Soak the stockfish (dried cod or haddock) for at least a week in a large bowl, changing the water twice a day, until the fish becomes soft.

Cut the fish into large pieces, and place in cold water; add the bouquet garni. Heat and then simmer for at least a quarter of an hour. Remove the fish and separate the flesh.

Remove the skin and bones; break into medium-sized pieces with a fork.

Boil the potatoes for about 30 minutes in salty water, or better still, in the water the fish was cooked in, to absorb the flavour.

Add the hot potatoes to the fish and blend with a fork to a rough mash (not a smooth purée).

Make a hollow in the mash and add the beaten eggs, garlic and chopped parsley. Pour on half the oil, heated to boiling.

Keeping the dish warm, work the mixture together with a wooden spoon. Add the rest of the hot oil and the fresh cream to make the dish creamier. Serve piping hot.

Before serving, you may also add some quartered hard-boiled eggs, fried croutons rubbed with garlic, and decorate with capers or sliced gherkin.

Mix all the sugar with the milk, butter and pinch of salt.

Place the flour in a bowl; pour the mixture into the flour.

Add the bakers yeast. Beat the 7 eggs and add to the mixture, together with the half glass of orange flower water.

Mix thoroughly until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Shape it into a crown, place on a buttered baking tray

Allow the dough to rise for at least 5 hours by covering it with a cloth and leaving it in a warm place.

Pre-heat your oven for ten minutes (gas mark 6 or 180ºC). Brush the top of the dough with the remaining egg (beaten), and place in the oven to bake for 45 minutes.

Season the escalopes and spread on each one some of the chopped onion, previously softened in some butter. Mix the breadcrumbs with the parsley and sausage meat and spread a layer on top, pressing it down well to make it stick to the meat. Lightly pepper the mixture.

Carefully roll up the escalopes keeping the stuffing inside and tie them with fine string into parcels. [Optional: wrap each in a thin piece of pork fat before tying with the string].

Heat the butter in a casserole and put in the escalopes together with the sliced carrot and onion. Brown the escalopes on all sides, then add the water. Transfer the casserole, uncovered, to the oven 190º C, 375º F, Gas Mark 5 and cook for 40 minutes, basting frequently.

Serve the paupiettes with their degreased juices and garnished with vegetables.

Recipe from Patrick Bioulac of La Lozère
4 rue Hautefeuille, Paris 6eme

Boil or steam the potatoes in their skins, then peel them. Mash them in the pan in which you will continue the preparation of the dish to a smooth purée.

Over a low heat beat in first the butter, then the cream and milk and keep beating until the mixture is really light. Do not be put off by the time and effort required. Stir in the garlic and seasoning, still over a low heat, then drop in the slices of cheese all at once.

Continue beating and lifting the mixture as if you were adding egg whites to a soufflé. The cheese has to melt - you will notice as you lift that the purée becomes a little tacky and shiny - keep lifting and stirring and when it is almost at pouring consistency, serve immediately.

Recipe from Jeanne Strang’s “Goose Fat and Garlic” (pub. Kyle Cathie)

Blanch the cabbage in plenty of boiling salted water for 10 minutes.

Chop the chard, 4 sticks of celery, 3 onions and parsley. Then add the sausage meat, eggs and the flour. Season with salt, pepper and herbs.

When the cabbage is cooked, cool it and carefully remove the leaves. Make small balls with the stuffing and wrap each of them in a cabbage leaf, then tie it up.

Peel and slice the carrots. Cut the tomatoes and ham skin into cubes, slice the remaining celery stick and onion. Colour all these in some fat in a large casserole. In a separate pan colour the stuffed cabbage parcels all over and place them on top of the vegetables. Pour in enough water to cover and season with salt, pepper and herbs. Bring gently to the boil and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Recipe from Fredéric Ricard, chef de cuisine at La Taverne, 23 rue de l’Embergue, 12000 Rodez (Aveyron)

This dish can be accompanied by potatoes boiled in the broth in which the cabbage balls were cooked.

Prepare the waffle batter by mixing together the flour, yeast and stirring in the milk and melted butter. Beat the eggs and mix them in. Leave to rest at room temperature for 2 hours.
Cut the liver into 100g slices and season them. Keep cool.

