FoodNetArchive

Practical gastronomy

1903

Page 31

Presented as published in 1903. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
POISSONS (FISH) 57 VelOUt6 (Foundation sauce). — A rich white sauce, prepared with chicken or veal stock, flavoured with savoury herbs, vegetable mirepoix, and white roux. When finished it should be as smooth as velvet : hence its name veloute (velvet-like). Venitienne (Venetian). — A white fish sauce, thickened with egg-yolks and butter or cream, mixed with chopped parsley, flavoured with lemon juice, and garnished with small button mushrooms. Verjus. — Espagnole sauce, with mashed unripe green grapes, cooked in stock, reduced with sherry and finished with fresh butter ; served with roast duck or pork. Vepte-pre (Green Herb). — Composed of puree of cooked spinach, blanched parsley, chives and tarragon, worked up with whipped cream or butter, and mixed with ravigote sauce. Verte. — Green herb sauce (same as verte-pre). Villeroi. — Veloute or bechamel, with finely chopped cooked ham and tongue, enriched with egg-yolks and fresh butter. Vin Blanc. — Bechamel or veloute, flavoured with white wine, lemon juice and fish essence. Vinaigrette. — Composed of salad oil, vinegar, chopped shallots, parsley, chervil and gherkins, seasoned with pepper and salt ; served cold with calf’s head, seakale, asparagus, etc. Vincent. — Mayonnaise mixed with green herb puree (tarragon, chervil, chives and parsley). Viennoise. — Poivrade (pepper sauce), blended with lemon and orange juice, reduced and finished with cream. Victoria. — Supreme sauce finished with lobster butter. d’York (Yorkshire). — Demi-glace sauce, fine shreds of orange rind, red currant jelly, port wine, orange juice, and a little ground cinnamon ; served with boiled ham, roast or pickled pork. THE FISH COURSE. LES POISSONS. Fish is served in two ways, viz., plainly cooked and dressed as an entree. Many people prefer fish cooked in the simplest way, accompanied by a good sauce ; and the English epicure finds far greater enjoyment in fish cooked in the simplest manner than the French epicure in the elaborately cooked and dressed fish 58 POISSONS {FISH) entree. Fish is cooked in various ways — boiled, steamed, baked, fried, stewed and grilled. Almost every kind of fish gains in importance if served with a well-made sauce. When two fish are served at a dinner, the boiled or whole, i.e., solid, fish should be served before the fried, stewed or braised. Plain boiled potatoes, or so called fish potatoes, which are of marble shapes, sprinkled with chopped parsley, should be handed round with all solid fish cooked au naturel, whilst boiled or grilled salmon should in all cases be accompanied by a dish of sliced cucumber, plainly dressed. PLATS DE POISSON. Fish Dishes. Aigrefin (Merluehe) grille.— Grilled or broiled fresh haddock. — a la Maitre d’Hotel. — Boiled or steamed haddock with parsley sauce. Aigrefin etouffe. — Fresh haddock steamed in the oven. Filets d’Aigrefms frits, Sauce Tartare.— Fried fillets of fresh haddock, tartare sauce. Able saute a la Diable.— Devilled bleak tossed in butter. Alose au gratin.— Baked shad, gratin style. Anguille a l’Anglaise.— Stewed eel, English style. ^ — en Aspic (Eel in Savoury Jelly). — Cooked and boned eel and slices of hard-boiled egg set in aspic jelly. — a la broehe. — Grilled eel with parsley butter. — en eaisses. — Braised eel in paper cases.