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Salt Cod Brandade

Today I want to share how to make a proper salt cod brandade. It's straightforward to prepare, and you can use it to stuff all sorts of things — mushrooms, piquillo peppers, artichoke hearts, or simply spread it on a good slice of toasted bread. Let your imagination run wild! Ingredients 250g salt cod loin, soaked and desalted. 250g potatoes. 225ml milk. 100ml extra virgin olive oil. 1 small garlic clove. salt. Preparation Put the potatoes, skin on, in a pot and cover them with cold salted water. Bring to a boil, then let them cook for about half an hour — give or take, depending on their size. Once they're cooked through, make a puree by mashing them with a fork or running them through a potato ricer. Place the soaked cod in a pot and cover it with cold water. Bring it to a boil, then immediately turn off the heat. Leave it covered for 20 minutes so the fish gently softens. Remove the cod pieces and flake them, picking out any bones and skin as you go. ...

Walnut and Coffee Cake


This cake is one you won't be able to resist — not even a crumb will be left!




Ingredients

for 8 people
  • 200g walnuts, weighed without shells.
  • 300g butter, at room temperature.
  • 2 eggs.
  • 100g icing sugar.
  • 110g milk.
  • 9 Marie biscuits.
  • 4 tablespoons instant coffee.
  • 3 tablespoons brandy.
  • 100g dark chocolate.
  • wafer cookies (or langue de chat biscuits).
  • 1 sponge cake cut into three layers.

you'll also need:

  • 1 cake ring, 22cm in diameter.
  • butter for greasing.

Preparation

Grease the cake ring with butter and place it on the serving platter where you'll present the cake.
Prepare a soaking syrup for the sponge cake by combining 110g of sugar, 3 tablespoons of instant coffee, 3 tablespoons of brandy, and 300g of milk. Heat this mixture over medium heat, stirring well until it comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and let it cool down.
Mix the two egg yolks with the icing sugar and cook in a double boiler, stirring constantly with a hand whisk for 10 minutes, counting from when the water starts to boil. Let this cool completely.
Once it's cooled, mix in the 300g of butter, cut into cubes.
Beat it with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
Divide this buttercream into three equal portions.
Crush the walnuts and biscuits, then fold them gently into the two beaten egg whites.
Now fold two of the three portions of buttercream into this walnut and biscuit mixture.
Place the first sponge layer inside the cake ring and soak it generously with part of the coffee syrup.
Spread a layer of the walnut cream filling on top and smooth it out evenly.
Add the second sponge layer and soak it with more coffee syrup. Spread the remaining walnut cream on top, then place the third layer and soak it well with the rest of the coffee syrup.
Now take the reserved plain buttercream and frost the entire cake — top and sides.
If you like, set aside a bit of this buttercream and mix it with the remaining tablespoon of instant coffee dissolved in a little water. Use this to pipe decorative rosettes on top.
To finish decorating the cake, arrange the wafer cookies around the edge, half-dipped in melted chocolate. For the chocolate, melt it in a double boiler with a small knob of butter and 3 tablespoons of water. Top with walnut halves dipped in the same chocolate.
Tempted?

Enjoy!

Notes

For those who are gluten-free, you can find a gluten-free sponge cake recipe here. Just make sure all your ingredients are certified gluten-free.

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