Filets de Soles Lady Egmont

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •2-quart (2-liter) broiler-safe earthenware or ceramic gratin dish
• •Small heavy-bottomed saucepan
• •Small skillet
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Heatproof 1-cup (240 ml) measuring cup
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Blanch the asparagus

   Position an oven rack about 6 inches (15 cm) below the broiler and heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Bring a small saucepan of well-salted water to a boil, add the asparagus tips, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until brilliant green and barely tender. Drain them thoroughly and keep them warm under a loose cover; do not cool them in water, because the original garnish depends on asparagus that reaches the sauce hot and dry.

   Water clinging to the asparagus thins the finished sauce. Drain the tips on a folded towel after the colander has done its work.
2. 2

   Cook the mushrooms

   Melt the tablespoon of butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the minced mushrooms, lemon juice, a pinch of the salt, and half the white pepper. Cook briskly for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until the mushrooms are tender and glossy but not browned. Tip them into a fine sieve set over a bowl and capture every drop of their buttery cooking liquor. Keep the mushrooms warm.

3. 3

   Fold and poach

   Season the sole lightly with the remaining salt and pepper. Fold each fillet with its skinned side inward, tucking the thin tail end beneath so every parcel has an even thickness, then arrange the fillets snugly in a 2-quart (2-liter) broiler-safe earthenware gratin dish. Warm the fumet until just below a simmer and pour it around, not over, the fish. Cover the dish tightly with parchment and foil, then oven-poach for 7 to 10 minutes. The edges should be opaque and the centers pearly but no longer translucent; the thickest fold should reach about 140°F (60°C), with the final glaze carrying it to 145°F (63°C).

   If the fillets vary in size, remove the smallest as soon as it is ready and return it for glazing. Delicate fish rewards attention, not strict obedience to the clock.
4. 4

   Reduce by half

   Switch the oven to its highest broiler setting. Draw the poaching liquor from the gratin dish into a heatproof measuring cup, keeping the folded fillets covered and warm. Add the reserved mushroom cooking liquor and note the combined volume, then pour it into the clean saucepan. Boil briskly until exactly half remains, usually 3 to 5 minutes. This réduction, boiling down to concentrate flavor, is the spine of the sauce. If you reduce too far, add enough fumet or water to restore the half measure. Ça se rattrape.

   Measure the liquid rather than trusting the clock. Pan width and heat alter the timing, but half remains half in every kitchen.
5. 5

   Monter au beurre

   Lower the heat, add the cream to the reduced liquor, and let it bubble gently for 30 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the cold butter a few cubes at a time until the sauce is smooth, ivory, and glossy. This is monter au beurre, finishing the sauce by emulsifying it with butter. Fold in the warm mushrooms and asparagus tips without crushing them. If the sauce turns oily, set the pan over a bowl of cool water and whisk in 1 teaspoon of cold water until it comes together. Ça se rattrape. Once mounted, the sauce must not boil.

6. 6

   Coat and glaze

   Spoon the sauce and garnish evenly over the folded sole. Set the gratin dish beneath the fierce broiler for 30 to 60 seconds, watching without looking away, until the sauce gleams, trembles at the rim, and takes a few pale-gold freckles. The broiler is glazing the sauce, not cooking the fish again. If an oily ring appears, pull the dish immediately, spoon the sauce back into the pan, whisk in a teaspoon of cold water off the heat, and recoat the fillets. Bring the earthenware dish straight to the table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask the fishmonger to skin two medium soles and give you eight neat fillets. Dover sole holds its folded shape beautifully; lemon sole or thin flounder can stand in, but they are more fragile and may poach a minute sooner.
• •The fumet must taste clean, delicate, and only moderately salted before reduction. A harsh or salty fumet becomes harsher and saltier when boiled to half, and no quantity of cream can persuade it otherwise.
• •Use small, tender asparagus tips. When fresh asparagus is woody or tired, frozen tips are the honest preserved choice; warm them briefly, drain them very well, and accept that their texture will be softer.
• •Serve with buttered new potatoes or plain rice, something quiet enough to collect the sauce. A dry, mineral white such as Chablis or Muscadet keeps its footing beside the cream and delicate fish.

Advance Preparation

• •The fine fumet may be prepared up to 2 days ahead and kept chilled, or frozen in measured portions. Bring only the required amount to the stove.
• •Clean and mince the mushrooms and trim the asparagus up to 4 hours ahead, keeping them separately covered and chilled. Blanch the asparagus only when cooking begins so it reaches the sauce warm and bright.
• •The sole may be folded and arranged in its gratin dish up to 30 minutes ahead, then covered and chilled. Once poached, the dish should proceed directly through sauce and glaze without waiting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 210g)