Dace: as an alternative to dace you could use freshwater trout, or pike, but the trout must have white rather than pink flesh.
4 x Fillets of dace or trout - each weighing 80-90 g
50 g Unsalted butter (1 3/4 oz)
250 ml Dry white wine (scant 1/2 - pint)
2 x Sprigs of tarragon
1/2 x Lemon
4 tbs Whipping cream
2 x Egg yolks
150 ml Double cream (1/4 pint)
Salt and pepper
Servings: 4
Preparation:
Pre-heat the oben to 280 oC/530 oF. Chop enough tarragon leaves to fill 2 teaspoons. Whisk the wipping cream until it thickens. Beat the egg yolks with all but 3 tb of the double cream. Butter an oven dish with 20 g (3/4 oz) of the butter. Arrange the fillets on it and season them. Add the white wine.
Finishing and serving:
Slide the dish containing the fish into the pre-heated oven. Leave it for 1 1/2 - 2 Minutes, or longer, depending on the thickness of the fish (the oven dish needs to be made of a thin metal that conducts heat quickly). Take it out and remove the skins from the fish. Put the fish into a shallow dish and keep them hot. Pour the liquid that remains in the cooking dish into a saucepan. Add the tarragon and reduce the liquid by about two-thirds. Whisk in 30 g (1 oz) cold, diced butter and the remaining double cream. Let the sauce reduce for a moment, then pour it, still whisking, on to the egg-yolk-and-cream mixture. Put the sauce back into a saucepan over a very gentle heat and let it thicken, whisking all the time, until it shows signs of boiling. Take it of the stove, and season with salt, pepper and a little lemon juice. Carefully incorporate the whipped cream. Pre-heat the grill. Ladle the sauce over the fish, put them under the grill and leave them until the sauce turns golden - this will not take long, only about 1 minute, so watch carefully. Serve at once.
4 x Fillets of dace or trout - each weighing 80-90 g
50 g Unsalted butter (1 3/4 oz)
250 ml Dry white wine (scant 1/2 - pint)
2 x Sprigs of tarragon
1/2 x Lemon
4 tbs Whipping cream
2 x Egg yolks
150 ml Double cream (1/4 pint)
Salt and pepper
Servings: 4
Preparation:
Pre-heat the oben to 280 oC/530 oF. Chop enough tarragon leaves to fill 2 teaspoons. Whisk the wipping cream until it thickens. Beat the egg yolks with all but 3 tb of the double cream. Butter an oven dish with 20 g (3/4 oz) of the butter. Arrange the fillets on it and season them. Add the white wine.
Finishing and serving:
Slide the dish containing the fish into the pre-heated oven. Leave it for 1 1/2 - 2 Minutes, or longer, depending on the thickness of the fish (the oven dish needs to be made of a thin metal that conducts heat quickly). Take it out and remove the skins from the fish. Put the fish into a shallow dish and keep them hot. Pour the liquid that remains in the cooking dish into a saucepan. Add the tarragon and reduce the liquid by about two-thirds. Whisk in 30 g (1 oz) cold, diced butter and the remaining double cream. Let the sauce reduce for a moment, then pour it, still whisking, on to the egg-yolk-and-cream mixture. Put the sauce back into a saucepan over a very gentle heat and let it thicken, whisking all the time, until it shows signs of boiling. Take it of the stove, and season with salt, pepper and a little lemon juice. Carefully incorporate the whipped cream. Pre-heat the grill. Ladle the sauce over the fish, put them under the grill and leave them until the sauce turns golden - this will not take long, only about 1 minute, so watch carefully. Serve at once.
