Thinking how to utilize the left over slivered almonds from my previous white garlic soup brought me to this dinner. Filet of sole with almonds was one of our favorite dishes many years ago. I decided to resurrect it. I realized with a shock that, in order to do it right, I had to clarify the butter—something I hadn’t done since the age of butter gave way to olive oil. Clarifying butter, however, is not a big deal. All you have to do is bring the butter to a boil in a small saucepan, let it stand for a few minutes and then skim off the white particles that form on top. It was like a throw back to former cooking days. Will I do soufflés next?
Menu
Filet of Sole with Almonds
Rice
Green salad with black olives, feta cheese, and grape tomatoes
Wine: Columbia Crest 2009
Sauvignon Blanc
Dessert: Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia Ice Cream
Recipe Filet of Sole
2 pieces of sole (about ¾ lb)
Flour for dusting, seasoned with salt & white pepper
About 4 tablespoons clarified butter
¼ cup slivered almonds
Lemon wedges & parsley for garnish
Dust the filets with the seasoned flour. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in sauté pan. Sauté the filets for about 2 minutes per side. Remove to a serving dish. Heat the remaining butter in the pan, add the almonds and cook till golden brown. Pour the almond/butter sauce over the filets. Garnish with lemon wedges and springs of parsley.
The Columbia Crest from Washington State added to our enjoyment of the meal. Wish they would all be like that.
3 comments:
I'm definitely going to make this, probably next week. Thanks for the inspiration. I hope souffles next. Although I rarely make them, I was drawn to a pineapple souffle recipe in the newspaper which used egg whites - long since lost. I took it to a pot luck dinner and will never forget one reaction. "You're serving spa food now?" I didn't take this as a compliment.
Peggy
Robert & Peggy,
Do it. I still have some slivered almonds left and will gladly share them with you. As far as the souffle is concerned: I was kidding. Sorry about that.
Finally fulfilled my plan to make the filet of sole with almonds. Delicious. The word "clarity" itself feels good on the tongue and, after a shaky start, I achieved beautiful clear butter (like a lake) without the white. Cooking the sole at less than 2 minutes on the second side was perfect: lightly browned with a very thin crust. Sauteed the almonds in olive oil, programmed to think that olive oil is healthier. I'm wondering how sublime it would taste if I purchased the sole that was $10 more per pound than the lemon sole. More to explore. Thanks, Helen
Peggy
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