Escoffier recipe for making Bread Panada for les farces de poisson, fish forcemeats (Escoffier, 281).

Used as a base to thicken firm-textured fish forcemeats, farces de poisson in French cooking, this simple mixture of bread and milk is called a panada, (not to be confused with the Italian bread soup of the same name). There are five types of panada described by Escoffier, each suitable for thickening different types of forcemeats: bread panada, flour panada, Frangipane panada, rice panada and potato panada. They are generally used in a 1:2 ratio with the ingredient they are thickening, sometimes with eggs and butter added.

Bread Panada

In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a simmer over medium heat. Remove their crusts and then cube the bread slices.

Soak the cubed bread in boiled milk until very soft.

Process the soaked bread in a food processor to form a smooth paste.

Store the bread panada in a covered plastic container in the refrigerator.

Ingredients
270g stale white bread, cubed
305g Strauss Family Creamery whole milk

Equipment
Salter digital scale
Measuring bowls
Kitchen knife and cutting board
Small saucepan
Wire whisk
Food processor
Rubber spatula
Mixing bowl
Plastic container

From the Book

281 Bread Panada
Specially suitable for forcemeats of firm textured fish.

Ingredients:
3dl (1 1/4c) boiling milk
250g (9oz) stale white breadcrumbs
5g (1/6oz) salt

Method:
Soak the breadcrumbs in the milk until the milk is completely absorbed, add the salt, then mix with a wooden spoon over a good heat so as to dry it out and leave the sides of the pan clean. Turn out onto a buttered tray or dish to allow to cool.

A. Escoffier. Le guide culinaire: the complete guide to modern cookery, H.L. Cracknell & R.J.Kaufmann, transl.