Soup of Salted Cod with Salt Cod Puree on Crostini

Serve 4

Ingredients:
8 ounces skinless dry salted codfish
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 leek (white part only), sliced
1 shallot, peeled and sliced
1 one-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 large garlic clove, chopped
1 large sprig of fresh thyme
4 cups water
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 small russet potato (about 6 ounces russet potato, peeled and thinly sliced)
3/4 cup  whipping cream
Freshly ground black pepper
1 French bread baguette (cut in 1/4 inch slices)
1 garlic clove, halved
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Method:
 
Wash the salt off the cod under cold running water thoroughly. Place the cod in a bowl and cover with cold water. Cover and refrigerate at least 12 hours, changing the water every 2 hours.

Drain the cod. Coarsely cube the cod into 1 inch pieces.  In a large heavy sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the leeks, shallots, ginger and garlic, and sauté for 5 minutes, or until translucent.  Add the cod and sauté for 5 minutes to heat through. 

Add the water, wine and potatoes. Bring to a boil over high heat, skimming off the foam that rises to the top of the soup.  Decrease the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are very tender. Add the cream and return to a soft simmer.

Remove the soup from the heat and cool slightly. Remove the sprig of thyme. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender until smooth, and strain the soup through a fine-meshed sieve and into another saucepan. Reserve the cod puree from the sieve. Stir the parsley into the reserved cod puree in the sieve. Season the cod puree to taste with pepper. Cover to keep it warm.

Preheat the broiler.  Rub the bread slices with the garlic. Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet and brush with the olive oil.  Broil 1 minute, or until the crostini are golden brown.

Meanwhile, reheat the soup over medium heat. Season the soup to taste with pepper. When hot, blend the soup with an immersion hand blender to create a foamy consistency. Ladle the soup into bowls. lace a small amount of the reserved cod puree atop each crostini.  Float the croutons on top of the soup and serve.