To form the quenelles, take 1 scant tablespoon of the mixture at a time and roll on a floured board into the shape of small sausages. Line these up in a shallow, buttered pan, add boiling water, and poach over a low fire for about 10 minutes without allowing the water to boil again. Remove and drain on a cloth. Serve the quenelles on a hot platter with this sauce:
Sauce Nantua (For Pike Quenelles)
Make a fish stock by boiling the head and bones of the pike in water with salt, pepper, 1 sprig parsley, 1 slice onion, 1 bay leaf, and 1 pinch thyme.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter, blend in 2 tablespoons flour, season with salt and pepper, and add 1 cup fish stock. Allow to cook for a few minutes, then add 1 cup cream. Simmer a minute or two and at the end, add 1 generous tablespoon lobster butter (see GOURMET, October 1948, or March 1949). A sliced truffle may also be added. Pour over the quenelles and serve.
La pochouse is one of the milestones in the cooking of this region, but it is now well known elsewhere. It is the Burgundian’s bouillabaisse, as it were, a savory dish based on fresh-water fish, white wine, garlic-scented croutons, and an aromatic sauce. If you live in a land of fresh-water fish and are slightly bored with their monotony, this may prove a turning point in your gustatory existence.
La Pochouse Bourguignonne
This classic Burgundian dish requires four or more types of fresh-water fish, such as pike, carp, trout, or perch—but eel is absolutely essential. Have the fish cleaned in the ordinary way and after removing heads and tips of tails, cut into sections 1 ½ inches thick. There should be 4 ½ pounds of fish, not including waste.
In a deep saucepan melt 6 tablespoons butter, add 2 heaping tablespoons diced bacon, and fry to light golden. Add to this 2 bottles dry white wine (it is permissible, though not advisable, to use water for ¼ of this liquid). Put in a bouquet garni of bay leaf, parsley, and thyme, a good pinch nutmeg, and 2 garlic cloves cut in half, which may later be removed from the sauce. Bring to a boil over a brisk fire, reduce the heat, and let simmer for 20 minutes. Add the pieces of fish to this lovely brew and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, still over a good fire, blending in 1 teaspoon meat glaze and some beurre manié, made by blending 2 tablespoons butter and 4 tablespoons flour. Season with salt and pepper if necessary. Pour over all ½ cup brandy and ignite it, shaking the pan to assure that all the alcohol burns out.
Place in the bottom of a tureen or deep serving dish slices of French bread fried in butter and rubbed with garlic. Pour the pochouse over these and serve at once. (There should be plenty of liquid, almost imperceptibly thickened, but the fish should not be “drowned” in it.)
Pinterest
