Turbot Poached In St Émilion Food

TURBOT POACHED IN ST.-ÉMILION

Steps:

• Place potatoes in boiling salted water and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, peel and mash in a ricer. Return to pan, heat briefly and add 5 tablespoons créme fraîche and 1 1/2 tablespoons butter. Season with salt and pepper and set aside in pan, covered.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a small skillet, add onions and sauté over medium heat until lightly browned and tender. Set aside, covered.
• Heat remaining oil in a wide saucepan or a sauté pan that can hold fish in a single layer. Add shallots and sauté over low heat 5 minutes. Add wine and stock and bring to a simmer. Slip fish pieces into pan. Poach 3 to 4 minutes, until just firm. Remove fish, draining well. Place on a warm plate and cover to keep warm.
• Boil cooking liquid until reduced to about 1 cup. Whisk in remaining créme fraîche and season to taste with salt and pepper. Over low heat add remaining butter bit by bit, whisking it in. Sauce will thicken somewhat and turn glossy.
• Reheat potato purée and spoon into center of each of 4 dinner plates. Place a piece of fish on top and place onions around. Gently reheat sauce and spoon over each portion. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

COLD POACHED TURBOT WITH CREAMY TARRAGON SAUCE

Steps:

• DO AHEAD: In large skillet arrange fish in single layer. Add onion, celery, peppercorns, salt, bay leaf and lemon. Add enough water just to cover fish.
• Cover and simmer over low heat until fish flakes easily with fork, 5 to 7 minutes. With wide spatula remove fish from liquid; cover and refrigerate. Will keep about 2 days.
• Creamy Tarragon Sauce: In bowl, stir together all of the ingredients (sour cream to tarragon). Cover and chill. Makes about 1/2 cup.
• 5 minutes before serving, place fish on lettuce-lined platter. GARNISH with cucumber, tomatoes and lemon. Serve with Creamy Tarragon Sauce.

TURBOT POACHED IN TARRAGON BROTH

Steps:

• Have a fishmonger fillet and skin the turbot, then save and chop the bones for you. Rinse bones for 1 hour under cold running water.
• Roughly chop half of the onion, shallots, carrots, leeks, celery and tomatoes. Julienne the remaining onions, shallots and leeks. Thinly slice the remaining carrots and celery. Peel, seed and dice the remaining tomato.
• Fill a stockpot halfway with water and bring to a boil. Add the fish bones and blanch for 2 minutes. Drain, rinse and return them to the pot with 2 quarts water. Boil, lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes.
• Strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve, discard the bones and return stock to the pot. Add the roughly chopped vegetables, garlic, white peppercorns and cayenne and bring to a boil. Simmer for 45 minutes, skimming the foam off the top. Add the wine and vinegar; simmer 15 minutes more.
• Strain the stock, discarding solids. Return stock to the pan and add 1 1/2 bunches of the tarragon and the rosemary, basil and mint. Cover the pot and set aside to infuse for at least a half-hour.
• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the remaining vegetables. Cook until just tender, about 3 minutes, then plunge them into cold water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.
• Reserve 4 small sprigs of tarragon for garnish and chop the rest. Set aside.
• Season the fish with salt and pepper. Strain the stock, discarding the herbs. In a deep skillet, heat the broth. When just simmering, add the fillets. Cook for 3 minutes; turn and cook until opaque throughout, about 3 more minutes. Remove the fillets and keep warm.
• Add the cooked vegetables to the hot broth and heat them. Swirl in the butter and add the chopped tarragon. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place the fillets in four soup bowls and spoon the tarragon broth and vegetables over them. Add the tarragon sprigs and serve.