FLUKE AU GRATIN
This is a very old recipe, taken from the kitchen of Henri's in Lynbrook, N.Y., opened by an extravagant French restaurateur named Henri Charpentier in 1910. It asks for flounder, known on Long Island as fluke, but you could make it with cod or haddock or halibut, with freshwater trout or catfish, with any mild-flavored fish. It's an elegant and really quite simple preparation, the fish fillets baked on top of and beneath a butter sauce cooked with chopped shallots, garlic, chives, parsley and minced mushrooms, brightened with lemon juice and white wine, and with bread crumbs, sliced mushrooms and dots of butter strewn across the top. You can make the sauce in the morning, if you like, and assemble the dish for the oven just before dinner, making it a breeze for weeknight entertaining. But it's no stretch to do it all, as Charpentier might have said, "à la minute."
Provided by Sam Sifton
Categories dinner, seafood, main course
Time 30m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a medium skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. When it foams, add the shallot, garlic, minced mushrooms, chives and parsley; stir to combine. Sauté until the garlic starts to toast and turn golden, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Stir in 1/4 cup of the wine, the vinegar and lemon juice. Let cook until the liquid is reduced by half, stirring frequently, about 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Butter a casserole or baking dish large enough to accommodate the fillets of fish in one even layer, and spoon half the sautéed mushroom mixture into it. Arrange the fillets on top, season them with salt and pepper, and cover with the sliced mushrooms.
- Stir the remaining 2 tablespoons of wine into the sautéed mushroom mixture, and drizzle it evenly over the sliced mushrooms. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top of the dish. Cut the remaining 2 tablespoons butter into small pieces, and dot over the top.
- Roast until the top is golden and the fish is opaque and flaky, about 10 to 12 minutes. Garnish with remaining parsley.
GRATIN OF FLOUNDER
Provided by Craig Claiborne
Categories dinner, main course
Time 3h
Yield 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Place each fillet on a flat surface, one at a time. Cut lengthwise on both sides of the small bone line down the center. Discard the bone line. Sprinkle the fillet halves with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with basil and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Let stand 1 hour.
- Cut the onions in half crosswise. Place each onion half on a flat surface and cut each crosswise into thin slices. There should be about 9 cups.
- Trim off the ends of the zucchini. Cut each zucchini crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. There should be about 5 cups.
- Cut the tomatoes crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. There should be about 5 cups.
- Heat the 1/4 cup olive oil and the butter in a large heavy skillet and add the onions. Cook, stirring, about 10 minutes and add 6 sprigs of the fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme, the garlic, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring and scraping from the bottom, about 5 minutes longer or until the onions take on a deep golden color.
- Select an oval baking dish measuring about 13 by 9 by 2 inches. Spread the onions over the bottom, smoothing over the top. Let cool.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Arrange the fillet halves neatly on top of the onions, edges slightly overlapping.
- Neatly arrange overlapping rows of tomato and zucchini slices over the fish.
- If fresh thyme is used, remove the leaves from the remaining sprigs and sprinkle the top of the vegetables with the leaves. If dried thyme is used, sprinkle what remains over the vegetables. Sprinkle salt and pepper over all. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil.
- Cover closely and tightly with aluminum foil. Place in the oven and bake 30 minutes. Remove the foil and return to the oven. Bake 30 minutes longer.
- Carefully pour the liquid that accumulates in the dish into a saucepan, trying not to disturb the pattern of the vegetables. Place the saucepan on the stove and cook until the liquid is reduced to about 1/3 cup.
- Meanwhile, preheat the broiler.
- Brush the top of the tomatoes and zucchini with the reduced sauce. Pour over any remaining sauce.
- Place the dish under the broiler and glaze the top about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 389, UnsaturatedFat 14 grams, Carbohydrate 27 grams, Fat 22 grams, Fiber 7 grams, Protein 25 grams, SaturatedFat 5 grams, Sodium 1547 milligrams, Sugar 13 grams, TransFat 0 grams
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