Cassell's dictionary of cookery

Sole, Baked.— Take a thick and very fresh sole, scale, skin, and trim it, wipe it dry with a soft cloth, and if convenient let it lie folded in this in a cool place for an hour or more before dressing. Season lightly with salt and pepper, flour well, and, if liked, egg and bread-crumb the sole twice. Lay it in a buttered baking-dish, put little pieces of butter here and there upon it, and bake in a moderate oven. ShaTie the dish occasionally to keep the fish from sticking to the bottom. When done enough, lay it on a reversed sieve before the fire for a few minutes to drain the fat from it. Put it on a hot dish, covered with a napkin, and garnish with, parsley and cut lemon. Send melted butter flavoured with anchovy sauce and chilli vinegar to table in a tureen; or make sauce by mixing the gravy which, flows from the fish with a little lemon-juice, a tea-spoonful of the essence of anchovies, and a spoonful of stock. A glassful of wine is. sometimes added to sauce thus made, but it is ' scarcely necessary. If more than one sole is to be baked, it should be remembered that they must be done in single layers, that is, they must not be laid one upon the top of another. Time to bake the sole, about half an hour. Probable cost. Is. 6d. to 2s. 6d. per pair. Sufficient, one good-sized sole for three persons. Sole, Baked (au Gratin). — Choose a thick sole as fresh as possible. Cleanse it, remove the gills, scale it, and strip off the dark skin by cutting it at the tail end and drawing it over the head. Wash it well, and wipe it dry ; trim away the fins, and with a sharp knife make an incision a quarter of an inch deep down each side of the back-bone on the skinned side. Butter a baking-dish rather thickly, and lay the sole in it. Sprinkle a little pepper and salt over it, and a few fine bread-raspings, and add about a dozen mushrooms chopped small, a small handful of picked, washed, and chopped parsley-leaves, and one finely-minced shallot. Cover the surface of the sole thickly with fine raspings, and moisten the fish with a glassful of French white wine, a tea-spoonful of anchovy essence, and a table-spoonful of mushroom-juice or ketchup. Put the dish in the oven till the sole is done enough. If the dish in which the fish was baked is suitable, serve the fish in it ; if not, lift the fish carefully with a fish slice, lay it on a hot dish, and pour the sauce over. Another table-spoonful of wdne may be added to the sauce. If the surface of the fish is not sufficiently coloured, a salamander or red-hot shovel may be held over it for a few minutes. When expense is a consideration, a glassful of cider or j^erry will be found an excellent substitute for the light wine. Time to bake, half an hour or moje, according to the size of the sole. Probable cost. Is. to Is. 6d. for a goodsized sole. Suflicient for three persons. Sole, Baked (en Matelote Normande). — This dish very much resembles Sole, Normande proper. Prepare a stufiing as follows : — Mince finely and separately a dozen niushrooms, a small handful of picked and washed parsley-leaves, and one shallot. Mix these ingredients together, put them into a saucepan, and fry them with two ounces of fresh butter. SOL (891 ) SOL