Brandade With Grilled Sourdough Food

BRANDADE WITH ESCABECHE

Steps:

• For the escabeche: Slice the onions in thin half-moons and set aside. Brown the garlic in the oil in a skillet over high heat. Then add the cumin seeds to scent the oil. Add the onions and rosemary and saute at a high heat. When the onions are sauteed, but before they turn soft, add the red vinegar and remove from the heat. Season with salt and pepper.
• For the brandade: Add the salt cod to a pot, cover generously with cold water and bring to a boil. Drain the water, and then add the potatoes, milk and garlic. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are soft. Drain the liquid and discard.
• Add the salt cod-potato mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Slowly add the heavy cream and olive oil. Whisk until the ingredients are evenly disbursed, about 3 minutes.
• Preheat the broiler. Put the brandade into an oven-safe dish and broil until golden brown peaks appear on the top, about 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and place the escabeche on top. Drizzle with the olive oil and chopped parsley and serve with toast points.

BONE MARROW WITH BACON MARMALADE AND SOURDOUGH TOAST

Steps:

• Make the bacon marmalade: In a medium saute pan over medium-high, heat the olive oil and add the onions. Saute until the onions are well caramelized, 8 to 9 minutes, then remove from the pan and set aside. Add the bacon to the same pan and cook until browned and crispy, 7 to 8 minutes. Drain the bacon grease off and then add the brown sugar, maple syrup and cayenne pepper to pan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the jam has thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Return the onions to the pan, remove from the heat and allow to cool.
• Make the marrow and toast: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Place the bones cut-side up on a large baking tray. Sprinkle the bones with garlic, thyme, lemon zest and salt. Roast the bones in the center of oven until the marrow is soft and has begun to separate from the bone, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
• Place the bread on a baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil. Bake until golden and crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Serve the marrow with marmalade and toast.

BRANDADE WITH FRESH SALTED COD

Steps:

• Salt the cod very generously with kosher salt. Place in a perforated pan or colander and let sit, refrigerated, for 2 days.
• Add the herbs, spices onion and garlic cloves to the milk and heat for 5 minutes, do not let boil. Add the cod and poach until tender, around 5 to 7 minutes.
• Gently remove the cod with a slotted spoon. Remove any bones and skin. Meanwhile peel and chunk the potatoes. Cook in well-seasoned water or better still, use the milk the fish was poached in. When the potatoes are tender drain, and puree them, either in a ricer or a mixer using the paddle attachment. Pull out 1/3 of the potatoes and add the cod.
• Mix well, at medium speed if using a mixer, drizzling in the olive oil and a bit of the cooking liquid. Keep mixing and adding liquid until the desired consistency is reached. Pound the green garlic or 2 cloves of garlic to a fine paste in a mortar and pestle and stir into the puree.
• For an even more full flavored brandade, pass the onion, garlic, and aromatics through a food mill and stir some of this puree in as well. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed

SOURDOUGH HOT BROWN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and a cast-iron griddle to medium-high heat.
• For the Mornay sauce: In a medium skillet over medium-low heat, add the butter and sweat the onions until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the flour and toast for an additional minute without adding color. Bring the skillet to medium-high heat. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Stir to incorporate and simmer for 3 minutes. Add the milk and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer until the starch has cooked out and the sauce has thickened, an additional 3 minutes. Add the nutmeg to taste. Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the Cheddar and Parmesan. Remove from the heat and keep warm. Season with salt and pepper.
• For the sandwich: Melt the butter and mix with the garlic. Brush one side of the slices of the sourdough with the garlic butter. Griddle the toast on both sides until golden brown and toasted. Remove from the heat. Transfer to a baking sheet, garlic-butter-side up, and season with the flake salt.
• Top the toast slices with about 1 1/2 ounces of turkey and 2 slices of bacon. Shingle the tomato slices over the bacon and turkey. Spoon approximately 1 ounce of Mornay sauce over the top and sprinkle with Parmesan. Place in the oven and toast until the Parmesan bubbles, about 5 minutes (finish under the broiler if desired). Remove and garnish with the scallions. Serve open face, 2 per serving.

SAN FRANCISCO SOURDOUGH

Steps:

