Jane Grigson's Fish Book Part 22

FILETS DE SOLE VeRONIQUE.

'Monsieur Malley, saucier saucier at the Paris Ritz and later at the Paris Ritz and later chef des cuisines chef des cuisines at the London Ritz, was my professional ideal...' writes Louis Diat, the inventor of Creme Vichyssoise glacee. 'Malley had a fertile mind, and many of the fish sauces served in good restaurants today were originated by him. Filets de sole Veronique, for instance, was a Malley invention. A special party was planned, and Malley decided to add tiny white grapes to the white-wine sauce for the fish course. He gave instructions to a trusted under-chef, and went out, as usual, for the afternoon. When he returned, he found the young man so excited that he could hardly work. Monsieur Malley discovered that the young man's wife had just presented him with a baby girl, their first child. Monsieur Malley asked what they would name the child. "Veronique," was the reply. " at the London Ritz, was my professional ideal...' writes Louis Diat, the inventor of Creme Vichyssoise glacee. 'Malley had a fertile mind, and many of the fish sauces served in good restaurants today were originated by him. Filets de sole Veronique, for instance, was a Malley invention. A special party was planned, and Malley decided to add tiny white grapes to the white-wine sauce for the fish course. He gave instructions to a trusted under-chef, and went out, as usual, for the afternoon. When he returned, he found the young man so excited that he could hardly work. Monsieur Malley discovered that the young man's wife had just presented him with a baby girl, their first child. Monsieur Malley asked what they would name the child. "Veronique," was the reply. "Alors," said the chef des cuisines chef des cuisines, "we'll call the new dish filets de sole Veronique filets de sole Veronique." And so it is called to this day.'

Serves 460 g (2 oz) b.u.t.ter2 shallots or or small onion, finely chopped small onion, finely chopped8 fine fillets of solesalt, pepper150 ml (5 fl oz) dry white wine150 ml (5 fl oz) bechamel sauce*4 tablespoons double cream1 egg yolk250375 g ( lb) seedless white grapes or or muscatels muscatels Grease a shallow pan with 1 tablespoon of b.u.t.ter, and put in the chopped shallot or onion. Roll up the fillets of sole, salting and peppering them first, and secure with a c.o.c.ktail stick. Arrange them on top of the onion. Pour in wine and the same amount of water, cover with foil, and either simmer on top of the stove for about 10 minutes, or else bake in a hot oven (gas 7, 220C/425F) for 15 minutes: the first way is best. When the fillets are just cooked, transfer them to a heatproof serving dish and keep them warm.

Strain the cooking liquid into a clean pan and boil it down to 300 ml (10 fl oz). Stir in the bechamel sauce, which should be on the firm side, and 2 tablespoons of cream, beaten up with the egg yolk. Cook without boiling until the sauce thickens nicely, stirring all the time. Place the pan over another pan of simmering water, so that it keeps warm but doesn't cook any further while you finish the recipe.

Whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons of cream until they are light and stiff. Heat the grapes through in just-boiling water, then arrange them round the fish. Stir the last 2 tablespoons of b.u.t.ter into the sauce to give it a good gloss and flavour. Lastly fold in the whipped cream and pour the sauce over fish and grapes. Brown lightly under a hot grill and serve immediately.

NOTE Small seedless grapes do not have a long season, neither do the muscatel grapes recommended by Elizabeth David as the right ones for this fine and delicate dish. Small seedless grapes do not have a long season, neither do the muscatel grapes recommended by Elizabeth David as the right ones for this fine and delicate dish.

If the only white grapes on sale are the coa.r.s.er Almerian, which will need skinning and de-pipping, buy a cheaper fish and follow the recipe on p. 352 p. 352 for Sea ba.s.s or bream a la vendangeuse. (I wonder if this country dish was the original inspiration for M. Malley's Sole Veronique?) for Sea ba.s.s or bream a la vendangeuse. (I wonder if this country dish was the original inspiration for M. Malley's Sole Veronique?) FILETS DE SOLE WALEWSKA.

This dish invented, I believe, by Escoffier is named after Napoleon's Polish mistress, Marie Walewska. It is simple to prepare, but expensive on account of the lobster and truffles. Dublin Bay prawns could be used instead, or crawfish tails.