Prepare the caramel by bringing the sugar and water to boiling, then continue simmering until you get to the caramel stage. Remove from the heat and gently blend in the gentian aperitif. Transfer to a bowl.

Heat your waffle iron, then make the waffles and keep them warm in a serviette.
Heat a non-stick frying pan and cook without fat the slices of duck liver, colouring them on both sides. Drain on to kitchen paper and keep hot.

To serve, place a waffle on a hot plate, put a slice of liver on top, a rounded spoon of whipped cream and sprinkle some of the caramel over. Cover with a second crisp waffle. Serve immediately.

Recipe from Louis Bernard Puech of Restaurant Beauséjour, Calvinet (Cantal)

Note from Jeanne Strang, author of Goose Fat & Garlic: Waffles are one of the traditional dishes which are to be found in the South West. In the past when cooking was done over the fire, many households would have their waffle iron (gaufrier) hanging in the fireplace. These can still be found at local antique fairs.

The plant gentian grows up on the mountain slopes of the Cantal and its roots are used to make the local kind of aperitif sold under such brand names as Suze or Avèze.

Cut the belly of pork into small cubes and brown them in a little of the duck fat.
Put the pieces into a casserole and pour in the rest of the fat. Bring the fat to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat and leave to cook very gently for at least 2 hours.
Lift the pieces out of the fat and drain well.

To prepare the chestnuts, put them into a casserole, cover them with melted duck fat and bring to a simmer, reduce the heat and cook gently until they are soft but still remain whole. Drain well.

You can eat the chestnuts with the preserved pork pieces as a starter. Serve them with a little orange flavoured caramel and segments of peeled orange.

Recipe from Madame Elisabeth Albespy of Auberge du Fel, Le Fel, 12140 Entraygues

Note from Jeanne Strang, author of Goose Fat & Garlic: This recipe demonstrates very well the cooking process used in the South-West of France known as confrire/confit - that is cooking meat in duck or goose fat. Before canning or freezing, this was the local method of preserving meat. Cuts of pork or pieces of duck or goose were cooked in fat then immersed in the fat in stoneware jars. Apart from preserving the meat, it also gives it a particular unctuousness and flavour.

Chop the chard leaves together with the smoked bacon, the onion and plenty of parsley.

In a bowl mix together the flour and beaten eggs. Dilute with milk to make a thick pancake batter.

Add the chopped ingredients to this batter.

Butter generously a bread or cake tin, tip in a layer of the mixture, add a layer of the prunes, and then the rest of the batter.

Preheat the oven to 190º C, 375º F, Gas Mark 5 and cook for 1 hour.

Recipe from Patrick Bioulac, Restaurant La Lozère, Paris 6ème

Note from Jeanne Strang, author of Goose Fat & Garlic: This recipe can also be made with spinach if chard is unavailable.

Put the washed lentils into cold water with the onion and bay leaf, bring to the boil and cook until tender but still slightly crunchy. Drain and refresh under cold water. Drain again and put to one side. Cut the fresh cep mushrooms into small cubes. Heat a little oil and cook them until they are nicely coloured. Put to one side.

Put the dried ceps into a pan with the meat stock and bring to the boil. Set aside for half an hour to reconstitute the mushrooms. Strain the mushrooms through a sieve, keeping the liquid. Heat this stock, whisking into it pieces of the butter.

Put the lentils together with the crispy fresh ceps into a salad bowl. Season with some oil, sherry vinegar and seasoning. Slice finely the smoked sandre and curl them round to form individual rose shapes.

To serve, place a circle of the lentil salad in the centre of each plate, place a “rose“ of the fish in the centre and drizzle a line of the thickened stock around. Decorate with a slice of the rehydrated ceps.

Recipe from Louis Bernard Puech of Restaurant Beauséjour, Calvinet (Cantal)

Note from Jeanne Strang, author of Goose Fat & Garlic: Sandre is a freshwater fish found in rivers and lakes all over France and known in English as zander. In season it may be found in Billingsgate fish market though not smoked. Lentilles de la Planèze are a variety of lentil from the area of Saint-Flour which died out in the 1960s but has recently been re-cultivated by some 15 producers in some parts of the Cantal. These pale lentils cook quickly, are not at all floury and have a sweet flavour. They are easily digested.