An occasion for discovery
I love that food can always be an occasion for discovery. I grew up in New England so I have a homing device for cod. When I stand in front of the fish counter and see it there, I have a hard time ignoring it. I love sole, salmon, halibut, and what the ocean provides, but when cod is available, it’s all I see.
I had the students prepare a dish last week that called for poaching cod in court bouillon, water flavored with a small dice of vegetables and herbs. The dish also called for boiled potatoes, and a handmade mayonnaise to which were added some exotic things, paprika, cayenne and the ultimate luxury, saffron. In the end when the dish was assembled, it called for herbs, basil and parsley. It seemed straight forward enough.
When a student prepared the mayonnaise, it broke. It turned out that after adding the egg to the processor, he left out a catalyst, no acid, no mustard, and no salt. All the oil had been poured in and nothing came together. I had him take it all out and start all over. Another egg went into the bowl, this time with lemon juice, some mustard and salt. With the machine on, I watched while he added the oil slowly, literally a drop at a time and I pointed out the emulsion, the thickening. When he saw that, he was then free to add the remaining oil – slowly. The oil for the second mayonnaise was the mixture from the first. The second mayonnaise worked very well. When it was done, he added paprika, cayenne and saffron. It was gorgeous.
While the potatoes simmered we cut the piece of sole into finger-thick pieces. An inch or so of water was added to a straight-sided skillet, followed by onion and celery cut into a small dice so they would cook quickly and give up their flavors. We also added parsley stems, bay leaf and thyme and let the court bouillon simmer for 5 minutes.
When ready to serve, we peeled the potatoes while reheating the poaching liquid. The serving bowls were on the counter, and all the garnishes were in place. The fish went into the court bouillon to simmer until tender. I simply waited a few minutes until I tested the fish by pushing against it with a spoon to see if it would yield. When it did, I removed it at once and started to assemble the dish.
We added sliced potatoes, sprinkled parsley and basil, and put a generous dollop of mayonnaise on top of the fish. The instruction for the dish mentioned that we could add some of the court bouillon to the dish before sending it out. It was only then that I realized that this could be a soup. I tasted the court bouillon, and was not surprised to discover it tasted like water. I quickly strained some of the liquid into the blender, added all the vegetables and from the court bouillon, and turned the blender on. While it whirred, extracting flavor from vegetables and herbs, I seasoned it with salt and knew it was going to be magnificent. I strained the liquid directly into the bowls with the fish, and then before sending it to the table, added a drizzle of olive oil. We drank a rose from Tavel, a wine region across the river from Chateauneuf du Pape in Provence. It loved the saffron and olive oil and we ate to our satisfaction.
COD IN BROTH WITH SAFFRON MAYONNAISE
Sauce:
1 cup of home made mayonnaise
1 teaspoon paprika
A few drops tabasco
1/2 teaspoon saffron
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced parsley
Court bouillon
¼ cup tiny dice of carrot
¼ cup tiny dice onion
¼ cup tiny dice leek
4 cloves garlic, peeled
A pinch saffron
1 whole clove
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp fresh parsley leaves
Salt and pepper
Cod fish fillets
Small red potatoes
Fresh basil
Lemon wedges
Prepare the mayonnaise. Combine all ingredients in small bowl and refrigerate.
Cook potatoes tender. Peel and keep warm.
Prepare the court bouillon.
Poach cod in court bouillon; remove to serving bowl. Strain court bouillon, saving solids and liquid. In a blender, add the vegetables from the court bouillon, then add 1-1/2 cups of poaching water and liquefy for a full minute until the mixture thickens to the texture of sauce. Season with salt, and strain to remove any fibers and keep warm.
Add potatoes to the bowl with the cod and garnish with parsley and basil. Pour the strained sauce into the bowl, finish it with a drizzle of olive oil. Put a generous spoonful of mayonnaise on the fish, a slice of lemon beside it, and serve hot.
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