No. 45 Rock-Fish Cutlet
[Can be made from any fish.]
Take a rock-fish, after washing it clean cut it down the back-bone, take out the back-bone, cut the ribs off, then cut the fish in square pieces. Take the skin off of them, lard them with small pieces of truffles, which have been skinned and sliced, the slices being cut in three-quarters. Then take a sharp-pointed knife and thrust them into the fish. Salt the fish and put in a cool place for 1 hour. A half hour before dinner take a medium-sized dripping-pan, put in ½ pint of milk and a tablespoonful of butter; lay all the pieces of fish separate in this pan with the truffle side up, put a press on them to keep them straight, set on top of stove for ¼ hour. When done, take ½ pint milk, together with what milk is in the pan, 2 tablespoonfuls of flour, 1 teaspoonful of white pepper, 1 tablespoonful of butter; mix the butter and flour together till they come to a cream, then pour the hot milk on to make rich sauce. Put in this sauce 1 dozen mushrooms and what truffles are left; cut mushrooms in four quarters. Take up fish and lap it around your dish. Boil French potatoes and put them in the centre of dish; garnish the dish with parsley and sliced lemon.