To follow the transformation of ratatouille, today's entry is a transformation of failed brandade. As I wrote yesterday, my first (possibly the last?) attempt to recreate the rich and creamy brandade we had at Avec was a miserable failure. It tasted good, but the texture was nowhere near creamy. It was more pulpy than creamy--what a formidable cod flesh! I didn't feel like throwing away the fruit of my tear and sweat (yuck), though, so I used some Swedish alchemy to make the iffy brandade enjoyable.

Swedish Alchemy (a.k.a. Fake Jansson's Temptation) for two

• 1/3 cup brandade (this is the recipe I followed)
• 2 potatoes (sliced into 3mm thickness)
• 1 sprig rosemary (chopped)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese

First, boil the potatoes until tender. Drain, put them back into the pot and heat over medium flame till the excess moisture has evaporated (about a minute or so). In a heat-resistant baking pan, layer potato slices and brandade alternately three times. Sprinkle the rosemary, garlic powder and parmesan cheese on the top. Bake in an oven at 350 F till the top gets golden.

I don't know if it was a magic of letting the brandade rest in the fridge for a day, or the magic of baking, or what, but what seemed like a pulpy, bland mush just 24 hours before had turned into something comfortingly delicious. The salt cod in brandade imparted a subtle oceanic flavor, and the richness of the milk and parmesan cheese worked very well. The pulpyness that threw me off when I tried the brandade by itself was not an issue any more, when combined with potatoes. I don't know if I want to make this Janssons' Temptation impostor again (because making brandade is pretty time-consuming), but I was pleasantly surprised how good it turned out. Despite my Japanese origin, I felt like I was eating something my (imaginary) European peasant grandma cooked up for her homesick granddaughter in a foreign country.

We dragged out dining chairs and a folding table to the back porch (which is really just a staircase) and had dinner there. With a bottle of Chablis, a bowl of ratatouille (from yesterday), and a Japanese-style light pickle salad, fake Jansson's Temptation made a great summer dinner. As we enjoyed the food and talked, a pair of house finches (the beautiful one with red throat and head) groomed themselves on a nearby electric wire. The light was crisp and transparent, almost like early autumn. Huge trees in our neighbors' backyards rustled their green leaves in the evening breeze. It was a luxurious evening, even though the cost of the meal wasn't that luxurious. We'll miss the back porch view when we move from this apartment in August...