LindaK

Chris, I'll need to soak more fish before I can make fritters. I'll be interested in your experience, I haven't made fritters of any sort in years. David, that recipe sounds amazing. At first I thought "coconut milk?" then I thought "wow." The list grows.

Storzapretis (Corsican spinach and mint gnocci), pp. 376-377 A couple of weeks ago, I spent a snowbound afternoon cooking and put some leftover ricotta cheese to good use by making these gnocci and freezing them. Today, snowbound again, these were my reward for a morning of heavy shoveling. The spinach and fresh mint make them especially savory and unusual, and the ricotta makes them rich and delicate. You really need fresh, firm ricotta or they will likely fall apart. I can only imagine how tasty these would be with the fresh sheep’s milk cheese that Dorie says is used in the original Corsican version. Here they are ready for saucing and baking: Here they are fresh from the oven, ready for my lunch: Though the recipe is easy, I found it awkward to shape the gnocci as instructed with the “two spoon” method. After a few tries, I gave up and used well-floured hands to lightly roll/pat a lump of the mixture into shape. They froze perfectly, though. Next time I make these, I'll make plenty so I have a stash in the freezer.

Mel, congratulations, that's impressive. It looks beautiful, I don't see those big gaping holes at all. I've always wondered how you serve one of these. Between the caramel and spun sugar, I can't picture it. Or is it meant to be admired and not eaten?

If you have access to a Trader Joe's their diced tomatoes are salt-free and are quite good. They also have diced roasted tomatoes (not salt free) with jalapeno, which can be useful too. I keep both of them around. Other than canned tomatoes, tuna and garbanzos are the other canned staples I actually like.

Your meal at Bentley looks amazing. I also love that sort of food. Can you say something about the duck with cuttlefish main? The combination is intriguing but it's not quite coming together in my head.

In the interest of science, I've done a repeat experiment with baking a fillet of salt cod. This was the twin piece to the fillet I roasted above (with barely edible results). What I did differently: it got 2 full days of additional soaking, one in water, the other in milk. I also decided to extend the cooking time from the original recipe, which was 15 minutes at 350. Even after 4 days of soaking, salt cod is still denser and less delicate than when fresh. And this salt cod is particularly thick, almost 3 inches. Otherwise the same simple seasoned bread crumb treatment. I'll admit that my hopes were not high. But the results were very good. It took close to 30 minutes before the cod became tender throughout, but the breadcrumbs and oil kept the exterior moist. I don't know how often I'll want to cook it this way, but it's good to know how. The fried salt cod recipe with limocello has me intrigued, and I'm thinking about fritters too.

How frequently did you change the water during those two days? Maybe more frequent changes would help too. 2-3 times a day. That's been enough when poaching it for other uses. But you're probably right, when cooking it this way, it needs more. I am intrigued by Mike's advice--or rather, the advice of his Nana--to soak it in milk. I've poached it in water and milk, and that definitely mellows it. But I've never tried milk for a soak. That is worth a try. Daniel, can you say more about your salting process? How does it compare to what you buy commercially?

Chris, I just ordered the cookbook and will put that recipe on my list. But tonight, I took one for the team to answer the question: "can you cook a reconstituted salt cod fillet as you would fresh cod?" Preliminary response: no, not if you want to eat it. The only recipe I could find that didn't involve a sauce or liquid of some sort (cream, tomato, etc.) came from Carol Field's "Celebrating Italy." She includes a recipe for Baccala Arrosta (roasted salt cod) that sounds delicious--a thick piece of center fillet salt cod, well soaked, dredged in breadcrumbs seasoned with fresh rosemary and olive oil. It looked good coming out of the oven: But despite the lovely flakiness of what you see here, it was still too salty and chewy. This has soaked for 2+ days. Maybe a longer soak would have made a difference. Lucky for me I had some roasted potaoes and kale to go along with it--mashed together, it was okay. But it needed a braising liquid or some cream--or something--to soften the fish and mellow the flavor. I'm not sure I'll try this one again.

That dinner looks fantastic--thanks for sharing. I am having serious seafood envy. What a selection--and clearly it's impeccably fresh.

