Quenelles de Brochet

Method

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1. Make the panade: boil the milk with the butter and salt, tip in the flour, beat to a ball, then beat over the heat 2 minutes. Cool, beat in the eggs one at a time, and chill until cold.

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2. Blitz the fish to a fine paste, then add the cold panade, the softened butter, egg whites, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Blitz again.

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3. Set the bowl over ice and beat in the very cold cream a little at a time. Stop as soon as it is smooth — it splits if it warms.

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4. Chill the mixture 60 minutes.

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5. Shape into ovals between two wet spoons and lower them into a wide pan of barely shivering salted water.

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6. Poach 12 minutes, turning once, until firm. Lift out onto a cloth to drain.

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7. For the sauce, make a roux with the butter and flour, add the stock and cream, then the tomato purée, brandy and salt. Simmer 8 minutes, add the crayfish. Sit the quenelles in a buttered dish with room to swell, pour the sauce over, and bake 20 minutes at 200°C until puffed and browned.

   Mark done

Chef’s Tips

• Everything cold, and the bowl over ice. Warmth splits it.
• A shiver, not a simmer, for the poaching.
• They double in the oven. Leave space.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• Double cream won't whip if you swap it, but for the cooking itself, full-fat crème fraîche or a lower-fat single cream works in its place.

Pairing Suggestions

• A glass of white Burgundy
• Green salad
• Rice

Storage & Reheating

Poached quenelles keep 2 days refrigerated and freeze for a month. Sauce and bake to order.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.