Serves 48 fillets of sole450 ml (15 fl oz) fish stock*600 ml (1 pt) bechamel sauce*1 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese30 g (1 oz) b.u.t.ter8 slices truffle812 slices cooked lobster or or cooked prawns or shrimps cooked prawns or shrimps Poach the sole in the fish stock. When just cooked, transfer it to a serving dish and keep warm. Boil the stock down vigorously until it has a strong concentrated flavour. Heat the bechamel sauce, add the stock to it, and boil them both together for a few moments. Off the heat, stir the cheese and b.u.t.ter into the sauce. Arrange the truffle slices and lobster or prawns on top of the sole, pour the sauce over them, and place under a very hot grill for a few moments to glaze.

FILLETS OF SOLE WITH BANANAS.

A friend once told me that she had eaten a delightful dish of fresh haddock with banana cubes, lightly fried in b.u.t.ter. With that on my mind, I tried to find similar recipes for banana with fish, and came at last to a French version. In it, new potatoes and sticks of fresh coconut were deep-fried with the fish fillets. This you can do, but I prefer the method given below.

Serves 612 fillets of sole (whiting can be used)salt, pepper3 large banana.s.seasoned flourcoconut cream, p. 478 p. 47818 small new potatoes3 medium carrotsgrated zest and juice of 1 large orange1 good teaspoon b.u.t.ter Season the fish. Peel and cut each banana into three across, then into nice little sticks. Sprinkle a tray with seasoned flour, and put the fish on it, skin or skinned side up. At the wider end of each piece, lay a bundle of banana sticks. Roll up and secure with c.o.c.ktail sticks or tie with thread. Set aside in a cool place.

Prepare the coconut cream, and set it to heat through over the pan in which you boil the potatoes. Grate the carrots coa.r.s.ely into a pan which already holds the orange zest and juice and the b.u.t.ter. Cover closely and cook briefly, so that the shreds are tender but still a little crisp. Strain off the small amount of carrot juice into the coconut sauce, and add a tablespoon of carrot, swirling it round.

Finally deep-fry the fish until it is nicely browned: beware of overcooking. Arrange on a warm dish with potatoes and carrots. Pour on a little of the sauce, and serve the rest separately.

FILLETS OF SOLE WITH CREAM AND MUSHROOM SAUCE.

This recipe is suitable for almost all fillets of white fish although obviously with sole, turbot and John Dory or monkfish it will be better than with sea bream or cod. I make it often with fillets of chicken halibut, really fresh insh.o.r.e fish, which is firm and not as dry as the huge halibut one sees occupying 1 m (5 feet) of the counter. The recipe is variable if you have no time to make some fish stock, use light chicken or veal stock. Instead of using parsley, you could flavour the sauce with nutmeg or mace.

Serves 611 kg (23 lb) fish fillets or steakssalt, pepper4 heaped tablespoons finely chopped shallots or or onions onions250 g (8 oz) mushrooms, thinly slicedparsley, finely chopped225 ml (7 fl oz) dry white wine225 ml (7 fl oz) fish stock*b.u.t.ter100 ml (3 fl oz) double creamlemon quarters Season the fish with salt and pepper. Put the shallots or onion, mushrooms and some parsley into a b.u.t.tered ovenproof dish, season, and place the fish fillets on top. Pour on the wine and stock, and dab small amounts of b.u.t.ter over the fish. Bake at gas 5, 190C (375 F), for about 20 minutes, but check after 15 minutes the length of time required will depend on the fish's texture and the thickness of the pieces. Transfer the cooked fish to a warm serving plate. Pour everything else into a pan, and reduce by hard boiling to a strongly flavoured concentrated sauce. Stir in the cream, and cook again for a few moments. Correct the seasoning, beat in a few tablespoons of b.u.t.ter, and pour over the fish. Sprinkle with parsley, tuck lemon quarters round the edges, and serve.

GRILLED SOLE.

Choose fish of about 250300 g (810 oz), and allow one for each person (reflect that you will be saving money on sauce and garnis.h.i.+ng). They need to be skinned both sides, the heads left on.

Brush with b.u.t.ter clarified b.u.t.ter* gives the best results in colour and flavour and grill for about 5 minutes a side. Time depends, obviously, on the thickness rather than the weight of the fish. Do not salt before grilling, but serve with two or three pats of savoury b.u.t.ter* arranged down the centre of each sole. The usual one is maitre d'hotel* (parsley and lemon), but you might like to try something different for a change. The b.u.t.ter, melting in the heat of the fish, forms a small amount of concentrated sauce which gives all the seasoning required.

