—Prepare the fillets of two medium sized fine soles as for [No. 1421]. Season them with a teaspoonful of salt mixed with half a teaspoonful of pepper; keep them on a dish for further action. Have in a sautoire on the hot range one tablespoonful of butter well heated; add to it half a medium-sized sound, peeled, finely chopped onion; let slowly simmer without browning for three minutes, then add eight minced mushrooms, one teaspoonful of fresh, finely chopped parsley, half a teaspoonful of chopped chervil; season with a teaspoonful of salt, and half a teaspoonful of pepper, mix all well together while cooking for one minute, then moisten with two tablespoonfuls of white wine, and reduce until almost dry, then leave the sautoire on the corner of the range. Have in a small saucepan on the hot range, one tablespoonful of good butter well mixed with two tablespoonfuls of flour; let slowly cook for five minutes without browning, then gradually add a cupful of hot milk, briskly stirring while adding; boil for two minutes, then strain it through a sieve into the sautoire with the other preparation, mix all well together with the spatula while cooking for two minutes longer, and leave on the corner of the range. Lightly butter a silver dish, carefully place in the eight fillets, one overlapping another, all around the dish, in curb-chain shape; moisten their surface with a tablespoonful of white wine, sprinkle just a little clarified butter over them, and place in the hot oven for three minutes. Remove from out the oven, arrange eight whole fine mushrooms outside and all around the fillets, so that the stalk of each mushroom should be in each curb-chain and the button outside.
Place then the garnishing over the fillets evenly divided; sprinkle again a very little clarified butter over all. Place in the hot oven to bake for five minutes. Take from out the oven, squeeze the juice of half a sound lemon over the fillets, and then send to the table.
1427. Fillets of Sole à la Gen. Sherman.
—Have eight fillets of sole prepared exactly the same as in [No. 1421], and proceed with the garnishing precisely the same as [No. 1426], only before placing them in the oven the first time, add twelve small, sound, freshly opened oysters, placing them right in the centre of the dish, and moistening the surface of the fillets with the liquor of the oysters instead of the wine; place in the hot oven for three minutes, and then continue the same operation.
1428. Fillets of Sole à la Cornelius Vanderbilt.
—Prepare the fillets of two medium-sized fine fresh soles, as for [No. 1421], place the six largest ones on a plate, season them with a teaspoonful of salt, and half a teaspoonful of pepper mixed together; lay them in the ice-box till further action. Put the two remaining fillets in the mortar, pound them until they are a perfect paste, then add the white of one egg, thoroughly mix together, gradually add half a cup of sweet cream, sharply and continually stir with the pounder while adding it, season with a teaspoonful of salt, and the third of a saltspoonful of cayenne pepper, also a very little grated nutmeg, sharply mix the whole together for one minute; remove it from the mortar, pass it through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing it with a wooden spoon. Take the six fillets from the ice-box, carefully make an incision at the side of each, right in the centre, three inches in length by one and a half in width. Place half of the preparation in a paper cornet, and with it equally stuff the six fillets. Lightly butter a pan (a tin one by preference) large enough to easily hold the fillets. Have six small, well-cleaned fresh smelts four inches in length; then with a keen, small knife carefully cut each smelt, beginning right in the centre at the base of the head, following down the back bone right through to the tail, cutting it entirely through, so that the head will hold both parts; remove the back bone of each, then arrange a smelt on top of each fillet lengthwise, and with the fingers twist each fillet of the smelt inwardly, up to the base of the head, so that they will represent two rings three-quarters of an inch in diameter; proceed the same with all. Place the rest of the force in a paper cornet, gently press the preparation into each ring of the smelts, up to the surface. Cut with a tube, half an inch in diameter, a good sized, sound, truffle; then slice it into twelve even pieces, arrange one slice right in the centre of each ring over the force, sprinkle a very little clarified butter over all; pour on the bottom of the pan half a glass of white wine and half a glass of mushroom liquor or white broth. Cover all with a buttered paper, and place in a moderate oven to bake for eighteen minutes. Remove from out the oven, take the paper off, then with a palette knife, or a cake turner, lift up the fillets one by one, and dress them on a very hot dish. Add either half a cup of mushroom liquor or white broth ([No. 99]) to the gravy in the pan, place it on the range, and let boil for one minute; then strain it into a saucepan on the range, add to it a teaspoonful of anchovy sauce, squeeze in the juice of half a sound lemon, and finally pour in half a gill of Espagnole sauce ([No. 151]), boil for one minute more, and then pour in the gravy around the fillets, but not over them, and send to the table.
1429. Fillets of Sole à la E. A. Buck.
—Have the fillets of two medium sized fine, fresh, soles prepared as in [No. 1421], place six of them on a plate. Season with a teaspoonful of salt and half a teaspoonful of pepper, and lay them aside till wanted. Place in a saucepan one finely chopped shallot, a teaspoonful of freshly chopped parsley, half a teaspoonful of freshly chopped chervil, and moisten with two wine glasses of white wine. Reduce on the hot range to one-quarter. Cut the two reserved fillets into very small dice-shaped pieces, and add them to the rest in the pan; then cook the whole for five minutes longer, thicken with a tablespoonful of Allemande sauce ([No. 210]), adding at the same time a tablespoonful of very good butter; mix well together, and leave the pan on the corner of the range to keep warm. Thoroughly heat, in a pan on the hot range, half a gill of clarified butter, then place into it the six fillets as rapidly as possible to fry on one side only, for one minute; immediately remove them from the pan, and place them on a napkin to dry. Lightly butter a silver dish, arrange the fillets over it, the cooked side up, in crown shape. Place the above preparation evenly over each fillet, right in the centre, and with a table knife give them a pretty dome shape, covering the fillets entirely. Sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese over each, also a very little clarified butter, then place them in the hot oven to bake for eight minutes, so that they should obtain a good golden color. Remove from out the oven, pour a gill of hot tomato sauce ([No. 205]) around the dish, but none over the fillets, and then send to the table.
1430. Fillets of Sole à la Marguerite.
—Prepare the fillets of two fine fresh soles the same as in [No. 1421], place them on a dish, season with a teaspoonful of salt, and half a teaspoonful of white pepper; turn, fold under about one inch of each fillet, place them in a buttered sautoire, pour over half a glassful of white wine, and half a glassful of mushroom liquor, cover with a buttered paper, and lay aside till further action.