James Beard's New Fish Cookery - James Beard [110]
VARIATIONS
1. Arrange the quenelles on a bed of spinach, top with sauce Mornay, sprinkle with grated cheese, and run under the broiler for a few minutes.
2. Prepare a white wine sauce (page 23). Add small sautéed onions, sautéed mushrooms, and chopped parsley. Add the quenelles to the sauce and heat thoroughly.
QUENELLES DE BROCHET II
This recipe for quenelles may be a little simpler than the one above.
1/2 cup hot water
3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 pound of pike
6 ounces kidney fat, finely chopped
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Nutmeg
3 egg whites
1/2 cup heavy cream
Put the hot water and 1/4 cup of the butter in saucepan. When the butter is melted and the water boiling, add the flour and salt sifted together and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan and forms a ball in the middle. Remove from the heat and continue beating with the spoon, or use an electric beater. Cool for 10 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and continue beating until the mixture is waxy and smooth. Cool.
Put the fish through the fine grinder several times, pound it in a mortar, or use a food processor. Work it well in a heavy bowl with a wooden spoon. Gradually add the kidney fat and the pâte à choux (the butter, flour, and egg mixture that you prepared). Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Work in the egg whites, the remaining 1/2 cup butter, and the cream. Work the mixture thoroughly until it is smooth and satiny. Chill for 24 hours.
Form into small oval cakes and poach as in the preceding recipe. Serve with a rich sauce and garnish with fried toast.
PIKE PUDDING OR MOLD
1 pound pike fillets
1 cup heavy béchamel sauce (page 23)
1 egg
3 egg yolks
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Grind the fish very fine. Then pound it in a mortar or give it a second grinding. Beat it with a wooden spoon until it forms a paste. Blend in the béchamel. Gradually work in the egg and the extra yolks. Force the mixture through a fine sieve or a food mill. Season it to taste and pour it into a well-buttered earthenware casserole with straight sides. (A copper or glass oven dish with fairly straight sides will do.)
Place the casserole in a pan of hot water and bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes, or until just set. Unmold on a hot platter and surround with shrimp sauce (page 21) or sauce Béarnaise (page 26). Garnish with cooked shrimp and sprigs of parsley.
MOUSSE OF PIKE
See halibut mousse, page 129.
POACHED PIKE
Pike lends itself to poaching even better than most fish. It can be poached whole or in 3-to-4-pound pieces. Wrap the fish in cheese-cloth, poach in a white wine court bouillon (pages 19–20) according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 12). Serve it with Hollandaise (pages 25–26), Béarnaise (page 26), duxelles (page 27), or shrimp sauce (page 21), or with anchovy (page 32) or lemon butter (page 31).
VARIATIONS
1. Prepare a court bouillon as follows:
Chop fine 8 to 10 shallots or 12 green onions, 2 cloves garlic, 1 leek, 2 or 3 carrots and plenty of parsley; add 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, 1 bay leaf, and a heaping spoonful of thyme. Cover with white wine and let stand for 3 hours. Put it on the stove and slowly bring it to a boil. Add the fish and poach according to the Canadian cooking theory (page 12). Remove the fish to a hot platter.
Strain the bouillon through a fine sieve or food mill. Reduce it quickly to 2 cups. Add 1 cup of heavy cream and 4 or 5 egg yolks. Stir well until thickened, being careful that the mixture does not boil. Cream 4 to 5 tablespoons of butter with a little flour and add it to the sauce. Stir until smooth, taste for seasoning, and pour over the fish.
Serve with plain boiled potatoes and follow with a