As I told you last month, Philipp Ferber took the reins of the Breidenbacher Hof kitchen.  And with his new leadership a new menu!  One of the highlights of the menu are the en Papillote dishes, which include fish, meat and/or vegetables cooked in parchment paper in the oven and then opened in front of the guests.  I love the presentation best, as when the paper is opened some of the most beautiful aromas are released.

This is such lovely way of preparing food that I had to learn more about the process.  Chef Ferber shared the recipe for Winter Codfish en Papillote that is perfect for learning the method.

Winter Codfish en Papillote With Braised Saffron Vegetables

Saffron Fumet

Ingredients:

• 100 ml white wine
• 50 ml Pernod
• 50 ml Noilly Prat
• 50 ml white port wine
• 500 ml fish stock
• 1 g saffron
• 100 g fennel julienne
• 80 g onion julienne
• 3 diced plum tomatoes
• 2 branches of basil
• 250 g butter
• Fleur de Sel
• Sugar
• Pepper out of the mill

First sweat the fennel and onions in a pot until the vegetables are soft.  Add saffron and cook until the vegetables develop an aroma.  Braise the tomatoes and basil with the rest and deglaze it with white wine, Pernod, Noilly Prat and port wine.  Boil everything down and concentrate it until it becomes syrup.  At last, add the fish stock and boil it at low temperature.  Pass the emerging stock through a sieve, taste it and add the butter to make it creamy.

Braised saffron vegetables

Ingredients:

• 2 bulbs of fennel
• 3 carrots
• 4 stalks of celery
• 4 stalks of green onion
• ½ onion
• Saffron Fumet (just prepared)
• 0,5 g saffron
• 20 g butter
• salt to taste
• sugar to taste
• pepper to taste

Julienne the vegetable and braise in a pot with butter.  Add the saffron and continue to braise it with the vegetables and deglaze it with some of the saffron fumet.  Add sugar, salt & pepper to taste.  Cook everything until soft.

Winter codfish en Papillote

Ingredients:

• 125 g braised saffron vegetables
• 180 g winter codfish
• 40 g Glasswort
• 5 cherry tomatoes
• 4 El saffron fumet
• garlic oil
• fresh leaves of thyme
• Fleur de Sel
• 1 small casserole
• preheated  oven of 200°C
• parchment paper

Put the braised saffron vegetables in the casserole  dish.  Cover the winter codfish with some garlic oil, season with thyme leaves and Fleur de Sel.  Add the Glasswort and cherry tomatoes to the vegetables in the casserole dish and add the saffron fumet.  Place the fish on top.  Wrap the casserole dish up with the parchment paper and tie it together.  Now bake the fish for 10 minutes in the oven.

Bon Appetit!