Sometimes grilled sole is served with a sauce, a proper sauce with a p.r.o.nounced flavour.

LEMON OR TORBAY SOLE WITH PARMESAN.

This recipe is intended for proper sole, Dover sole, but to me so good a fish is not improved by the strength of Parmesan cheese. I find the method more suitable for the second and third ranks of flatfish, where extra interest is needed to compensate for the fact that they are not Dover sole. The idea is a simple one, and can be adapted to several fish or one or two large ones.

Switch on the grill and leave it to warm up while you cook the fish. Skin and clean them if the fishmonger has not done so already. Flour them lightly and fry in b.u.t.ter on both sides until they are pale golden brown. Pour into the pan enough fish, sh.e.l.lfish or chicken stock to come 5 mm (scant inch) up the sides of the pan. Complete the cooking at a steady boil, so that the stock reduces a little: do not overcook the fish which should remain slightly pink at the bone.

Scatter the fish with a layer of grated Parmesan cheese, not too thickly. Baste with stock, being careful not to dislodge the cheese. Put under the grill until the cheese melts. Baste again. Put back for the cheese to colour lightly, and baste again. Put back for the cheese to turn an appetizing but pale brown. The basting will have given the cheese a juicy, s.h.i.+ny appearance. There will be little stock left.

PAUPIETTES DE SOLES SOPHIE.

The simple method of baking sole in the oven (or poaching it), can be elaborated into the favourite restaurant dish of Paupiettes de soles. Fillets, spread with some delicious mixture, are rolled into a neat shape and cooked in white wine, or wine and stock: the cooking liquor is finally used in the making of a creamy sauce. Although such dishes look pretty and often taste agreeable, I do confess to a preference for sole on the bone; it keeps more of its natural flavour when cooked that way. But I make an exception for this recipe from Les Recettes Secretes des Meilleurs Restaurants de France Les Recettes Secretes des Meilleurs Restaurants de France. At first the t.i.tle and ingredients were irresistible; then I found that the smoked salmon adds a most delicious flavour to the sauce, an unexpected piquancy.

Here you have the basic recipe for all paupiettes of fish; it can be adapted to humble herring fillets or varied to make many dishes of sole, lemon sole and turbot. The fish bones can be used to make a little stock to go with the white wine when a larger amount of sauce is required.

Serves 48 fillets of solesalt, pepper30 g (1 oz) b.u.t.ter125 ml (4 fl oz) dry white wine Chablis or Sancerre1 large egg yolk1 generous tablespoons single creamSALMON b.u.t.tER6090 g (23 oz) smoked salmon30 g (1 oz) b.u.t.ter, softenedsalt, pepper, lemon juiceMUSHROOM DUXELLES250 g (8 oz) mushrooms, chopped30 g (1 oz) b.u.t.tersalt, pepper, lemon juice1 generous tablespoons double cream First make the salmon b.u.t.ter. Reduce the smoked salmon to a puree in a liquidizer with the b.u.t.ter. Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

Season the cut side of each sole fillet; spread with salmon b.u.t.ter and roll up use c.o.c.ktail sticks to keep the fillets in shape. b.u.t.ter an oval ovenproof dish and place the rolled fillets in it, packed closely together, side by side. Pour the white wine over them. Bring the liquid to the boil, cover with aluminium foil, and either place in a moderate oven for up to 10 minutes (gas 4, 180C/350F) or leave to simmer gently on top of the stove for 57 minutes, turning the paupiettes once. Whichever method you use, do not overcook the fish.

Meanwhile cook the mushrooms quickly in the b.u.t.ter. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Remove from the heat, stir in the cream and put onto a warm serving dish.

Pour cooking liquid off the sole into a saucepan, and reduce it by half. Beat the egg yolks and cream together, stir a tablespoon or two of the reduced liquid into this mixture; return to the saucepan and cook slowly without boiling until thick. Place paupiettes on the mushrooms, coat them with the sauce and serve. At the Domaine de la Tortiniere at Montbazon, where this dish is on the menu, small fish shapes are cut out of a piece of smoked salmon and used to garnish the paupiettes.

