on the cake base. Cover them generously with a portion of herb sauce, spreading it with a spatula. Arrange the rest of the pies layering them with the sauce to make a pyramid.

Step 10

Cover the whole cake with the rest of the sauce and let it rest refrigerated for at least 24 hours, to let the dough absorb some moist from the sauce. If you like the dough softer, keep the cake rest for 2 or 3 days. Decorate with edible flowers and micros right before serving. To make slices attractive, use a sharp knife with a long blade making a sawing motion (do not press down!).

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