Sole Normande

If you're in Normandy, you'll hear that this dish is Norman. If you read Elizabeth David, she says Careme invented it in Paris. Either way, it is a lovely dish, very elegant, and quite simple if you do your mise en place. If you can't get sole, you can substitute flounder.

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1  cup  fish stock
• 1⁄2 cup dry white wine
• 2  tablespoons shallots, finely chopped
• 6 (8 -10 ounce)  sole fillets, 8 to 10 ounces each
•  salt
•  white pepper
• 1  dozen mussels, scrubbed and debearded, alive
• 12  small mushrooms, whole, wiped clean, stems trimmed
• 12  medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 6  divers scallops, halved (so you have 12 round scallops)
• 1  tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons flour
• 3⁄4 cup creme fraiche (or heavy cream or sour cream or a combination thereof)
• 2  egg yolks

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, bring the fish stock and wine to a boil; reduce heat to very low and keep stock warm.
2. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.
3. Make beurre manie by combining the flour and butter together till smooth (if you choose, you may make larger amounts and keep beurre manie on hand in the fridge or freezer).
4. Sprinkle the shallots over the bottom of a large non-reactive baking dish.
5. Roll the fillets and place the six of them, equally spaced, in the dish.
6. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
7. Distribute the mussels, mushrooms, shrimp and scallops around the fillets, and pour the stock/wine combination over all.
8. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the fish becomes white and flakey and the mussels open.
9. Remove the fish to a warm serving platter.
10. Arrange the mushrooms, shrimp, scallops and mussels on the platter, discarding any unopened mussels.
11. Cover and keep warm.
12. Meanwhile, strain the liquid from the baking dish into the small saucepan (straining is important, bring to a boil, and cook over medium heat for about five minutes.
13. Reduce heat and whisk in two tablespoons of beurre manie until smooth.
14. Simmer the sauce for 9 to 10 minutes.
15. Mix the creme fraiche with the egg yolks and, removing the sauce from the heat, add the yolk mixture to the sauce, whisking all the while.
16. Return to the stove and simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly for 4 to 5 minutes until the eggs have thickened the sauce--do NOT boil.
17. Pour sauce over filets and serve.
18. Note: If you do not have or care to make fish stock, you may substitute strained unsalted clam juice or chicken stock, unsalted.
19. Note 2: If you have insufficient liquid for your sauce, add white wine and stock or wine and water to the strained liquid.