Yodada—My New Refrigerator Staple

Every morning I am responsible for making yodada. It is simple and follows a classic method, but I find it delicious.

First, I sweat a finely diced shallot in soft olive oil. Once the shallot pieces are moments away from developing color, I deglaze with white wine. I reduce this until it is almost dry—perhaps a tablespoon or two left in the pan—and add mussel stock. I bring the stock to a boil and take it off the heat. So far, so simple. Nothing groundbreaking here.

I blend this mixture for a minute or two and strain to remove the shallot pieces. Next, I whisk in micrui, a tapioca starch, and a hell-of-a-lot of crème fraiche until it is fully incorporated to the base. Finally, I reduce the yodada down until I have 280 grams of liquid. When it cools, it turns to the consistency of hummus. It is thick and spreads easily.

The end result is a delicious creamy nonsense with notes of everything good—cream, wine, shallot and shellfish—that I want to slather over everything. This morning, I found myself dreaming about all the ways I will use it when I come home. Particularly, I imagine using it in a chicken salad with an accent of something sweet—grapes, dates, apples? Or perhaps in a lobster or crab salad with fresh minced chives. Or perhaps left liquid for mussels to swim in with sautéed onions or poured over a filet of firm white fish with a garnish of a fried rosemary sprig …