Brochet Buerre Blanc

Last night, I wanted my fish prepared differently. I didn't know exactly what that meant, other than different. So, I hauled out an old Bon Appetit cookbook I bought at one of the spring book sales, started reading, and found this. The recipe calls for a whole pike, which I didn't have. I'm a New England girl. I'm pretty certain that "pike" is short for "turnpike", as in toll road. So I used a haddock fillet. Still, my dearly beloved liked it, and that's the real test hereabouts.

BROCHET BUERRE BLANC
(Pike in white butter sauce)

2 pound fish
1 finely chopped onion
1 shredded carrot
1 cup white wine
4 cups water
1 tsp thyme
2 tbsp chopped parsley
2 whole cloves

Toss everything except the fish in a wide pot (it doesn't have to be too deep). Bring to a simmer, cook for 45 minutes, turn off, and let cool. Add the fish and poach for about 25 minutes just below the boiling point. When the fish is done, serve immediately with the white butter sauce:

Buerre Blanc (White Butter Sauce)

2 finely chopped shallots
1/2 cup wine vinegar
1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
juice of one lemon

Heat the vinegar and shallots; reduce until almost dry. Remove from the heat, and add the butter one piece at a time, beating until foamy. Add the lemon juice, and serve over the fish immediately.

This recipe is supposed to have come from Normandy, I think. I scooped some of the finely chopped veggies from the fish broth and spooned them over top of our fish before adding the Buerre Blanc, and served it with angel hair in olive oil. Truthfully, I feel like the sauce recipe could have been doubled or tripled, or maybe a Bearnaise sauce would have worked as well or better. But as I said, my dearly beloved liked it, and in the end, that's what matters.

By the way, the liquid in which the fish was poached could be strained and frozen for use in a recipe that calls for fish stock. I believe the cookbook called it "court bouillon".