Brandade Of Cod With Langoustines And Gazpacho Sauce Food

BRANDADE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking dish and set dish on a baking sheet.
• Rinse salt cod under cold water, transfer to a sealable container and cover with several inches of cold water. Soak cod in the refrigerator, changing the water every few hours, for 24 to 36 hours. Remove cod from water and cut into evenly-sized pieces.
• Stir cod, milk, thyme, bay leaves, and cayenne pepper together in a pot over medium-high heat. Cook until fish begins to flake; 7 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and strain; reserve cooking liquid and transfer fish to a bowl.
• Place potatoes and garlic in a large pot and cover with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain.
• Mash cod, a few splashes reserved cooking liquid, and lemon zest together in a bowl. Pour in remaining reserved cooking liquid and potatoes; mash until desired consistency is reached. Stir in 1/2 of the olive oil, lemon juice, and black pepper until smooth. Add remaining olive oil and blend until smooth. Season with salt. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Spread creme fraiche over the top and score the top with a spoon to create a crisscross surface.
• Bake in the preheated oven until browned and bubbling, about 20 minutes

SALT COD BRANDADE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Bake the potatoes until fork-tender, about 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine the salt cod, milk, garlic, thyme and onions in a saucepan. Bring to a slow simmer and cook until the cod flakes, 20 to 30 minutes. Strain the mixture, reserving separately both the milk and the cod/garlic/onion mixture. Remove the thyme and discard.
• While the potatoes are still warm, rice them through a food mill. Stir the cod mixture into the riced potatoes. Add the butter, creme fraiche and enough of the reserved milk to make it smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
• Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with the capers, dill, parsley and lemon zest and serve with crostini if desired.

FRENCH SALT COD AND POTATO BRANDADE

Steps:

• Rinse salt cod well and rub off any salt. Soak in 2 quarts cold water. Drain and change water every few hours (an overnight soak without changing is fine). Total soaking time should be at least 8 hours.
• In a medium saucepan, heat milk plus 1 cup water over medium-high heat. Add soaked salt cod, thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns, allspice berries and clove. Adjust heat to maintain a bare simmer. Cook until fish flakes easily, about 15 minutes. Remove fish and hold at room temperature.
• Meanwhile, in another pot, cover potatoes with water and bring to a boil. Add garlic cloves and a good pinch of salt. Drain potatoes when they are soft, about 15 minutes, reserving cooking liquid and garlic.
• Put cooked garlic cloves in a small saucepan and crush with a fork. Add olive oil and heat over a medium flame until quite warm to the touch. Set aside.
• Put potatoes in a large mixing bowl. With your fingers, flake cooked salt cod on top. With a potato masher, roughly blend potatoes and fish. Drizzle in warm garlic oil and mash again. Add cayenne, nutmeg to taste and lemon zest. Stir in ½ cup crème fraîche and beat well to combine. Beat in about ½ cup cooking liquid to lighten mixture so it has the texture of soft mashed potatoes. Taste and adjust seasoning - it will probably need salt and pepper.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Use 1 tablespoon butter to grease a low-sided 1-quart baking dish or pie pan. Transfer brandade mixture to dish and smooth with a spatula. Paint the top with 2 tablespoons crème fraîche, and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Dot top with remaining butter. (May be prepared up to a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator; bring to room temperature before baking.) Bake until golden and bubbling, about 20 minutes.

BRANDADE OF COD WITH LANGOUSTINES AND GAZPACHO SAUCE

Steps:

• Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large pan. Add the onion and leek and cook, covered, until soft but not browned. Add the cod and cook for 30 seconds. Add 1 cup of the cream, bring to a boil and remove from heat.
• Soften the gelatin in 2 tablespoons of tepid water. Add 2 tablespoons of the cream mixture, stirring constantly. Add the gelatin mixture to the cream mixture and stir until smooth. Puree in a blender with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, then pass through a chinois or fine-mesh sieve into a metal bowl set on ice. Refrigerate to set lightly.
• Whip 1 cup of cream until it forms soft peaks. Fold the cod mixture into the whipped cream to make a mousse. If the mixture becomes loose in the process, briefly whisk to restore texture. Refrigerate to set, about 2 hours.
• Puree the tomatoes in a food processor or blender, then push them through a fine-mesh sieve. In a pan over low heat, simmer them for 20 minutes, until reduced by half. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of cream as well as the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter, diced, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Season to taste and set aside.
• Bring the fish stock to a boil in a large pan. Immerse the langoustines in the stock for about 1 minute, turn and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove them with a slotted spoon. Reserve the stock for another purpose.
• Toss the greens with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
• To serve, place a small mound of the greens on each of 6 plates. Form the brandade into neat "footballs" about 1 inches long, using the bowls of 2 teaspoons as a mold. Place 6 of these and 6 langoustines on each plate. Spoon the sauce around them.