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STURGEON, BAKED (a la Reine)

This is an expensive though a superior dish. Take a piece of sturgeon weighing about four pounds, cleanse thoroughly, skin it, roll, and bind it firmly with tape; put it into a saucepan with a glassful of vinegar and as much water as will cover it, and add a carrot, an onion, a little salt and pepper, and a bunch of sweet herbs. Let it simmer gently until done enough. Drain it, and let it cool. Prepare as much forcemeat of whiting as will entirely cover the surface of the sturgeon (see QUENELLES OF COD, SALMON, ETC.). Lay this on the fish, and smooth it with the blade of a knife dipped in hot water. Ornament with pink tongue, black truffles, and pickled gherkins cut into fancy shapes. Roll it in buttered paper, and fasten securely. Put it into a baking-dish, pour under it about a pint of the liquor in which it was boiled, and bake it, basting occasionally with its liquor, in a gentle oven. Place it on a dish, garnish with prawns and tufts of green parsley, and pour over it or serve with it a little well-made ravigote sauce. Time to bake the sturgeon, three-quarters of an hour. Sufficient for eight or ten persons. Probable cost, sturgeon, from 1s. 6d. per pound.