Thursday, September 2, 2010

Sole Meuniere

They took everything, including the kitchen sink. What a fun metaphor the whole "kitchen sink" thing is, and for the second time this year, us foodies are without a kitchen. Or at least without a kitchen sink, because we're getting new counter tops! This has been something we've been looking forward to for a while, dating all the way back to... oh say the day we moved in. Up till last Tuesday we've had the original, pale yellow with pale rustic orange vintage 1950 tile and grout counters. These counters had a great 62 year run, but lets face it, times have changed and those tiles have been here long past their expiration date. Charisse and her mom (the decorating queens of the family) have been out scouring supply stores for months, trying to find the right tiles, the best granite and the perfect design. They figured it all out last weekend and just like that we had some guys in the house, ripping the tile backsplash from the walls, prying up the tile counters and hauling away you guessed it, the kitchen sink. In its place we've been left with plywood, and a half disassembled faucet. What parts are disassembled? Who knows, but when Eric went to fill up a glass of water, the water hit the ceiling. Somethings missing. Through all of this, we of course have been stretching the few dishes we haven't posted yet as far as possible while surviving on take-out and pizza. Go us. On the other hand, theres always the Sole. Sole Meuniere that is!

Sole Meuniere is a special dish for us for two reasons, 1. It was Julia Child's first dish in Paris, something that she's described as her first culinary revelation. Obviously it was the first of many, but to all the other foodies out there, America's graduation from "Standard" cooking and all the culinary delights and innovations that have sprung up since the 50's started right there with that plate. 2. It was also the first dish Charisse had when we went to Paris on our honeymoon (which two years ago was wrapping up right about .... now). So when we decided to make this as the main course of our anniversary meal it carried a lot of weight, no bones about it. Get it? No bones? Its a fillet. Now we all know why Eric isn't allowed to do the humor portion of this blog. In all seriousness, this is such a simple, easy dish, fish coated in flower and pan fried in butter, but the depth of flavor brought out from the fish is amazing. Try it out and let the Sole melt in your mouth.





Sole Meuniere
What You Will Need

6 sole fillets (skinned)
1 cup flour
6 Tbs unsalted butter
6 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (plus 1 lemon cut into wedges for serving)
2 Tbs fresh parsley (minced)
salt and white pepper to taste

In a shallow dish combine flour and 1 Tbs salt and 1/2 tsp white pepper.  Dredge each fillet in the flour mixture on both sides.

Heat a large skillet on medium high heat add 2 tsp butter with 2 tsp oil.  When butter foams, shake excess flour from fillets and cook until golden brown about 1 minute, flip and cook the other side for a couple minutes until cooked through.  Wipe the pan out and repeat process until all of the fillets are cooked.  

Clean pan one more time and make sauce.  Melt the remaining 4 Tbs butter over medium heat, add lemon juice and swirl the mixture in the pan.  Pour over warm fillets, sprinkle with parsley and serve with extra lemons.  

adapted from Williams-Sonoma Fish cookbook

20 comments:

  1. So simple and so delicious... and wow those pictures are gorgeous!

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  2. For the dish that turned Julia Child on to food, I thought it would be a lot more complex. This makes me want to try it now!

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  3. The sole looks so yummy:)I love seafood so will surely try this recipe.

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  4. The resturaunt where I spent so many hours slaving my summer away had this as a special every now and again and I always hoped someone would make a mistake so we could eat it! Now I can make it on my own :)

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  5. Lovely batter we make similar always a pinch of spice added:)

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  6. Yum! This is one of my favorite dishes. I love the crispy edges of the fish, and the lemon. Congrats on the upcoming new kitchen!

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  7. Another delicious dish! My whole family would love this! I am so jealous that you're getting new countertops! I am sure they will look fab, the 62 year-old ones you had sounds very retro haha. Nice hearing the history of why this dish is special for you all! Makes me want to eat my way through Paris!

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  8. Yum, this looks simple and yet so good. Jealous of the new countertops. We have a lovely kitchen, except for the plain black countertops that show every bit of dirt, dust, crumb, and every streak when you clean them! You literally have to polish them to get them to look decent.

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  9. The sole looks delicious! Your photos are the best! Bet your new counters will look great!

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  10. Definitely inspired me to cook this dish tonight. Thank you for posting this recipe.
    The Souper

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  11. This looks lovely. I love France, I have a house there.. I love Julia Childs, I love Paris.. and I just redid my kitchen in France last month. We took everything, but the kitchen sink. How funny is that ? Quite literally ! We bought the sink there. The cooker, washing machine, dishwasher, even the tiles and cupboards we took with us. I hope you have many happy hours cooking in your new kitchen.

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  12. what a wonderful job with this sole meuniere! such a classic, but still so delicious! I hope your new kitchen turns out well and is done in time!
    Have a wonderful labor day weekend!

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  13. My mouth is watering! THIS is the kind of food I love! Simple, natural... honest!
    Well done and congrats on the top 9!

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  14. Congrats on the new countertops! How exciting!!!
    And as far as the sole goes, I have been wanting to attempt this myself, but have been too scared to do so. Your pictures are making me brave again. And the instructions seem like maybe I could handle it. Congrats on the Top 9!

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  15. Beautiful! So fresh and simple. Can't wait to give this a try. Thanks for posting.

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  16. My mother would make this dish every Wednesday...since it was the day the street market was next to our home...Nice memories for me...Delicious!

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  17. Congratulations on your new countertops! As the proud owner of some lovely, eighties, light blue ones, I can imagine your excitement.

    That sole looks gorgeous, too! I've always wanted to try Sole Meuniere.

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