Rosa Jackson’s Bourride | Last Recipe from Everyday Dorie

Hard to believe this is going to be the last Everyday Dorie‘s recipe I’m participating in the cooking club Cook-the-Book-Fridays since the first post in October, 2018. Now we’ve completed the project cooking through all the recipes in the book from cover to cover. The journey has been most incredible, from the first “My Newest Cougères” to the last “Rosa Jackson’s Bourride,” I don’t know whether I’d repeat cooking each and every recipe in one book ever again; it’s a test of endurance and persistence. Looking back, it has been a worthwhile and compelling experience to have finished the project––and, by and large, not missing a beat.

Take the current recipe, Rosa Jackson’s bourride, as an example. I had no idea what a bourride is.

The word bourride tells you that it’s a fish stew with aioli (garlic mayonnaise), sometimes referred to as the butter of Provence. In the traditional version, the fish is poached in broth; Rosa braises it with vegetables, making a stew.

“Everyday Dorie” by Dorie Greenspan

My preference and interests would not have led me to make a bourride, if not for this project. Braising vegetables to make a base while cooking the fish and finishing the stew with aioli (like a sauce) is completely outside of my realm of experience. That makes my head spin; but I’m happy for the knowledge as well as the methodology it introduces me to.

This is not the only recipe. There are so many other recipes in Everyday Dorie which bring about the same sense of exploration which I find enriching.

Recently, we made the Bourbon roasted pork loin (page 170), inspired by “a weekend eating in Louisville.” The combination of mustard, honey, Sriracha and bourbon from Kentucky is flavorful and masterful. Similarly, there is the beef and beer stew (page 146) which is a take on the Flemish dish beef carbonnade, characterized by an abundance of onions, bacon and a base of a dark Belgian ale. Although we’re not big meat eaters, but I’m a willing journeyman, so to speak, learning the trade.

Who can forget the aroma in the kitchen when the herb-butter chicken (page 123) is roasting in the oven? There is a detailed recipe in the book with a short list of ingredients. However, the most empowering has to be Dorie’s head notes, suggesting a mix of herbs which allows the dish to go other directions. Asian or Mediterranean?

Then there are the crowd pleasers recipes which I repeat time and time again. To list a few among these favorites are: the caramelized onion galette with Parm cream (page 54), the miso-glazed salmon (page 179) and the apple custard crisp (page 276). They never fail to put a smile on everyone’s faces, mine included. Meanwhile, I get better at cooking and baking these recipes and gain confidence overtime. Thank you, Dorie!

No details are too small or insignificant for Dorie. Case in point: the caramel-pear and five-spice upside down cake (pate 238). If you’re a novice or a nervous carameler, take note. The best trick to keep the sugar from hardening too quickly: a squirt of lemon juice. Dorie tells us that in the recipe. I’ve learned all the prep tricks, and more, which ensure the upside down cake flip without turning into another flop. I’m so grateful for Dorie’s guidance on the fail-proof techniques.

I can go on and on talking about the multi-year journey cooking the recipes in Everyday Dorie. The book is a treasure trove filled with remarkable recipes; there are too many to count.

One thing stands out: for any mission to be a success, you need an experienced guide, as well as a coach to hold your hands, when the going gets rough. Dorie is that guide for me.

Lastly, back to the last recipe. I put in a few touches here and there in the Rosa Jackson’s bourride to make it my own. In addition to the carrots, I use bell pepper in the vegetable braise. Since I’m making the bourride for dinner on a cold wintry day, a soup-like meal seems appropriate. The ease of dialing up or down the thickness of the fish stew by adjusting the amount of water (or fish stock) is just amazing.