The dish is little more than a fancy version of pureed potatoes with boiled codfish, which I will admit sounds pretty bad, but it is a wonderful combination of creamy and salty potatoes with a distinct hint of the ocean.
The salted codfish must soak in cold water in order to wash away the saltiness of it. We used about 2/3 pound of codfish. For this recipe we put the codfish in a tupperware container overnight and didn't change the water until the next morning. At about 6pm the second night I rinsed the codfish and set it in
a sauce pan with enough fresh cold water to cover it. Bring the water to a boil and turn the temperature to low for about five minutes. Begin preheating the oven to 475 degrees. Strain the fish and allow it to cool. While the fish is cooling, chop one large potato into roughly one inch cubes and place in the saucepan with six-eight whole smashed cloves of garlic. Add 1 1/2 cups of milk (we used skim) and a pinch of fennel seeds. After the fish is cool enough to handle, cut into one inch pieces and add to the saucepan. Bring the pan to a boil and then turn to low for about 20-25 minutes. Add more milk if needed and cook until both the potatoes and fish are tender.Put the entire mixture in the food processor and add pepper. You probably won't need any salt, for obvious reasons. Puree the mixture until the chunks of potato start to blend. Begin drizzling about 1/4 cup of olive oil while blending. Continue to puree until the mixture is very smooth. Transfer the mixture to a baking dish. Sprinkle the top with grated parmesan cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Here is the secret: soft-boiled egg. The trick is to get the entire egg white cooked while leaving as much of the yolk runny as possible. I used an egg timer that you put in the pot with the egg, it took a bit of experimentation but trust me that when you get the timing down it makes the difference between a fancy dip or hors d'oeuvre topping and a magnificent dinner. Begin to cook the eggs about eight minutes before the brandade is finished in the oven. When the eggs are cooked run them under cold water until they are cool enough to handle. Remove from their shells and set the eggs to the side. Serve the brandade in a bowl with an egg on top. Before bringing to the table, cut each egg so that the yolk pours out onto the brandade. Serve with a sliced French baguette and enjoy.
This recipe served enough for three to four people, we were hungry so there wasn't much left over but with another side or a dessert it can easily serve four.
