Page:Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management.djvu/452

390 Time.—About 40 minutes. Average Cost, 2s. 3d. Sufficient for 2 or 3 persons. Seasonable at any time.

Sole à la Maître d'Hôtel is dressed and served in precisely the same way as Sole à la Crême, with the addition of a dessertspoonful of finely-chopped parsley and a teaspoonful of lemon-juice, both of which must be stirred into the sauce just before serving.

Ingredients.—2 large soles, 1 whiting, 3 ozs. of breadcrumbs, 3 ozs. of butter, the yolks of 4 eggs, 2 ozs. of lobster-meat, 1 oz. of lobster butter, 2 tablespoonfuls of cream, 1 finely-chopped shallot, 1 gill of white wine, 1 dessertspoonful of chopped parsley, lemon-juice, pepper and salt, 8 small croûtes of fine bread, 8 mushroom heads, 1 truffle, ½ an oz. of flour, ½ a pint of white stock.

Method.—Skin the soles, remove the fillets, flatten them a little. Put the bones in a stewpan with ½ a pint of water and the stock, reduce to half the quantity, and strain. Skin and bone the whiting, pound in a mortar till smooth. Moisten the breadcrumbs with the cream, add these to the pounded fish with the shallot and lobster-meat, pound and mix thoroughly. Now add 1½ ozs. of butter and yolks of 3 eggs, season with pepper and salt, mix in a teaspoonful of chopped parsley and rub through a sieve. Spread one side of each fillet with the forcemeat, roll up, trim a little, and wrap each fillet in a piece of buttered paper. Place them closely in a buttered sauté-pan, sprinkle with a few drops of lemon-juice, cook for 5 minutes in the oven, then add the wine, baste well, and cook for another 10 minutes, or longer if required. Spread one side of each croûte with the remaining forcemeat, and bake for a few minutes. Take up the fillets, remove the paper, place upright on the croûtes, put a mushroom head on each, and keep hot. In the meantime, knead 1 oz. of butter with the flour, stir over the fire for a few minutes, add the liquor of the fillets and the reduced stock, stir until it boils, and simmer for 15 minutes. Bind with the yolk of egg, strain, work in the lobster-butter, and season to taste. Dish up the paupiettes, sauce over, sprinkle with chopped parsley, place a star of truffle in the centre of each, and serve.

Time.—About 1 hour. Average Cost, 5s. to 5s. 6d. Sufficient for 8 persons. Seasonable at any time.