Whiting Fillets in White Wine Sauce
Filets de Merlan Bercy
The above photograph isn't fuzzy due to some romantic camera setting I'm trying to use. Instead, it was an important lesson I learned- don't put your camera in the refrigerator!
In our practical kitchens, counter space is limited and the cupboards are full of utensils & dry ingredients. Therefore, the only space left for our knife kits and other personal items is in the refrigerators under the counters. I stuck my camera in there, only to find that the lens was fogged up and needed to "defrost" before my pictures would come out clear again.
It's funny, the non-food related lessons one learns here. Another is how to knot a tie, a skill I never really had to learn before.
But I digress. Back to the food! Sauce, sauce, sauce. It's all about the sauce here in France. The protein seems to just be a vehicle for the sauce. In this recipe, the fish is poached in fish stock, then finished with a butter and white wine sauce.
To make fish stock, I was given 3 whitings that I had to clean, scale, and fillet. I thought gouging out eyeballs would make me squeamish, but it is surprisingly easy to do. I guess gouging is better than having a fish look at you as you're simmering the stock. My fillet-ing skills still need work- I got decent fillets but still saw a lot of meat on the bones.
The fish bones are put into water with aromatic vegetables and bouquet garni, then simmered for about 20 minutes. This stock is then used to poach the fish, either on the stove or in the oven.
Then comes the sauce. The poaching stock is then reduced and copious amounts of butter are whisked in at the end. Add some minced parsley, and then you're ready to plate (always use a hot plate!). Since the fish has very subtle flavors from the poaching, this sauce contributes to the rich finish (mouth-feel) that you get as you eat it.
Chef Didier Chantefort was my practical chef for this dish and for the one I did today (Poached Chicken in Supreme Sauce). I've come to appreciate his sense of humor, &he's really approved of my dishes, which I'm extremely grateful for considering his expertise.
It's pretty funny that he said my plated dish was the best one out of the class, even though I did not follow his instructions & poached my fish in the oven versus on the stove. It's not that I deliberately disobeyed him, but I had moved ahead of everyone else and was following the instructions from the demonstration chef. Differing chefs in demonstration & practical can make things confusing. I'll have to remember that the practical chef always wins- he's the one who gives out the grades!
Bon appétit!
In our practical kitchens, counter space is limited and the cupboards are full of utensils & dry ingredients. Therefore, the only space left for our knife kits and other personal items is in the refrigerators under the counters. I stuck my camera in there, only to find that the lens was fogged up and needed to "defrost" before my pictures would come out clear again.
It's funny, the non-food related lessons one learns here. Another is how to knot a tie, a skill I never really had to learn before.
But I digress. Back to the food! Sauce, sauce, sauce. It's all about the sauce here in France. The protein seems to just be a vehicle for the sauce. In this recipe, the fish is poached in fish stock, then finished with a butter and white wine sauce.
To make fish stock, I was given 3 whitings that I had to clean, scale, and fillet. I thought gouging out eyeballs would make me squeamish, but it is surprisingly easy to do. I guess gouging is better than having a fish look at you as you're simmering the stock. My fillet-ing skills still need work- I got decent fillets but still saw a lot of meat on the bones.
The fish bones are put into water with aromatic vegetables and bouquet garni, then simmered for about 20 minutes. This stock is then used to poach the fish, either on the stove or in the oven.
Then comes the sauce. The poaching stock is then reduced and copious amounts of butter are whisked in at the end. Add some minced parsley, and then you're ready to plate (always use a hot plate!). Since the fish has very subtle flavors from the poaching, this sauce contributes to the rich finish (mouth-feel) that you get as you eat it.
Chef Didier Chantefort was my practical chef for this dish and for the one I did today (Poached Chicken in Supreme Sauce). I've come to appreciate his sense of humor, &he's really approved of my dishes, which I'm extremely grateful for considering his expertise.
It's pretty funny that he said my plated dish was the best one out of the class, even though I did not follow his instructions & poached my fish in the oven versus on the stove. It's not that I deliberately disobeyed him, but I had moved ahead of everyone else and was following the instructions from the demonstration chef. Differing chefs in demonstration & practical can make things confusing. I'll have to remember that the practical chef always wins- he's the one who gives out the grades!
Bon appétit!
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