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By Root 998 0

which makes the sole such a desirable fish. It can also be used for lesser lights, lemon sole, flounders, brill and so on, but there is always something disappointing in the unresistant softness of their flesh.

Serves 2

1 chopped shallot

½ teaspoon finely chopped parsley

60 g (2 oz) mushrooms, chopped

1 large sole about 375–400 g (12–14 oz), cleaned and skinned

60 ml (2 fl oz) dry white wine

salt, pepper

juice of ½ lemon

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon plain flour

Rub an ovenproof oval dish with buttered paper. Put shallot, parsley and mushrooms over the base in an even layer and lay the sole on top. Pour the wine and the same amount of hot water over it, and season with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Cover with foil, and bake in a moderate oven, gas 4, 180°C (350°F) for 5 minutes. Meanwhile mash up one-third of the butter with the flour, to make beurre manié, and add it in little pieces to the sole liquor. Return to the oven until the sole is cooked – about 10 minutes, or a little longer.

Transfer the sole to a warm serving dish. Whisk the remaining butter into the cooking juices and pour over the sole. Put under a hot grill for a few minutes to brown lightly.

SOLE À LA FERMIÈRE

Fish cooked in red wine (in the style of the farmer’s wife) – another myth tumbles to the ground. Drink the rest of the bottle with the sole.

Serves 2

1 shallot, chopped

½ teaspoon chopped parsley

1 sprig of thyme

½ bay leaf

175 g (6 oz) mushrooms

1 large sole about 375–400 g (12–14 oz)

175 ml (6 fl oz) red wine

salt, pepper

75 g (2½ oz) butter

1 teaspoon plain flour

Grease an oval flameproof dish, and put in the shallot, parsley, thyme and bay leaf. Chop 60 g (2 oz) of the mushrooms, and add them. Lay the sole on top, pour in the wine, and add seasoning. Cover and cook gently on top of the stove until the sole is cooked. Meanwhile, slice the remaining mushrooms neatly and cook them in 30 g (1 oz) of the butter, tossing them about so that they are golden but still firm and in no danger of being overcooked. Arrange them round the edge of an oval serving dish, and place the cooked sole in the middle. Keep it warm while you finish the sauce. Boil it down to half quantity. Mash together the flour with an equal amount of butter to make a beurre manié and add it to the sauce in pieces. When the sauce is ready, whisk in the remaining butter off the heat, and strain it over the fish. Place under a hot grill for a moment or two to glaze.

SOLE À LA MEUNIÈRE

The miller has rarely enjoyed the respectful admiration of his fellow citizens. (Old remarks such as: ‘Hair grows in the palm of an honest miller’, were brought up to date not so long ago by an actress who described her ex-boss, owner of many flour mills and cinemas, as having ‘the sack in one hand and corn in the other’.) But the miller’s wife, la meunière, is another matter. In cooking at least her reputation is high. What could be more delicious than a fresh trout or sole, dipped in flour and fried golden brown in butter?

It is the ideal method to show off a fine, fresh fish and was invented, so the story goes, at Royat, near Clermont Ferrand, at the mill which is now an hotel, La Belle Meunière.

Sole meunière is not the dish for a large party, as it needs last minute attention: keep it as a special treat for 2 or 4 people. Although it is basically a simple dish, there is a snag. Butter burns at a low temperature. If you don’t want your beautiful fish to come to table with a covering of black flecks, you must clarify the butter first, see p. 14.

Serves 4

125g (4 oz), slightly salted butter

4 whole sole, skinned or 8 large fillets

seasoned flour

sprigs of parsley

lemon quarters

125 g (4 oz) unsalted butter

Clarify 125 g (4 oz) of the butter. Turn the fillets or skinned sole in seasoned flour and shake off the surplus. Fry until golden brown in the clarified butter, turning once. Remove to a hot serving dish and garnish with the parsley sprigs and lemon