CHAUDFROID OF SOLES

Marinate the fillets of three soles in seasoned lemon-juice. Chop half a dozen mushrooms and cook for five minutes in b.u.t.ter, [Page 400]

seasoned with pepper and salt. Add enough bread-crumbs to make a smooth paste, cool, and spread on the fillets. Fold each piece of fish so that the stuffing will be in the middle, arrange on a b.u.t.tered baking-dish, cook in a moderate oven, and cool. Cook together one tablespoonful each of b.u.t.ter and flour, and add one cupful of fish stock made from the bones and tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs of the soles.

Take from the fire, add a little cream, and stir until cold. Pour the sauce over the fillets, garnish with lemon, parsley, and hard-boiled eggs, and serve very cold.

FRITTERS OF SOLE

Rub two tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter into half a pound of flour, add a pinch of salt, the beaten yolk of an egg, and enough cold water to make a very stiff paste. Roll the paste very thin and cut into pieces large enough to wrap fillets of sole, which have been seasoned with pepper and salt, and lemon-juice. Fry in deep fat and serve with Tartar Sauce.

[Page 401]

TWENTY-FIVE WAYS TO COOK STURGEON

BOILED STURGEON--I

Cover a cut of sturgeon with salted and acidulated water. Add an onion, six cloves, a slice of carrot, three bay-leaves, a small bunch of parsley, and a cupful of wine. Simmer slowly until done, drain, and serve with some of the cooking liquor thickened with flour, browned in b.u.t.ter.

BOILED STURGEON--II

Boil the fish in court bouillon and serve with Drawn-b.u.t.ter Sauce.

BROILED STURGEON STEAKS--I

Parboil sturgeon steaks for fifteen minutes, drain, wipe dry, season with salt and pepper, and broil. Serve with melted b.u.t.ter or Maitre d'Hotel Sauce.

BROILED STURGEON STEAKS--II

Skin and soak for an hour in cold salted [Page 402]

water. Drain, wipe dry, and soak for an hour in a marinade of oil and vinegar. Drain and broil. Serve with melted b.u.t.ter and lemon-juice.

BROILED STURGEON STEAKS--III

Skin the steaks and soak in cold, salted water for an hour, drain, season, and broil, basting with melted b.u.t.ter as required. Season with melted b.u.t.ter and garnish with lemon quarters and parsley.

Or, brown a tablespoonful of flour in b.u.t.ter, add half a cupful of cold water and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Season with salt, lemon-juice, and Worcestershire Sauce, or anchovy essence.

Bring to the boil, pour over the fish, and serve.

FRIED STURGEON--I

Parboil slices of sturgeon in milk for fifteen minutes, drain, dip in beaten egg, then in seasoned flour, and fry brown in b.u.t.ter.

FRIED STURGEON--II

Cut the fish into cutlets, dredge with flour, dip into egg and crumbs, and saute in a frying-pan. Drain off the fat, add a little flour and cook to a smooth paste. Add boiling water to make a sauce, and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Season with grated onion, [Page 403]

pepper and salt and sweet herbs. Reheat the fish in the sauce, squeeze in the juice of half a lemon, and serve.

FRIED STURGEON--III

Cut sturgeon steaks into small cutlets. Dip into egg and crumbs, fry in fat to cover, and serve with any preferred sauce.

BAKED STURGEON--I

Skin a large cut of sturgeon, parboil for fifteen minutes, drain, cover with a marinade of oil and vinegar, and let stand for an hour.

Gash the surface deeply and fill the incision with a force meat of bread-crumbs and minced salt pork, seasoning with lemon-juice, pepper, and minced parsley, and adding enough melted b.u.t.ter to make smooth. Cover, add enough boiling water to keep from burning, and bake, basting frequently.

BAKED STURGEON--II

Skin a large cut of sturgeon, parboil for fifteen minutes, drain, and cool. Rub with a marinade of oil and vinegar, cover, and bake with enough water to keep from burning. Serve with Caper Sauce.

[Page 404]

BAKED STURGEON--III

Skin a six-pound cut of sturgeon and parboil for twenty minutes.

Drain and put into a baking-pan on a layer of thinly sliced bacon.

