A guide to modern cookery

Whatever be the method adopted, always skin the fillets thoroughly; i.e., remove the thin membrane which lies beneath the skin, the tendency of which, during the cooking process, is to shrink and thereby disfigure the fillet. This done, flatten out the fillets with the broad side of a wet knife, and trim them slightly if necessary. The poaching of fillets of sole must be effected without allowing the cookingliquor to boil, the object being to prevent the pieces losing their shape. Fillets should also be kept very white. In cases where the exact amount of the poaching-liquor is not given, allow one-quarter pint to every four fillets, 7.e., to every sole. 865—FILETS DE SOLES AMERICAINE Arrange the folded fillets in a deep, buttered dish, and poach them in fish fumet. Drain, and dish them in the form of an oval, letting them overlap one another with their tail-ends hidden. Garnish the centre of the dish with slices of lobster prepared a l’américaine (No. 939), and coat the whole with the lobster’s sauce. ‘i 866—FILETS DE SOLES ANGLAISE Treat the fillets a l’anglaise with fresh and fine bread-crumbs. Pat the bread-crumbs over the egg with the flat of a knife, that the two may be well combined; and, with the back of a knife, criss-cross the coating of the fillets. Cook them gently in clarified butter. Serve on a hot dish, and sprinkle the fillets with half-melted butter a la maitred’hétel. 867—FILETS DE SOLES ANDALOUSE Coat the upper sides of the fillets with fish forcemeat combined, per pound, with three oz. of chopped capsicum. Roll them up, after the manner of a scroll (see No. 914), and smooth the forcemeat on the top. Poach the fillets in butter and fish fumet. The following should have been prepared beforehand :— (1) As many small half-tomatoes, stewed in butter and garnished by means of risotto with capsicums, as there are fillets of sole; (2) the same number of roundels of egg-plant, seasoned, dredged, and fried in oil. When dishing, arrange the roundels of egg-plant round the dish; place a stuffed tomato on each roundel of egg-plant, and a poached fillet of sole upon each tomato. Sprinkle with lightly-browned butter, and serve at once. 868—FILETS DE SOLES CAPRICE Dip the fillets in melted, seasoned butter, and. then roll them in fresh and fine bread-crumbs. Pat the bread-crumbs with the flat of the knife, and with the back of the same instrument criss-cross the surface of the fillets. Sprinkle with melted butter, and set to grill gently, taking care that the coating of bread-crumbs acquires a nice, light-brown colour. Lay on each grilled fillet the half of a peeled banana, cooked in butter, and send to the table, separately, a Roberts sauce Escoffier, finished with butter. 869—FILETS DE SOLES CATALANE Poach, in the oven, as many emptied and seasoned halftomatoes as there are fillets of sole. Cook some very finelyminced onion in oil, without letting it acquire any colour, and allow one tablespoonful of the onion to each half-tomato. Fold the fillets of sole, and poach them in fish fumet just a few minutes before dishing them. Garnish the half-tomatoes with onion; arrange them in a circle on a dish, and place a fillet of sole upon each. Quickly reduce the cooking-liquor of the fillets, and finish it with butter in the proportion of one oz per one-eighth pint of reduced fumet. Coat the fillets and set to glaze quickly. 870—FILETS DE SOLES CLARENCE Fold the fillets, and poach them in fish fumet. They may be dished after the two following methods :—