SEVICHE OF SOLE WITH SCALLOPS.

Serves 66fillets of sole, skinned4 scallops, white part only175 ml (6 fl oz) fresh lime or lemon juice2 hot red chillis, slicedsalt, freshly ground black pepper1 medium red onion or or sweet Spanish onion, thinly sliced sweet Spanish onion, thinly sliced1 red and 1 yellow pepper, seeded, thinly sliced1 small clove of garlic, crushed5 tablespoons sunflower oil1 large ripe avocado pear1 good handful of lettuce leaves3 limes, thinly sliced Cut the sole into diagonal strips and put into a bowl. Slice each scallop disc into three or more rounds and place evenly over the sole. Pour over the lime or lemon juice. Scatter the chillis over the fish and season. Cover and leave for an hour in the refrigerator. Turn the pieces gently, cover again and leave for a further hour, or until both sole and scallops are opaque.

Meanwhile, season the onion and peppers. Mix the garlic with the oil. Peel, stone and slice the avocado and pour the oil over it, with seasoning and a little of the citrus juice from the fish.

Wash, dry and place the salad leaves at one end of a serving platter. Drain the fish and avocado and arrange them attractively with the pieces of vegetable and slices of lime on the platter.

SOLE a LA BONNE FEMME.

Although this and the following are two of the cla.s.sic recipes for sole as given by Escoffier, they can equally well be used for other firm fish of quality. By this I mean turbot, or chicken halibut, or John Dory, which all have something of the firm, well-divided flesh which makes the sole such a desirable fish. It can also be used for lesser lights, lemon sole, flounders, brill and so on, but there is always something disappointing in the unresistant softness of their flesh.

Serves 21 chopped shallot teaspoon finely chopped parsley60 g (2 oz) mushrooms, chopped1 large sole about 375400 g (1214 oz), cleaned and skinned60 ml (2 fl oz) dry white winesalt, pepperjuice of lemon3 tablespoons b.u.t.ter1 tablespoon plain flour Rub an ovenproof oval dish with b.u.t.tered paper. Put shallot, parsley and mushrooms over the base in an even layer and lay the sole on top. Pour the wine and the same amount of hot water over it, and season with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Cover with foil, and bake in a moderate oven, gas 4, 180C (350F) for 5 minutes. Meanwhile mash up one-third of the b.u.t.ter with the flour, to make beurre manie, and add it in little pieces to the sole liquor. Return to the oven until the sole is cooked about 10 minutes, or a little longer.

Transfer the sole to a warm serving dish. Whisk the remaining b.u.t.ter into the cooking juices and pour over the sole. Put under a hot grill for a few minutes to brown lightly.

SOLE a LA FERMIeRE.

Fish cooked in red wine (in the style of the farmer's wife) another myth tumbles to the ground. Drink the rest of the bottle with the sole.

Serves 21 shallot, chopped teaspoon chopped parsley1 sprig of thyme bay leaf175 g (6 oz) mushrooms1 large sole about 375400 g (1214 oz)175 ml (6 fl oz) red winesalt, pepper75 g (2 oz) b.u.t.ter1 teaspoon plain flour Grease an oval flameproof dish, and put in the shallot, parsley, thyme and bay leaf. Chop 60 g (2 oz) of the mushrooms, and add them. Lay the sole on top, pour in the wine, and add seasoning. Cover and cook gently on top of the stove until the sole is cooked. Meanwhile, slice the remaining mushrooms neatly and cook them in 30 g (1 oz) of the b.u.t.ter, tossing them about so that they are golden but still firm and in no danger of being overcooked. Arrange them round the edge of an oval serving dish, and place the cooked sole in the middle. Keep it warm while you finish the sauce. Boil it down to half quant.i.ty. Mash together the flour with an equal amount of b.u.t.ter to make a beurre manie and add it to the sauce in pieces. When the sauce is ready, whisk in the remaining b.u.t.ter off the heat, and strain it over the fish. Place under a hot grill for a moment or two to glaze.

SOLE a LA MEUNIeRE.

The miller has rarely enjoyed the respectful admiration of his fellow citizens. (Old remarks such as: 'Hair grows in the palm of an honest miller', were brought up to date not so long ago by an actress who described her ex-boss, owner of many flour mills and cinemas, as having 'the sack in one hand and corn in the other'.) But the miller's wife, la meuniere la meuniere, is another matter. In cooking at least her reputation is high. What could be more delicious than a fresh trout or sole, dipped in flour and fried golden brown in b.u.t.ter?

