Brandade de Morue

By John, 13 December, 2014
Region
France
Description
Brandade de Morue

I made this flavorful dip of salt cod and potatoes with garlic and olive oil for Annette's birthday in December 2014, which had a sort of Alpine apres-ski angle.

This is a great cold-weather party dish, and it keeps well. It's good with beer or wine, maybe during a football game. 

Yield
12 Servings
Preparation time
1 hour
Ingredients
1 lb Salt Cod
1 lb boiling potatoes (White inside. Red bliss are good.)
1 1⁄2 c Milk
8 clv Garlic (crushed)
1 t Lemon Zest
2 T Lemon Juice
1⁄8 t Cayenne Pepper
3⁄4 c Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
2 T Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (fresh grated)
Instructions
  1. Cut the cod into chunks and freshen it in cold fresh water, changing the water several times until it no longer tastes salty.
  2. Boil the potatoes until tender.
  3. Put the cod chunks in a quart of fresh water, Bring to a boil and then simmer for 5 minutes.
  4. Drain the fish, then simmer it with the crushed garlic in the milk for 10 minutes.
  5. Plunge the potatoes into cold water and slip off their skins. Then break then up.
  6. Put the potatoes in a food processor along with the fish and milk and garlic.
  7. Add the lemon zest and juice and the cayenne and process until smooth.
  8. With the food processor still running, slowly add the olive oil in a steady stream. Add a little black pepper if you like.
  9. Preheat the oven to 400. Put the brandade in an oiled 9x13-inch baking dish, top with the grated cheese, and bake for 20 minutes, until the top is golden-brown. Serve hot with toasted rounds of baguette.
Notes
The time is about an hour after soaking the fish, which can take hours or days.
Source
From Jacques Pepin in Food & Wine: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/brandade-de-morue-au-gratin