Michel Bourdin created this dish in honor of Queen Elizabeth II, in celebration of the Silver Jubilee of her reign, in 1977.
Ingredients
For the Duxelles
- 8 oz. white mushrooms, trimmed and minced
- 3 tbsp. butter
- 4 shallots, peeled and minced
- 1 oz. fresh wild mushrooms, trimmed and minced
- 1⁄2 cup heavy cream
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Sole
- 4 (8–10-oz.) dover soles, cleaned and skinned, heads and tails removed
- 3 cups dry white wine
- 8 cups fish stock
- 12 sprigs fresh parsley
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 6 white mushrooms, sliced
- 4 shallots, peeled and sliced
- 8 Tbsp. butter, cut into pieces
- 2 tsp. whole black peppercorns
- 2 lb. frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 cups heavy cream
- Salt and freshly ground white pepper
- 1 tsp. chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tsp. chopped fresh chervil
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Instructions
Step 1
For the duxelles: Put white mushrooms into the center of a clean dish towel and twist towel to squeeze out all moisture. Meanwhile, melt 1 tbsp. of the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat and sauté one-quarter of the shallots for 1 minute. Add white mushrooms and sauté, stirring often, until skillet is dry, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Return skillet to medium heat, melt remaining 2 tbsp. butter, add remaining shallots, and cook, stirring often, until soft, 4–5 minutes. Add wild mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until soft, 3–4 minutes. Add cream and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring often, until thick, 5–6 minutes. Add reserved mushrooms, season to taste with salt and pepper, and set aside.
Step 2
For the sole: Arrange fish in a roasting pan. Add half the wine, stock, parsley sprigs, thyme, mushrooms, shallots, butter, and peppercorns. Poach over medium-low heat until fish is just cooked, 12–15 minutes. Transfer fish to a clean surface and let cool, reserving liquid. Keeping bottom filets intact, halve top filets lengthwise, then carefully debone fish. Mound one-quarter of the duxelles in the center of each filet bottom. Cover each with top filet pieces. Using a 4''-long oval pastry cutter, cut out each stuffed filet into an oval and set trimmings aside. Roll out puff pastry to 1⁄8'' thickness and cut out four 6'' rounds and four 5'' ovals. Place rounds on a parchment-lined baking sheet, center stuffed filets on each round, cover with oval pieces (decorated, if you like), and seal edges. Brush tops with egg wash and refrigerate.
Step 3
Put bones and trimmings, poaching liquid, remaining wine, stock, parsley, thyme, mushrooms, and shallots into a saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until reduced to a thick syrup, 3 hours. Add cream and simmer until reduced by half, 15 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve and season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm over low heat.
Step 4
Preheat oven to 425º. Bake pastry until golden, about 20 minutes. Add parsley and chervil to sauce and pour around each pastry.
- For the duxelles: Put white mushrooms into the center of a clean dish towel and twist towel to squeeze out all moisture. Meanwhile, melt 1 tbsp. of the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat and sauté one-quarter of the shallots for 1 minute. Add white mushrooms and sauté, stirring often, until skillet is dry, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Return skillet to medium heat, melt remaining 2 tbsp. butter, add remaining shallots, and cook, stirring often, until soft, 4–5 minutes. Add wild mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until soft, 3–4 minutes. Add cream and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring often, until thick, 5–6 minutes. Add reserved mushrooms, season to taste with salt and pepper, and set aside.
- For the sole: Arrange fish in a roasting pan. Add half the wine, stock, parsley sprigs, thyme, mushrooms, shallots, butter, and peppercorns. Poach over medium-low heat until fish is just cooked, 12–15 minutes. Transfer fish to a clean surface and let cool, reserving liquid. Keeping bottom filets intact, halve top filets lengthwise, then carefully debone fish. Mound one-quarter of the duxelles in the center of each filet bottom. Cover each with top filet pieces. Using a 4''-long oval pastry cutter, cut out each stuffed filet into an oval and set trimmings aside. Roll out puff pastry to 1⁄8'' thickness and cut out four 6'' rounds and four 5'' ovals. Place rounds on a parchment-lined baking sheet, center stuffed filets on each round, cover with oval pieces (decorated, if you like), and seal edges. Brush tops with egg wash and refrigerate.
- Put bones and trimmings, poaching liquid, remaining wine, stock, parsley, thyme, mushrooms, and shallots into a saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until reduced to a thick syrup, 3 hours. Add cream and simmer until reduced by half, 15 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve and season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm over low heat.
- Preheat oven to 425º. Bake pastry until golden, about 20 minutes. Add parsley and chervil to sauce and pour around each pastry.
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