It is the ideal method to show off a fine, fresh fish and was invented, so the story goes, at Royat, near Clermont Ferrand, at the mill which is now an hotel, La Belle Meuniere.

Sole meuniere is not the dish for a large party, as it needs last minute attention: keep it as a special treat for 2 or 4 people. Although it is basically a simple dish, there is a snag. b.u.t.ter burns at a low temperature. If you don't want your beautiful fish to come to table with a covering of black flecks, you must clarify the b.u.t.ter first, see see p. 14 p. 14.

Serves 4125g (4 oz), slightly salted b.u.t.ter4 whole sole, skinned or or 8 large fillets 8 large filletsseasoned floursprigs of parsleylemon quarters125 g (4 oz) unsalted b.u.t.ter Clarify 125 g (4 oz) of the b.u.t.ter. Turn the fillets or skinned sole in seasoned flour and shake off the surplus. Fry until golden brown in the clarified b.u.t.ter, turning once. Remove to a hot serving dish and garnish with the parsley sprigs and lemon quarters. Wipe the pan out with kitchen paper. Put the unsalted b.u.t.ter into the pan and rapidly bring it to a golden brown foam; it should now smell deliciously of hazelnuts. Pour this over the fish and rush it to the table. Not a dish to be kept hanging around.

SOLE a LA ROUENNAISE.

This sole in the Rouen style is another exception to the rule of white wine with fish. You will not find that the robust flavour of red wine spoils the delicate sole and sh.e.l.lfish.

Serves 21 large sole, skinned125 ml (4 fl oz) red wine2 shallots, finely chopped125 g (4 oz) b.u.t.ter12 large mussels12 oysters (if possible)12 cooked prawns or shrimps in their sh.e.l.ls125 g (4 oz) b.u.t.ton mushrooms1 egg yolksalt, pepper Put the sole into a shallow pan. Add wine, shallots and 30 g (1 oz) of b.u.t.ter. Simmer until cooked.

Meanwhile open the mussels in the usual way (p. 239). Discard their sh.e.l.ls and strain their cooking liquor into a bowl. Open the oysters (p. 254); simmer them in their own liquor for a few moments until their edges just start to curl. Strain the cooking juice into the mussel liquor. Peel eight of the prawns or shrimps. Cook the mushrooms in 30 g (1 oz) of the b.u.t.ter. These mussels, oysters, prawns or shrimps and mushrooms are the garnishes for the sole. Keep them warm. The mussel and oyster juice will be required for the sauce.

Remove the cooked sole to a hot serving dish. (Pour its cooking juices into the mussel and oyster juices.) Arrange the garnishes around the sole and keep everything warm.

Pour the fish juices into a pan and reduce to a fairly strong-flavoured liquid. Beat the egg yolk with a little of this liquid, then tip it back into the pan and stir over a low heat until the sauce thickens (do not boil, or it will curdle). Off the heat, whisk in the remaining b.u.t.ter, season and strain the sauce over the sole. Place the four unsh.e.l.led prawns in the centre, and serve.

SOLE MEUNIeRE AUX POIREAUX.

Proust was inordinately fond of fried sole; indeed, it was the only dish he ever finished during the last years of his life.

Proust: My dear Celeste, I think I could manage a fried sole. How quickly do you think I could have one, if it's not too much trouble?

Celeste: Straightaway, Monsieur.

Proust: How kind you are, Celeste.

And good, kind, patient Celeste would rush out to a fishmonger's nearby in the place Saint-Augustin, run back with the sole, cook it and present it to Proust on a clean, doubled napkin to soak up any fat that might remain with four lemon halves, one at each napkin corner.

Had Proust been alive today, and a young man, he would I think have appreciated a new French version of Sole meuniere, a version with lightly cooked, shredded leeks, not too many, just enough to make the fish even more appetizing than usual. The two secrets are clarified b.u.t.ter and finely cut leek. Other fish can be subst.i.tuted, obviously other flatfish, from turbot down to plaice, or small filleted whiting.