Garbure from the supermarket, pp, 86-88 Tourteau de chèvre, pp. 449-451 A great winter lunch! The garbure was a hearty but not heavy soup, perfect for a cold Sunday afternoon. I wish I had easy access to the duck confit that would have made this more authentic, but I was lucky to have some sausages made with duck fat in the freezer, which gave the soup (or is it a stew?) some extra depth. With meat, vegetables, potatoes, and beans, this is a meal in itself. The recipe makes an enormous quantity, so it’s a good thing leftovers can be frozen. Good as the garbure was, the tourteau de chèvre stole the show. No one was hungry for dessert after the garbure. Until we tasted this maddeningly delicious, not-too-sweet, quasi-cheesecake-sponge cake-fallen soufflé in a pastry crust. Dorie, thank you for your lovely story about your first taste of tourteau de chèvre. If not for that, I might have not have remembered noticing this seemingly burnt confection at fromageries in Paris and, not recognizing it, letting myself get distracted by the cheeses. To think I might have tasted this years ago: I need to play around with my oven temperature on this one. The pastry crust was a little undercooked, a problem I often have when not blind-baking pastry crust or when a tart or springform pan is placed on a baking pan (both the case in this recipe). But I’ll happily experiment. I will probably also cut the sugar back by a tablespoon to accentuate the savory side of the tourteau so I can serve it with drinks or with a salad, as well as a dessert. If you own this book, you must give this a try.

Though I can't offer a recipe, there's a great Afghan dish called kaddo bourani that is fried pumpkin topped with a yogurt-garlic sauce. Fantastic.

Hi, and welcome to the forums! There's some detailed information about Ferrandi in this topic, though discussion isn't limited to the pastry program: ESCF Ferrandi culinary school

Good question. I've always successfully frozen the cod while it's still salted. I have two lbs of this stash in the freezer now. Vacuum sealed, btw. Salt cod can be pretty pungent.

So many excellent and unusual ideas! Thanks everyone. I don't know, but I'll stop by the shop and ask where they get it. They only carry it seasonally, which is why I'm stocking up on it now. No, that's what I was saying as well--the one I got at the Italian market was better than the wooden box kind. We're in agreement! Elsie, there are lots of Italian preparations in which the cod is dredged in flour, fried, then added to the dish. (Probably other cuisines, too, but I'm most familiar with Italian.) And depending on how long you soak it, it can often be not salty at all by the time you use it. I think the best way to describe the texture is that it's even more cod-like--you know how cod is a bit more chewy or fibrous than, say halibut? Well, salt cod is even more so. That same quality is just amplified. Diana, we are in agreement, yes! Elsie, Diana’s description is good. After it's been soaked, the cod is very supple but still quite firm--not nearly as tender or fragile as fresh cod. Think of gravlax, only thicker! As to whether it's too salty to use as a fillet, that really depends on the cod. This particular batch might lend itself to that, since it's thicker and less salty than the cod I usually find. In a couple of recipes I've seen for curing the salted cod yourself, such as in the Zuni Cafe cookbook, there are suggestions for using the soaked cod like carpaccio. But I doubt most commercial stuff lends itself to that treatment. One of the few “whole fillet” recipes I’ve found is salt cod “pil pil,” which I see in cookbooks as diverse as Paula Wolfert’s “The Cooking of South-West France” and Jose Andre’s “Made in Spain.” It uses the gelatin from the cod fillet to create an emulsified sauce with olive oil, which has been flavored with both garlic and hot pepper. It might be next on my list, save for one concern: my salt cod is skinless, and these recipes refer to cod fillets with skin—I wonder whether the skin in crucial to the recipe, maybe that’s where the necessary gelatin is. Does anyone have any experience eating or cooking this dish?

Thanks for the ideas. Interesting how potatoes usually factor into salt cod recipes. Not that I'm complaining. I just did a search on eatyourbooks.com and found that I have 56 recipes for salt cod sitting on my bookshelves. Many are variations on the same themes, but I'll need to take a closer look. Diana, I find just the opposite. The salt cod you see here was from a local Italian market and it was much better than the stuff in the wooden boxes that I can ordinarily find. The only problem with salt cod is that there is no such thing as spontaneity. It needs to be soaked at least a day in advance. I just put another large piece in some water. Let's see what I come up with in a couple of days. In the meantime, please send your inspiration my way. Maybe someone else is craving salt cod and wants to cook along?

