Soles a la Richelieu—Fillets

Raise twelve fillets from the soles; pare them their whole length and flatten; season and lay them on a buttered raised-edged baking tin with the parings and bones, half a bottle of white wine, sprigs of parsley, bay leaf, salt, and whole peppers; make a court bouillon by boiling twenty minutes; strain it, and cover the fillets, and poach them partially only; a few moments will suffice for this. Drain and range them on another clean baking sheet, covering over with a buttered paper, and let get cold under a weight, then pare them once more; strain the above stock, skim off the fat, and reduce it to a half-glaze, incorporating it slowly into a little espagnole sauce (No. 414) with the oyster and mushroom broth. When the sauce is of a sufficient succulence strain and keep it in a bain-marie. Make a pike forcemeat (No. 76). Butter some oval rings three and one-half inches by one and three-quarter inches, and a quarter of an inch thick, lay these on sheets of buttered paper, fill them with pike forcemeat; smooth nicely, and range on top the pared fillets; set the rings on a baking sheet one beside another, cover with buttered paper cut in the desirable size. This operation may be performed a few hours before dinner time, that is if the baking sheets can be kept on ice to prevent the forcemeat from souring. Fifteen minutes before serving set the sheets in a slow oven to heat the fillets, and poach the forcemeat. After taking them out lift off the paper, then with a fish skimmer remove each bed of forcemeat and fillets without disarranging them whatever, remove the rings and the paper, dress at once on a dish and surround with very hot garnishing of twelve quenelles godiveau of pike (No. 83), and two dozen channeled mushrooms (No. 118) on the other; as soon as the dishes are garnished set them into the heater. At the very last moment heat the sauce while stirring, adding butter in moderation; remove the dish from the heater, drain off the liquid and lightly cover the fish garnishings with the sauce. Send a sauce-boat of the sauce into which has been added two dozen oysters, from which the hard parts have been removed, trimmed and cut in large dice.