Serves 4250 g (8 oz) b.u.t.ter, clarified*1 kg (3 lb) skinned sole, preferably two large onesseasoned flourcayenne pepper4 medium leeks, trimmed to their white stalkssaltlemon quarters (optional) Strain the clarified b.u.t.ter into two fish pans, large enough to accommodate one sole each, with room to spare. It is helpful to be able to cook all the fish at the same time: see the note at the end if not.

Turn the fish in seasoned flour, to which you have added cayenne according to taste: I add enough just to make the flour slightly pink. Heat the pans, shake any surplus flour from the fish, and put in to cook not too fast. After 34 minutes, according to the thickness of the fish, see if it is nicely browned underneath. Turn it over, if so, otherwise leave a little longer.

As it cooks, slice the leeks thinly so that they tumble into green and white shreds.

Add the leeks to the turned fish, and stir them about carefully so that they cook lightly in the b.u.t.ter. They should not entirely lose their crispness, neither should they brown a few patches of light gold are all right, but no more. Salt the leeks, and leave them in the pan for a minute as you remove the sole to its warmed serving dish. Remove the leeks with a slotted spoon and put them round the sole in little piles or in a circle. Arrange the lemon quarters at intervals among the leeks. Serve immediately with bread, and a dry white wine.

NOTE Unfortunately the new French cookery depends for its light effect on brief cooking and prompt service. Easy to manage if you have help in the kitchen that you can trust, or if you always eat in the kitchen and do not mind leaving the table to cook between courses. If your problem is the lack of a second fish pan, remember that the sole will survive waiting around better than the leek shreds. Brown the sole in turn, using half the b.u.t.ter, over a slightly higher heat (golden-brown, not black-brown), and put them on their dish in the oven set at gas 2, 150C (300F) to complete their cooking while you cook the leeks in their juices, refreshed with the remaining b.u.t.ter. If something is served before the sole, this really must be done between courses. Unfortunately the new French cookery depends for its light effect on brief cooking and prompt service. Easy to manage if you have help in the kitchen that you can trust, or if you always eat in the kitchen and do not mind leaving the table to cook between courses. If your problem is the lack of a second fish pan, remember that the sole will survive waiting around better than the leek shreds. Brown the sole in turn, using half the b.u.t.ter, over a slightly higher heat (golden-brown, not black-brown), and put them on their dish in the oven set at gas 2, 150C (300F) to complete their cooking while you cook the leeks in their juices, refreshed with the remaining b.u.t.ter. If something is served before the sole, this really must be done between courses.

SOLE MOUSSELINE WITH b.u.t.tER AND CREAM SAUCE.

I think it was Drew Smith, editor of the Good Food Guide Good Food Guide, who remarked that Dover sole brought out the worst in chefs: he was thinking of the enormous list of sole recipes in Escoffier's Guide Culinaire Guide Culinaire I suspect. Reading it, you do feel that the fish has been submerged in champagne, cheese sauce, grapes, potato b.a.l.l.s, cuc.u.mber b.a.l.l.s, turned mushrooms, oysters, truffles, aubergines, sliced oranges, crayfish, smoked salmon, asparagus, spaghetti and lobster sauce, until it seems to have no existence of its own except in the floury hands of the miller's wife. But then she had nothing to cook it with but b.u.t.ter. Temptation was not her problem, temptation of that kind at least. I suspect. Reading it, you do feel that the fish has been submerged in champagne, cheese sauce, grapes, potato b.a.l.l.s, cuc.u.mber b.a.l.l.s, turned mushrooms, oysters, truffles, aubergines, sliced oranges, crayfish, smoked salmon, asparagus, spaghetti and lobster sauce, until it seems to have no existence of its own except in the floury hands of the miller's wife. But then she had nothing to cook it with but b.u.t.ter. Temptation was not her problem, temptation of that kind at least.

Today, chefs have calmed down and produce restrained dishes of sole that depend on good fresh fish and a few simple ingredients of quality to set it off. In this, Colin Wood of the Old House Hotel in the Square at Wickham in Hamps.h.i.+re learned well from his training at the Box Tree at Ilkley (see their sole recipe on their sole recipe on p. 394 p. 394).