Over the holidays I stumbled across some really beautiful salt cod at a local Italian market. I couldn’t resist buying too much of it. Over here there's been occasional discussion about salt cod, but except for this excellent tutorial on a philippino baccalao stew, we’ve never shared our cooking exploits. For those of you unacquainted with this humble product, here’s a 2+ lb, skinless and boneless fillet: Though most local grocery stores carry salt cod pieces packed in little wooden boxes, if you can find whole fillets like this they are generally far superior, with thick, white flesh. You can see how dry it is before being soaked: And how it looks, cut into large pieces, after 48 hrs in several changes of water: Before venturing into new territory, I needed a fix of brandade, that delicious puree of salt cod, potatoes (optional), and cream, with some olive oil and garlic thrown in for good measure. I cooked it in water and milk, though often I only use water. Once it simmers, take it off the heat and let it sit for 10-15 minutes, then remove it from the liquid to cool. Once cooked, it flakes easily. I like mine chunky: Of course, there are differing opinions on the various components of brandade. Potato or no potato? I usually add it because that’s what I grew up with. My mother added potato out of economy but it also mellows the flavor of really strong salt cod. Garlic? Not every recipe calls for garlic, but I’ve come to like it. The last variable is the fat—milk, cream, crème fraiche, or olive oil—or some combination? I’ve adopted a combo of cream and olive oil but that’s my personal taste. Here’s a portion served with a few garlic-rubbed croutons, a salad, and some wine. Don't let its unassuming appearance deceive you--it's briny, earthy, slightly sweet from the cream, a hint of garlic--my idea of comfort food par excellence. I haven't decided what I'll cook next with the 3+ lbs of salt cod I still have left. Any suggestions? Anyone else cooking with salt cod these days?

Hmm, I wonder if these would work in a grapefruit-avocado salad. If you've never tried it, I know it sounds unlikely but it's a delicious combination. I've always used pink grapefruit but will look for one of these and give it a try.

David, that's a lovely plate! I've never had any problems making gougeres, even larger ones, so long as I follow Julia's advice: - cook the panade until it starts to dry out a bit, as your recipe suggests - make them while the dough is still warm - larger puffs especially benefit from slitting them a bit with a sharp knife and returning them to the oven for a minute or two to let the inside dry a little. I find this esp. important if I am making puffs that I won't be serving right away, either gougeres that I'll be reheating or for profiteroles. I've never tried making them with milk, just water. Nor have I ever used my Kitchen Aid or other mixer. Just elbow grease.

I think of broth as a light stock, not simmered as long or reduced, so flavorful but with only light body. I had never thought about the difference until I read Marcella Hazan caution her readers to use broth, not stock, in her recipes. But her recipe for meat broth has a simmer time of 3 hrs--not that different from many stocks.

jnash85, that looks beautiful. Can you clarify, for those of us without the French Laundry cookbook, is that half a lemon rind topping the pork? Preserved lemon?

Is the vinegar a replacement for the rinsing agent? You still use some detergent, correct?

Oh and.. Linda? May I call you Pam? Please, I take it as a compliment when members confuse me with Pam!

They look great. What is malt syrup, and how is it usually used?

Ooh, interesting idea.... What are you going to do with it? I assume you're asking about the salt cod, not the nice-but-ordinary chicken. Brandade for sure, but there is so much of it, I think I'll have plenty for experimentation. Santa gave me a copy of David Leite's the New Portuguese Table, which is filled with salt cod porn.

Lots of vegetables--various greens and broccoli rabe, as well as root veggies like carrots, potatoes, parnips--plus eggs and bread. We're all getting tired of the rich nibbles--cheeses, salumeri, etc. and craving vegetables. I have a whole chicken defrosting and, best of all, a really big piece of salt cod soaking.