Quenelles de Brochet with Nantua Sauce (Pike Dumplings in Crayfish Cream Sauce)

Quenelles

• 750 ml Whole milk
• 2 tsp Fine sea salt
• 450 g Pike, skinless and boneless
• 2 Egg
• 200 ml Double cream, well chilled
• ½ tsp White pepper

Nantua sauce

• 80 g Unsalted butter
• 25 g Plain flour
• 150 ml White wine, dry
• 250 g Crayfish, tails
• 1 medium Lemon

1. Pour the whole milk into a large pot, add 1 tsp of the fine sea salt, and bring to a bare simmer over medium heat. Keep it just below a boil while you make the quenelle mixture.
2. Cut the pike into chunks and chill it in the fridge for 10 minutes so it stays cold while blending. Cold fish and cream help the forcemeat stay light and smooth.
3. Put the pike in a food processor with the remaining 1 tsp fine sea salt and the white pepper, then blend to a smooth paste, scraping down as needed. Add the eggs one at a time and blend again until fully incorporated.
4. With the motor running, slowly pour in the chilled double cream and blend just until the mixture is smooth and slightly aerated. Stop as soon as it looks glossy and cohesive so it does not warm up.
5. Test the seasoning by poaching a small spoonful of the mixture in the simmering milk for 2 to 3 minutes until firm, then taste. Adjust with a pinch more fine sea salt or white pepper if needed.
6. Using two tablespoons, shape the mixture into smooth quenelles and slide them into the barely simmering milk. Poach gently for 12 to 15 minutes, turning once, until the quenelles are plump and set through.
7. While the quenelles poach, melt the unsalted butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the plain flour and cook for 2 minutes until it smells biscuity but has not coloured.
8. Whisk in the white wine and simmer for 2 minutes to cook off the alcohol. Add 250 ml of the poaching milk and simmer, whisking, until the sauce thickens enough to lightly coat a spoon.
9. Add the crayfish tails and simmer gently for 3 to 4 minutes to warm them through and infuse the sauce. Take off the heat and stir in the remaining double cream.
10. Blend the sauce until very smooth, then pass it through a sieve into a clean saucepan for a fine finish. Squeeze in a little lemon juice to brighten, then keep warm over very low heat without boiling.
11. Lift the quenelles out with a slotted spoon and drain briefly. Spoon the quenelles into warm bowls and nappe with the Nantua sauce, adding a final squeeze of lemon juice if you like.

Made this recipe? Rate it — a comment is optional.