I have two favorite dishes: both being examples of the French cuisine
at its highest.
One is “Sole à la Marguery” (which can be made with flounder, also) and
was originated by old Monsieur Marguery at his famous restaurant in
Paris. It has a sauce which has a wine base and which contains shrimps
and small oysters.
_Sole à la Marguery_
Lay your sole in a buttered platter, add about a glassful of
white wine, season and poach:
I. E. Let boil for about fifteen minutes and then take
the juice out, mix with it a yolk of a raw egg, about two
ounces of sweet butter. Beat slowly so as to get it thick,
something like a hollandaise; add a few shrimps, oysters,
mussels, and a few heads of mushrooms, cook the sole with
it, glaze in a salamande two or three minutes and serve.
Another is duck cooked with oranges. I know how to ask for it at the
St. Regis and the Brevoort, but am not sure of the spelling. It sounds
like Duck “Bigarade.” They do it well at the Brevoort. If potatoes
are served with either of these dishes they should be potatoes
gaufrettes—on a separate plate.
_Duck Bigarade_
To Roast: Select a young and very tender duck, prepare and
truss it for roasting. It should be roasted on the spit or
in the oven for fifteen to twenty-five minutes, according to
its size and the heat of the fire.
A domestic duck ought to be served quite rare, and should be
killed without bleeding. Dish it after untrussing and pour
over it a little of its gravy.
Sauce Bigarade: Peel an orange without touching the white
parts, cut the peel up into small, fine julienne. Plunge
it into boiling water, and cook until it is tender. Drain
and enclose it in a covered saucepan with four gills of
espagnole or brown sauce. Just when ready to serve finish
the sauce with a dash of cayenne pepper, meat glaze, the
orange juice and the juice of a lemon, strain through a
tamis, adding two ounces of fine butter.