1428 | Fillets of Sole à la Cornelius Vanderbilt.
—Prepare the fillets of two medium-sized fine fresh soles, as for No. 1421, place the six largest ones on a plate, season them with a teaspoonful of salt, and half a teaspoonful of pepper mixed together; lay them in the ice-box till further action. Put the two remaining fillets in the mortar, pound them until they are a perfect paste, then add the white of one egg, thoroughly mix together, gradually add half a cup of sweet cream, sharply and continually stir with the pounder while adding it, season with a teaspoonful of salt, and the third of a saltspoonful of cayenne pepper, also a very little grated nutmeg, sharply mix the whole together for one minute; remove it from the mortar, pass it through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing it with a wooden spoon. Take the six fillets from the ice-box, carefully make an incision at the side of each, right in the centre, three inches in length by one and a half in width. Place half of the preparation in a paper cornet, and with it equally stuff the six fillets. Lightly butter a pan (a tin one by preference) large enough to easily hold the fillets. Have six small, well-cleaned fresh smelts four inches in length; then with a keen, small knife carefully cut each smelt, beginning right in the centre at the base of the head, following down the back bone right through to the tail, cutting it entirely through, so that the head will hold both parts; remove the back bone of each, then arrange a smelt on top of each fillet lengthwise, and with the fingers twist each fillet of the smelt inwardly, up to the base of the head, so that they will represent two rings three-quarters of an inch in diameter; proceed the same with all. Place the rest of the force in a paper cornet, gently press the preparation into each ring of the smelts, up to the surface. Cut with a tube, half an inch in diameter, a good sized, sound, truffle; then slice it into twelve even pieces, arrange one slice right in the centre of each ring over the force, sprinkle a very little clarified butter over all; pour on the bottom of the pan half a glass of white wine and half a glass of mushroom liquor or white broth. Cover all with a buttered paper, and place in a moderate oven to bake for eighteen minutes. Remove from out the oven, take the paper off, then with a palette knife, or a cake turner, lift up the fillets one by one, and dress them on a very hot dish. Add either half a cup of mushroom liquor or white broth (No. 99) to the gravy in the pan, place it on the range, and let boil for one minute; then strain it into a saucepan on the range, add to it a teaspoonful of anchovy sauce, squeeze in the juice of half a sound lemon, and finally pour in half a gill of Espagnole sauce (No. 151), boil for one minute more, and then pour in the gravy around the fillets, but not over them, and send to the table.