Bouillabaisse - Fish Stew French-like

On the series of French Food Safari the celebrity chef that tagged along with the host through France was Guillaume Brahimi.  He owns a fine dining restaurant in Sydney and a newly opened French bistro in Melbourne.  On one of the episodes he cooked up a Bouillabaisse and it looked exceptional.  Garnished with baguette slices and topped with a mayonnaise infused potato mash - it was all I needed to put that on my hit list for French Food Weekend. 

So here is my adaptation of Guillaume's Bouillabaisse.  While my fish stew is a little lean on the exuberant fish types, it does not lack anything in taste.  Mine is Bouillabaisse on a budget for 5 people.  Seriously, I bought $5 worth of Whiting, $6 worth of Prawns and another $5 worth of live Mussels.  I used fish stock that was left over and frozen from a risotto I had made a short time back.  The result is a very French-like Fish(y) Stew that was loved by all.

Ingredients:

For the soup

Olive Oil

500g x Whiting, heads removed and cleaned

1.5L x Fish Stock

1 x Fennel Head, sliced finely

1tsp x Fennel Seeds

2 x Carrots, roughly chopped

4 x Shallots, sliced

Zest of 1 Orange

180ml x White Wine

1tsp x Saffron

2tbsp x Tomato Paste

1tbsp x Dried Tarragon

500g x Raw Prawns, shelled and deveined

500g x Mussels, debearded and scrubbed

Parsley, to garnish

Lemon juice to drizzle

For the Mash Buttered Baguettes

1 long French Baguette, sliced on the bias 

6 x Potatoes, boiled and mashed (kept warm)

1 x Egg

1tbsp x Dijon Mustard

Half cup of Vegetable Oil

1tbsp x Lemon Juice

Salt & pepper

1tbsp x Butter

Heat a heavy pot with a little olive oil

Chop the whiting into 2 inch pieces and add to the pot 

Add all remaining ingredients to the pot except the prawn & mussels

Pour in enough Fish Stock to cover and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes

Allow the stew to cool slightly and place in a large jug

Using a food processor, blend the stew to a puree

Pass through a sieve back into the heavy pot

Bring the soup back to the boil and add the mussels and prawns

When the mussels open the soup is ready 

Pour soup into a large serving bowl

Make mayonnaise by blending the egg, mustard and lemon juice.

With the blender running slowly trickle in the oil until the mixture emulsifies into a thick mayonnaise.

Season with Salt and pepper and extra lemon juice if necessary.

Combine the mash potatoes and butter with the mayonnaise until mixed through  

Spread generously onto the baguette slices and place around the surface of the soup

Garnish with the parsley

Squeeze a little lemon juice

Serve immediately.  

French Food Weekend

One of my favourite food series that has aired this year on the SBS network has been French Food Safari.  I have been a Food Safari devotee since catching a couple of the episodes of the first series which took viewers to a different country each week and explored the cuisines.  I now own the series on DVD and regularly screen some reruns when I need some international inspiration.  On the popularity of the original series which ran for three seasons, the network broadcasted Italian Food Safari last year, a culinary trip around all things foodie in Italy.  This year it was France’s turn to be on show and the host Maeve O’Meara along with co-host and super French chef Guilliame Brahimi, traversed around the country with a weekly agenda to make your mouth water.  The series finished up last week and it has left me in a French state of mind. 

Here in Melbourne there are plenty of Patisseries that will have you gawking through their window panes as they display their delicious creations.  There are also a couple of charcuterie outlets – where I am sure I would go on a never ending journey with the pates and terrines as my companions.  The Queen Victoria Market houses one of the best places to get your hands (and tastebuds!) on fresh French cheeses.  I have winced at the thought of having to choose from so much availability but at the cost of around $100 per kilo for some of the soft cheeses from the Normandy region, I would need an unlimited supply of funds and a really quick metabolism.  One thing is for sure, to get exceptional French food be prepared to pay premium prices – French food does not come cheap.  And this is perfectly alright as I don’t think there should be any compromise for good quality.  In saying this though the bill does get a little excessive when you decide that you want to share the French goodies with others, and so you have to buy a little more to ensure enough spreading of the love.  This is where the inspiration came from to build on my French recipe repertoire and create a little bit of a charcuterie from my own kitchen.

Now a typical charcuterie in France would be decorated with drying sausages dangling like ornaments from the ceiling.  They would have fresh blocks of pate and carefully compressed terrines originating from poultry and other game meat.  Confit duck would also be a main feature as nothing compares to a slow cooked duck leg that has been stewing for hours in its own fat.  So my plan was simple: take one weekend and turn it into all things French.  I also plan on conjuring up some fine dining marvels for the dinner plate.  After all, the theme was in motion so why divert.  I already had my initial burst of inspiration from French Food Safari and I scoured the internet for some recipes that I could add my own flair to.  So although it seemed very ambitious for someone that has not tried his hand at anything like this before, I must say I am very pleased with the results.  So here’s to a weekend of plenty kitchen time and a reward more than worthwhile.  A truly satisfying foodie adventure if I do say so myself.

Here is the playlist: (click on each link to take you to the recipe page)

1. Duck Confit – Marylands slow cooked in fat until the meat falls of the bone
2. Duck Rillettes – Meat shredded from the confit duck legs then combined with herbs and spices into a spreadable paste
3. Chicken & Port Pate – served with Roasted Balsamic Pears
4. Terrine – Two types -  A combination of Pork, Veal & Chicken and a Pork, Chicken & Date number, all served with a Red Pepper Relish
5. Bouillabaisse – Fish stew, on a budget
6. Duck a L’Orange – A classic dinner dish made simple
7. Coq au Vin - Chicken cooked in Red Wine after overnight marination.