Add enough boiling water to keep from burning, and bake until done, basting often.

BAKED STURGEON--IV

Skin a six-pound cut of sturgeon, soak in salted water for an hour, drain, and parboil in fresh water. Make a stuffing of bread-crumbs, chopped salt pork, sweet herbs, and enough melted b.u.t.ter to make a smooth paste. Score the upper-side of the fish deeply and fill the gashes with the stuffing. Put in a b.u.t.tered baking-pan with enough water to keep from burning, and bake for an hour, basting as required. Serve with Drawn-b.u.t.ter Sauce, seasoned with capers and catsup.

BAKED STURGEON--V

Cover a b.u.t.tered baking-pan with thin slices of salt pork. Sprinkle with chopped carrot, turnip, and onion, and lay a thick cut of sturgeon upon it. Season the fish with salt, pepper, and lemon-juice, and cover with thin slices of pork. Cook for ten minutes, [Page 405]

then add one cupful of boiling water, and cook slowly, basting as required. Dredge with seasoned flour after each basting, and add more boiling water if necessary. After the fish has cooked for an hour, remove the pork, and drop it into the pan. Pour a winegla.s.sful of Sherry over the fish, spread with b.u.t.ter, and dredge thickly with flour. Bake until the fish is a rich brown color. Take out the pork and add enough boiling water to the liquid in the pan to make the required quant.i.ty of sauce. Thicken with b.u.t.ter and flour cooked together, strain, and serve with the fish.

STURGEON a LA CARDINAL

Clean two pounds of sturgeon, bind into shape with tape, and put it into a b.u.t.tered saucepan with acidulated water to cover. Add an onion, four cloves, a blade of mace, a sliced carrot, and a bunch of sweet herbs. Simmer gently until the fish is done and serve with Lobster Sauce.

STURGEON a LA FRANcAISE

Skin and clean a five-pound cut of sturgeon, and tie into shape with strings. Put into a b.u.t.tered saucepan with sliced carrots and onions, a bunch of parsley, three blades of mace, three cloves [Page 406]

of garlic, and salt and pepper to season. Add red wine and white stock in equal parts to cover. Simmer until done, drain, and keep warm. Take enough of the strained liquid to make a sauce, and thicken with b.u.t.ter and flour cooked together. Take from the fire, add a tablespoonful of anchovy essence, a dash of paprika, two tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter, and the juice of a lemon. Pour over the fish and serve.

STURGEON a LA NORMANDY

Remove the skin from a five-pound cut of sturgeon, cover with thin slices of salt pork, and tie into shape with a string. Put into a saucepan with sliced vegetables, two tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter, one cupful of white wine, two cupfuls of white stock, a little oyster or mussel liquor, and salt and sweet herbs to season. Cover and cook slowly for an hour, basting with the liquid frequently.

When done, drain the fish, and keep warm. Strain the liquid, skim off the fat, thicken with a tablespoonful each of b.u.t.ter and flour cooked together, take from the fire, add the yolks of four eggs beaten with the juice of a lemon, and two tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter in small bits. Take the pork off the sturgeon, pour the sauce over, and serve.

[Page 407]

STURGEON a LA RUSSE

Soak two pounds of sturgeon in salted water to cover for ten or twelve hours. Drain and marinate in vinegar for an hour. Put it into a fish-kettle with boiling water to cover, adding two onions, a bunch of sweet herbs, and a little salt. When nearly done drain, dredge with flour, and brown in the oven, basting with melted b.u.t.ter.

Bone and skin two anchovies and put them into a saucepan with a winegla.s.sful of white wine, a small onion, a bit of lemon-peel, and a cupful of stock. Boil for five minutes, strain, thicken with flour and b.u.t.ter cooked together, take from the fire, add two tablespoonfuls of cream, and pour over the fish, or serve separately.

STEWED STURGEON--I

Marinate slices of sturgeon in vinegar for ten minutes. Drain, dry, dredge with flour, and fry brown in hot fat. Add enough veal stock to cover the fish, and a winegla.s.sful of Madeira; cover and simmer for an hour. Add a tablespoonful of capers and serve.