This recipe was inspired by a cod dish I had at La Chronique ( lachronique.qc.ca), a fine restaurant in the Plateau Mont-Royal area where the chef exceeds expectations with his scrumptious, exciting food. At the restaurant, the cod was served with a salsify purée. As salsify is hard to obtain, I combined Jerusalem artichokes and white turnips for a similar taste. Add a green vegetable such as spinach for a superb main course.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Four 6-ounce (175-gram) black cod pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons butter
Sauce
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup whipping cream
Purée
8 ounces (250 grams) white turnip, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 2 cups)
12 ounces (375 grams) Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch dice (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon chopped shallots
1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon or 1/4 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt to taste
Method
Preheat oven to 450 F. Place cod in a baking dish and dot with butter. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 12 minutes or until white juices just begin to appear.
To make the sauce, add wine to a pot over high heat, bring to boil and reduce by half, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add stock and reduce by half, about 6 minutes. Add cream and reduce until sauce is slightly thickened, about 1 to 2 minutes more. Drizzle in any juices that may have accumulated in the baking dish. Using a hand blender, whirl the sauce to make it foamy.
To make the purée, combine turnips, artichokes, milk, shallots, tarragon and thyme in a pot over medium heat. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 12 minutes or until vegetables are very soft. Strain vegetables into a blender or food processor; add butter and just enough milk to purée until smooth. Season with salt to taste.
When ready to serve, place a dollop of the purée on a dish, place cod on top and drizzle with sauce.
Lucy Waverman