Salt Cod Brandade

Properly speaking, this is a brandade de morue Benedic-tine, referring to the monks’ habit of stretching the Lenten salt cod with potatoes. It makes an excellent snack to hand round after a morning walk, with the Christmas lunch still an hour or two in the offing, and is perhaps best served in conjunction with some smoked salmon on brown bread and a classy dry champagne. The brandade can be finished in a food processor but only using the ‘pulse’ button: it must not be too smooth and should