Serves 4100 g (34 oz) filleted sole2 medium eggs150 ml (5 fl oz) double creamsalt, peppermilkparsleySAUCE125 ml (4 fl oz) dry white wine125 ml (4 fl oz) white wine vinegar medium onion, chopped1 bay leaf250 ml (8 fl oz) double cream30 g (1 oz) b.u.t.tersalt, peppershreds of carrot and leek Chill the processor bowl or liquidizer. Chop sole roughly and reduce to a paste in the chilled processor or liquidizer. Add the eggs, and when everything is smooth, pour in the cream. Taste the mixture for seasoning. Turn into a bowl, cover and chill for 2 hours.

To make the sauce, reduce by two-thirds the wine and vinegar with the onion and bay leaf. Add the cream and boil 1 minute keep tasting and remove the bay leaf before it becomes too strong. Beat in the b.u.t.ter and season to taste.

Boil the matchstick shreds of carrot for 1 minute, add the leek and return to the boil. Tip into a sieve and cool under the running tap. Keep on one side.

For the final cooking of the mousseline, prepare a shallow pan half full of milk and bring it to simmering point. Adjust the heat to keep it this way. Using two tablespoons, shape an 'egg' of mousseline and slip it into the milk to poach for 5 minutes turning it once. Do the same thing with the remaining mousseline, as quickly and neatly as you can, to give you 4 'eggs'.

Meanwhile, reheat the sauce gently and stir in the vegetable strips. Put each mousseline on a plate. Coat it with the sauce, which should run down on to the plate. Sprinkle the top with a pinch of parsley and serve immediately.

SOLE SUR LE PLAT.

This is one of the simplest ways of cooking sole, baked in the oven, preferably with wine. There are many variations possible with this excellent method.

The recipes which follow are all for 2 people; they require a sole weighing about 500 g (1 lb).

l large sole, skinned and trimmedsalt, freshly ground black peppernut of b.u.t.ter4 tablespoons dry white wine4 tablespoons fish stock*juice of lemonsprigs of cress1 handful of curly endivelemon wedges and strips of zest Rinse and dry the sole, then season it. b.u.t.ter an ovenproof oval plate or dish and add the sole. Pour the wine and stock over it, with a few drops of the lemon juice. Bake in the oven preheated to gas 6, 200C (400F) for about 8 minutes, basting with the juices twice. (The sole should be almost done.) Taste the juices and add more lemon if necessary.

Put the sole under a very hot grill just to glaze the fish and complete the cooking. Transfer to a warmed plate and garnish with sprigs of cress, curly endive, lemon wedges and strips of zest.

VARIATIONS The variations on this simple theme are endless: you can work up the juices with b.u.t.ter, or cream and b.u.t.ter. You can put the fish on to a bed of lightly cooked tomato with a little onion. Instead of the white wine and stock, you can use a splendid red Burgundy omit the lemon, add a slice or two of onion and thicken the sauce lightly with beurre manie. The variations on this simple theme are endless: you can work up the juices with b.u.t.ter, or cream and b.u.t.ter. You can put the fish on to a bed of lightly cooked tomato with a little onion. Instead of the white wine and stock, you can use a splendid red Burgundy omit the lemon, add a slice or two of onion and thicken the sauce lightly with beurre manie.

SOLE FLORENTINE Bake the sole in fish fumet*, in a b.u.t.tered dish. Spread a layer of cooked, well drained, and b.u.t.tered spinach on a serving dish. Lay the sole on top. Cover with Mornay sauce*, then sprinkle on some grated cheese Gruyere and Parmesan are best and glaze under a hot grill. Bake the sole in fish fumet*, in a b.u.t.tered dish. Spread a layer of cooked, well drained, and b.u.t.tered spinach on a serving dish. Lay the sole on top. Cover with Mornay sauce*, then sprinkle on some grated cheese Gruyere and Parmesan are best and glaze under a hot grill.

SOLE SUR LE PLAT AUX MOULES Open 600 ml (1 pt) of mussels in the usual way ( Open 600 ml (1 pt) of mussels in the usual way (p. 239); remove from their sh.e.l.ls. Use the strained mussel liquor to replace the water in the Sole sur le plat recipe, and add a shallot chopped almost to pulp. When the sole is cooked, place the mussels round it and sprinkle the sole with a mixture of parsley and white breadcrumbs. Cook a moment or two longer under the grill and serve.

SOLE WITH CIDER.

