Practical gastronomy and culinary dictionary

Trim the fillets a little, range them closely, but neatly, on a buttered saute-pan or oval dish ; season with pepper and salt ; moisten with a few drops of lemon juice and the white wine ; cover with finely sliced onion, put buttered paper on top, and cook in the oven for about eight minutes. Put the milk in a small sauce- pan, add the bouquet garni, the bones and trimmings left from the sole, and a good pinch of aromatic season- ing, and the essence from the fillets. Let the whole reduce to about half the original quantity. Mix the flour with half the quantity of butter, and add to the stock thus made, previously strained. Stir with a whisk over the fire for about ten minutes, incorporate the grated cheese, and the remainder of the butter. Spread a layer of sauce on an oval flat silver dish, range the cooked fillets in a row on this, sauce over well, sprinkle thickly with grated cheese. Put the dish in a very brisk oven for five minutes, or under a hot salamander, to colour the surface, and serve. 334. Soles au Parmesan. — 2 medium- sized soles, 1 oz. flour, 1 table-spoonful mushroom juice, 2 oz. butter, 1^ oz. grated Parmesan, 1 gill of milk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Skin, trim, and wipe two medium- sized soles, place them in a buttered saute-pan, season with salt and pepper, pour over them the mushroom juice, cover wuth a buttered paper, and cook in the oven until done. This will take from fifteen to twenty minutes, according to the heat of the oven. In the meantime put the milk to boil, DRESSED FISH AND FISH ENTREES (HOT). 465 melt the butter in a stewpan, add the flour, and stir over the fire until the flour becomes of a fawn colour ; now add the boiling milk, about an ounce of the grated Parmesan cheese, and a little boiling water ; stir over the fire until it boils, let it simmer for about ten minutes, adding a little more water or fish stock, if you have any, if the sauce should appear too thick ; season with salt, pepper, and a little grated nutmeg. The soles being cooked by this time, place them on an oblong, flat dish, add the liquor which remains in the saute-pan to the sauce, strain it, and pour over the fish ; sprinkle with the grated Parmesan remaining. Place the dish in the oven or under a hot salamander just long enough for the top to take colour, and serve in the same dish. 335. Filets de Soles a la Xavier. — 2 medium-sized soles, I gill white wine, ^ oz. butter, salt, pepper, enough whiting forcemeat to fill a border mould, Xavier sauce, No. 159. Skin the soles, fillet them, tie each fillet in a knot, and place them on a buttered baking-sheet. Season with pepper and salt, add the \vine, cover with a piece of buttered paper, and cook for ten minutes in a quick oven. Butter a border mould, fill up with whiting force- meat. No. 228. Cook in the oven in a saute-pan half filled with boiling water for about twenty minutes. When done, turn out on a hot dish. Dress the cooked fillets in a circle on the border. Cover completely with hot Xavier sauce, No. 159. Sprinkle a few drops of liquid meat glaze over the surface, and serve. Use the fish bones and essence of the fillets in making the above sauce.