After we prepared the Ch’tiramisu we got started on the main meal which in French is called Pavé de cabillaud au miel de fleur de bière, palette colorée de légumes de saison. It is a very simple yet nourishing dish from Northern France that was enjoyed with some white wine and bread on the side.
Now this is how I would like to cook every day.
All the ingredients neatly laid out, ready to be massacred.
I think Sarah has to hang out more often at my house to pose as a hand model in my food shots.
We worked in fours and in a very short timeframe chopped all the vegetables.
One trick we learnt in the class was in order to get a crispy skin on chicken or fish, you put the oil and meat in a cold pan and gently heat the pan until all is sizzling. That way you avoid burning the food. The same applies to duck breast but minus the oil because duck skin oozes fat anyway. This technique also works on vegetables.
There is a reason you haven’t seen many fish recipes on Greedy Gourmet thus far. As much as I enjoy a good piece of fish once or twice a week I am no expert at cooking it. Sometimes the fish, for example Hake, falls to pieces and at other times it just doesn’t look presentable at all. So when The Chef asked for volunteers my hand shot up in the air quicker than fireworks on Guy Fawkes Night. Soon afterwards doubt set in, since I was responsible for three other people’s food who would be anything but pleased if I made a dog’s dinner of it all. Luckily The Chef was very attentive and with his help I pulled it off which gave me much more confidence.
In a blink of an eye the food was prepared.
The Chef gave us some pointers on professional presentation.
It looks so sophisticated but in reality it is easy.
In true food blogger style cameras were clicking and flashing away before anyone touched their food.
Some bloggers loved and others loathed the dish. As someone with a sweet tooth I am in the former category and will drizzle honey over anything any day. To each his own!
To be continued…
Honey Glazed Cod with Seasonal Vegetables
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
- 30ml (2 tbsp) of honey
- 30ml (2 tbsp) sherry or flower beer
- 30g (1 oz) butter
- 1 shallot, finely sliced
- 1 bunch of asparagus, cut into thin diagonal strips
- 1 bunch of carrots, washed and thinly sliced
- 1 bunch of radishes, washed and thinly sliced
- 250g (½ lb) oyster mushrooms, roughly chopped
- 1/4 bunch of Chervil, chopped
- 50ml (3 tbsp) olive oil
- 6 pieces of cod, about 150g (5oz) each
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Mix the honey and sherry/beer in a bowl and set aside.
- Sauté the shallot, carrots and asparagus for 4 to 5 minutes in a skillet with a knob of butter and a pinch of salt. Add radishes and cook 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for another few minutes. Sprinkle with chervil.
- In a skillet with a drizzle of olive oil, brown the skin side of the cod for 3 minutes and season with salt and pepper. Lower the heat and lacquer the skin with the honey and sherry/beer mixture. Continue to cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
- On each plate, serve a bed of crisp vegetables, place the cod on top and drizzle with sauce. Garnish liberally with chervil.
Notes
- You can also prepare this dish in advance by initially browning the cod in the pan, then finish cooking in the oven at 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6 for 3 minutes with the honey and sherry/beer mixture later.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 472
- Sugar: 6.9 g
- Sodium: 237 mg
- Fat: 12.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 32.3 g
- Fiber: 5.3 g
- Protein: 53.7 g
- Cholesterol: 109 mg
Coffee and Vanilla
Lovely pictures Michelle! I was planning to make similar fish with honey some time soon. But since we came back I did not get weekend off, and this weekend seems to be the same… lots of overtime retouching.
diva@The Sugar Bar
beautiful dish and you take such wonderful food shots! 😀 honey with fish sounds like heaven. x
nina
Beautiful meal, we also made fish last night on a Thai inspired salad!!! I like the addition of honey!!!
heather
Very pretty work. It looks jewel-studded.
Cheers,
*Heather*
Renil M. George
Its a really nice dish, thanks.
★★★★★
Kathy. B.
Yaaay, this means I can make this with pumpkin
Judi Bobet
everything glazed with honey sounds amazing