Asked to create a dish that represented himself on a plate, chef Elliot Reynolds offered this small, decadent creation. And although it’s refined and sophisticated in presentation, it’s ultimately a rustic dish that speaks to what he does at Bloomfield Public House — he describes it as “rural cooking.” Asked if it’s elevated rural cooking, he bristles. There’s no question it is, but labels aren’t his thing, and he presents all of his dishes with a hearty serving of modesty.
About this recipe
Fish Brine
4 cups water
½ cup salt
¼ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 fresh bay leaf
2 to 3 whole black peppercorns
2 to 3 lbs white fish (cod, perch, pickerel, halibut, snapper)
Method
Combine all ingredients to a boil, except fish, then chill completely before using. Add the fish to brine for approximately 2 hours.
Remove fish and let dry on a wire rack for minimum 3 to 4 hours before smoking. Smoke your fish for 45 minutes to 2 hours depending on the thickness of it and whether you want a mildly firm texture for a finish on the fish with a robust smoke colour and smell. Make sure your fire is at the correct stage of the burn (see notes below.) Alternately, if you are not able to have an open fire, use an offset or single-chamber smoker for this recipe.
Smoking Notes
Depending on your set up, we encourage you to apply a hot smoke for this recipe. It promotes a deep flavour and beautiful finish. At the restaurant, we hot-smoke over an open fire that eventually makes its way to embers (coals) before we add anything.
It’s important to understand that controlling your fire is paramount — make your fire an hour or two before you intend to smoke, which gives you enough time to bring the fire down to coals. We use a mix of different woods at the restaurant, it’s really based on the season, but generally we’ll use maple, oak, cherry and apple — all sourced locally in Prince Edward County. The temperature depends very much on whether it’s an open fire, but generally speaking, the temperature should range from 175F to 225F.
Pommes Duchesse
1 pound Russet potatoes, peeled, cubed, boiled with salt until soft
2 tablespoons 35 per cent cream, warm
2 tablespoons butter, unsalted, warm
Pinch of allspice
Pinch of white pepper
1 egg yolk
Method
When potatoes are cooked, drain them, then put them back in the pot to dry off.
Rice the potatoes, fold in cream and butter while the potatoes are warm, fold in the egg yolk, finish with allspice and white pepper and place in a piping bag. The decorative tip is optional.
Caper Dressing
1 tablespoon fennel, brunoise
1 tablespoon shallot, brunoise
1 tablespoon celery, brunoise
1 tablespoon capers, chopped
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon thyme, chopped
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ cup canola oil
¼ cup olive oil
Honey, to taste
Salt, to taste Pepper, to taste
Method
Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl, season with salt, pepper and honey, if needed.
Garnishes
Melted butter
Chopped parsley
Chopped chives
Ramps
Assembly
Carefully flake the fish into the cavity of a marrowbone cut lengthwise. Pipe the Pommes Duchesse onto the smoked fish, brush a small amount of melted butter on the potato. Broil the top of the potato until golden brown.
Finish the dish by spooning the caper dressing on top and garnish with cut chives, and fresh parsley.