• Combine the levain and water in a 2-quart clear plastic container with a lid. Break up the levain well with a wooden spoon or squeeze through your fingers until it is broken up. Stir until the levain is partly dissolved and the mixture is slightly frothy. Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until very thick and sticky. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula. Cover with plastic wrap and put in a moderately warm (74 to 80 degree) place for 24 hours.
• Final dough: 2 cups (16 fluid ounces) spring water 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 cups (27 to 32 ounces) organic white flour with germ 1 tablespoon (3/4 ounce) fine sea salt.
• Combine the poolish and water in a 6-quart bowl. Break up the poolish well with a wooden spoon and stir until the poolish becomes loose and the mixture slightly frothy. Add 2 cups (10 ounces) of the flour and the salt; stir until well combined. Add just enough of the remaining flour to make a thick mass that is difficult to stir. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding remaining flour when needed, until dough is firm and smooth, 15 to 17 minutes total. The dough is ready when a little dough pulled from the mass springs back quickly.
• Shape the dough into a ball and let it rest on a lightly floured surface while you scrape, clean, and lightly oil the largest bowl. Place the dough in the bowl and turn once to coat with oil. Take the dough's temperature: the ideal is 78 degrees. Cover with a clean damp towel or plastic wrap and put in a moderately warm (74 to 80 degree) draft-free place until doubled in volume.
• Deflate the dough by pushing down in the center and pulling up the sides. Cover with a clean damp towel or plastic wrap and put in a moderately warm (74 to 80 degree) draft-free place for 30 minutes.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly floured board and knead briefly. Shape into a tight ball. Cover with a clean damp towel or plastic wrap, and put in a moderately warm (74 to 80 degree) draft-free place for 30 minutes.
• Divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Flatten each with the heel of your hand on a lightly floured board. The dough may be very soft and loose at this point. Shape into 12-inch-long torpedoes. You may also choose to shape the dough into rounds.
• Place the torpedoes, seam side up in a well-floured couche*. Cover with a clean damp towel or plastic wrap. Put in a moderately warm (74 to 80 degrees) draft-free place until increased in volume about 1 1/2 times, or until a slight indentation remains when the dough is pressed with a fingertip. Place rounds on a cornmeal-dusted surface to rise.
• Preheat the oven and baking stone to 450 degrees, 45 minutes to 1 hour before baking. The oven rack must be in the center of the oven. If it is in the lower 1/3 of the oven the bottom of the breads may burn, and if it is in the upper 1/3, the top crusts may burn.
• Gently roll one loaf from the couche onto a lightly floured peel so that it sits seam side down. Using a very sharp, serrated knife or a single-edged razor blade, score the loaf by making quick shallow cuts 1/4 to 1/2-inch deep along the surface. Using the peel, slide the loaf onto the hearth. Quickly repeat the process with the second loaf. Quickly spray the inner walls and floor of the oven with cold water form a spritzer bottle. If there's an electric light bulb in the oven, avoid spraying it directly; it may burst. Spray for several seconds until steam has filled the oven. Quickly close the door to trap the steam and bake 3 minutes. Spray again in the same way, closing the door immediately so that steam doesn't escape. Bake until loaves begin to color, about 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 425 degrees and bake until loaves are a rich caramel color and the crust is firm, 15 to 20 minutes.
• To test for doneness, remove and hold the loaves upside down. Strike the bottoms firmly with your finger. If the sound is hollow, the breads are done. If it doesn't sound hollow, bake 5 minutes longer. Cool completely on a wire rack.
• Add the flour directly into the container with the full batch of room-temperature, batterlike ripe chef. Stir vigorously to add fresh oxygen to the mixture. This will form a stiff consistency more like a stiff dough than a batter. This firm texture is important for ripening levain, because a dense rather than loose levain creates delicious sour bread without an overpowering tangy bite. Scrape down the sides, cover tightly, and let stand in a cool to moderate (about 70 degrees) draft-free place for 8 to 10 hours.
• The levain should have doubled in volume. The texture will be somewhat light, with many tiny bubbles throughout. Do not let the levain stand for longer than 10 hours, or the yeast will become exhausted and not raise the final dough. This recipe yields 18 ounces of levain.
• Day 1: Combine the flour and water in a tall 2 to 3-quart clear plastic container with a lid. Stir well to make a thick, soft dough. The exact consistency of the dough will vary with the brand of flour or water at this point to adjust the texture. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula, cover tightly with lid and let stand in a moderate (about 70 degree) place for 24 hours.
• Day 2: 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (4 ounces) 20 percent bran wheat flour 1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) spring water.
• The chef should have almost doubled in volume. You will see tiny bubbles on the surface, and you might notice a slight musty smell. Add the flour and water to the mixture and stir vigorously to distribute the fresh ingredients and add fresh oxygen to the chef. The texture will still be like a soft dough. You may add a little more flour or water to make this texture, if necessary. Scrape down the sides, cover and place in a moderate (70 degree) draft-free place for 24 hours.
• Day 3: 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (4 ounces) 20 percent bran wheat flour 1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) spring water.
• It will have almost doubled in volume and be quite bubbly. Add the flour and water, and stir well to make a thick batter. (You may have to add a little more water if your flour's absorption level is high). With a marker pen, mark the level of the chef on the side of the container. Scrape down the sides, cover tightly, and let stand in a moderate (70 degree) draft-free place for 24 hours.
• It should now be loose in texture, like a pancake batter. It will have doubled in volume from the last addition of flour and water. The chef may rise and fall, but as long as it doubles at some point during this last period, it's fine. You now have a fully ripe chef ready to transform into a levain. If you don't want to make the levain immediately, the chef can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

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.

GRILLED SOURDOUGH BREAD

Steps:

• Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Brush cut sides of bread with olive oil. Transfer to grill, cut-sides down, and grill until grill marks appear, about 1 minute per side.

GRILLED SOURDOUGH CLUBS

Steps:

• On six slices of bread, layer cheese and turkey; sprinkle with garlic powder. Top with ham, bacon and remaining bread. , Spread butter over the top and bottom of each sandwich. Cook on an indoor grill or panini maker for 3-4 minutes or until bread is toasted and cheese is melted.