Our best meal of the tour of Great Britain whilst researching for British Cookery British Cookery, was at the Box Tree in Ilkley and was as good as any I have had in France in recent years. We arrived on a pouring night, feeling damp and sceptical. Kindly girls removed dripping umbrellas. Warm Yorks.h.i.+re voices sounded piquant and welcoming among the treasures that Malcolm Reid and Colin Long had collected over the years.

They started off nearly forty years ago with a snack bar in Leeds; then came a tea-room in Ilkley which stretched and grew into the sequence of rooms we see today like some fairy-tale cottage, small outside, endless within. (Helen Avis now owns the restaurant.) Here is one of their deceptively simple recipes to test your skill not just as a cook, but as a buyer of fish since you need sole from the top of the catch.

Serves 2750 g (1 lb) sole, filleted30 g (1 oz) b.u.t.ter275 ml (9 fl oz) dry cider90 ml (3 fl oz) water2 rounded teaspoons plain flourlemon juice, salt, pepper2 rounded teaspoons chopped parsley2 tablespoons single cream Fold fillets over, skinned side under. Lay in an ovenproof dish rubbed with a little of the b.u.t.ter. Pour on liquids, lay b.u.t.ter papers on top, and poach in the oven preheated to gas 4, 180C (350F) for 12-15 minutes. Keep an eye on it to avoid overcooking.

Meanwhile melt the rest of the b.u.t.ter in a small pan, stir in the flour off the heat, then return to the heat and cook gently for 2 minutes, stirring. Set aside until the sole is ready, then strain the liquor from the fish on to the b.u.t.ter and flour and cook the resulting sauce, stirring, until it loses any taste of flour. Season with a squeeze of lemon, salt and pepper. Add parsley and cream. Pour enough of the sauce over the sole fillets, arranged on a clean warm serving dish, to coat them nicely and serve at once.

SOLE WITH ORANGE SAUCE.

Serves 62 large sweet orangesjuice of 1 lemon3 large solesalt, freshly ground black pepper, cayenne300 ml (10 fl oz) fish stock*150 ml (5 fl oz) dry white wine6 tablespoons whipping cream3 large egg yolks175 g (6 oz) unsalted French b.u.t.terseasoned flourparsley or chervil, chopped With a zester remove the thin outer peel of one of the oranges. Reserve the fine shreds for the garnish. Squeeze both oranges and add the lemon juice.

Season the sole fillets, place them on a shallow dish and pour over half the citrus juice. Set aside for at least an hour.

To make the sauce: boil down the stock and wine to 150 ml (5 fl oz). Add the remaining citrus juice and boil again briefly. Stir in the cream, boil for 1 minute and then, off the heat, whisk in the egg yolks. Return to a very low heat and beat in two-thirds of the b.u.t.ter, bit by bit. Season to taste, pour into a sauceboat and keep warm.

Drain the fish, pat dry with kitchen paper and flour lightly. Cook gently in the remaining b.u.t.ter, then transfer it to a hot serving dish. Scatter with the herbs and orange zest and serve with the sauce.

VOL-AU-VENT a LA NORMANDE.

This is a fine dish which can be adjusted to suit the resources of your fishmonger. Turbot, brill or John Dory could be used instead of sole. Prawns instead of oysters (include their sh.e.l.ls when making stock for the sauce Normande).

Serves 6500750 g (11 lb) sole or other white fishdry cider or or dry white wine dry white wine12 oysters or or 18 cooked prawns or shrimps 18 cooked prawns or shrimps1 kg (2 lb) musselssauce Normande*, made very thick made very thick250 g (8 oz) mushrooms60 g (2 oz) b.u.t.terparsley, chopped1 large or 12 small baked vol-au-vent cases Poach the sole or other fish in just enough cider or wine to cover.

Open the oysters and mussels in the usual way (see pp. 254 pp. 254 and and 239 239); add juice with the sole juices to the sauce Normande. Cook the mushrooms gently in the b.u.t.ter: strain off the juice and add it to the sauce.

Divide the cooked sole or white fish into suitably small pieces. Reheat in the completed sauce with the oysters or prawns, and the mussels and mushrooms. Lastly mix in some parsley. Pour into the reheated vol-au-vent case(s) and serve immediately.

This is a recipe which can be prepared entirely in advance, apart from the final reheating.

SPANISH MACKEREL see see MACKEREL MACKEREL SPRAT see see A FEW WORDS ABOUT... SPRAT A FEW WORDS ABOUT... SPRAT