Pike Quenelles Baked in White Wine Cream Sauce

What you need

• 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) pike fillets, skinless and boneless, very cold; zander also works
• 400 ml (1 2/3 cups) heavy cream, very cold
• 100 g (7 tbsp) butter, melted and cooled, plus a little for the dish
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 pinch of cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp fine salt
• 60 g (1/2 cup) all-purpose flour, 40 g for the sauce, the rest for dusting
• 500 ml (2 cups) whole milk
• 150 ml (2/3 cup) dry white wine
• 1 pinch nutmeg, freshly grated

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Keep the pike and cream in the fridge until the moment you use them. Cold is what makes the mixture hold together.

2. 2

   Cut the pike into chunks and blitz in a food processor with the salt for 1-2 min, until it forms a smooth, sticky paste.

3. 3

   Press the paste through a fine sieve into a bowl with a spatula, to catch any stray bones and fibres.

4. 4

   Set the bowl in a larger bowl of ice. Beat in the cream a little at a time, slowly, as when building an emulsion, until the mixture is smooth and glossy.

5. 5

   Beat in the cayenne and the melted butter, then add the eggs a little at a time. Cover and chill at least 4 h, or overnight.

6. 6

   For the sauce, melt 40 g (3 tbsp) of the butter in a saucepan. Stir in 40 g (1/3 cup) of the flour and cook for 1 min without browning.

7. 7

   Whisk in the milk gradually, then simmer, stirring, for 8 min until thick. Season with the nutmeg and a pinch of salt.

8. 8

   Boil the wine in a small pan until reduced by half, about 5 min. Stir it into the sauce along with a splash of cream, and keep warm.

9. 9

   Bring a wide pan of salted water to a bare simmer. Dust the work surface lightly with flour.

10. 10

    Scoop the chilled mixture with a large spoon and roll with floured hands into 8-10 cm (3-4 in) ovals.

11. 11

    Slide the quenelles into the water in batches. Poach for 12-15 min, turning once, until they have doubled in size and roll over by themselves.

12. 12

    Lift them out with a slotted spoon and drain on a clean towel.

13. 13

    Heat the oven to 220 °C (425 °F). Butter a shallow baking dish and set the quenelles in it side by side.

14. 14

    Pour the sauce over the quenelles and bake for 12-15 min, until bubbling and golden in spots. Serve at once.

Imported from aftouch-cuisine.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.