Brandade de morue was one of the all-time favorite dishes at Le Pichet and Cafe Presse. Whenever it was not on the menu, guests would be asking when it was coming back.  Our local fish shop, Poissonerie Otano, always has beautiful salt cod on offer, either as fillets or “miettes” which  means small odds and ends that are cheaper, and usually used for purees and fillings.  I have been itching to buy some and taste it for quality.  Salt cod has been a specialty of the Basque countries for time out of mind;  the Basques will tell you that they were fishing and salting cod in Newfoundland before the arrival of Columbus!
Since brandade  is warm and comforting on a grey day and a bit heavy for hot days, it seemed like a good time to make a batch before the temperatures begin to rise. With toasted bread and a green salad (and a bottle of rosé, of course), it makes a hearty lunch all by itself. By the way, the quality of the salt cod from Otano is excellent, firm and delicious, not too salty.

Now on the menu at Cafe Presse, Brandade Nimoise! This favorite from Provence is a warm puree of salt cod with garlic, olive oil, cream, thyme and Parmesan, served with marinated olives and grilled country bread.

And for you take-out fans, we are now offering our Brandade in a Bake-at-Home kit! Check out our website for full details on Take Out and Delivery options.

The Summer 2016 Chef’s Dinner at Café Presse was last Tuesday and we had a great time!

The theme for the dinner was “Summer in the Pays Basque” and the menu took its inspiration from the recent trip to the French Basque countries taken by our chef de cuisine Patrick MacWhorter.

Keep your eye on Café Presse’s website or this blog for info about the next Chef’s Dinner, coming in November 2016. And if you would like to be on our mailing list for events like this, please sign up for monthly newsletter here.