Taking On A Famous American Chef!
I love fish. I love it pan fried, deep-fried, baked and sautéed. And I love it any way that Julia Child says to do it!
Julia Child is arguably the most influential Cookbook Author in American history – for writing about French food!
She was born Julia Carolyn McWilliams on August 15, 1912, in Pasadena, California, and died on August 13, 2004, in Montecito, California.
Julia became famous in 1961 for this cookbook: “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” co-authored with Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle. She cemented her fame with her television program, “The French Chef”.
Cooking “Miller’s Wife Style!”
I have cooked many of her recipes and will include those links, but this is the one I love the most!
Sole Meunière (pronounced “sol mon-YARE”) is a renowned and iconic French dish featuring pan-fried sole fillets served with a buttery, lemony sauce and fresh parsley
. The name itself, “à la meunière,” translates to “miller’s wife style,” referencing the flouring of the fish before it’s cooked.
Julia loved the dish and served it with baby boiled potatoes, but I am going to make my sole meunière to serve over very, very creamy “pommes puree!”
OK, this recipe is really easy: but will it taste as good as Julia would make? Let’s see. Here are your ingredients!
- 4 sole fillets, 1/2 inch thick
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 minced shallot
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 3 tablespoons fine flour
- Lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 1 lb. potatoes
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup whole milk or cream
Note: I have included the ingredients for the potato puree as well – and you can also include capers in the sole dish but I do not like them so I omitted them.
First, let’s make the potatoes:
Dice the potatoes and boil them….then, let’s make the garlic butter sauce that goes into them:
I LOVE GARLIC.
So I include a lot of it…here’s a short video that shows the process – so easy and you can use this for anything:
It’s easy of course: mince the garlic, add butter, and let it cook on low heat from 8-10 minutes, stirring to make sure it doesn’t burn….then set it aside – when the potatoes are done, add the mixture, the milk and puree….so easy.
Next, make the sauce, which is simply butter and lemon, but I added a bit of minced shallot as well – here’s how easy it is to make and set aside:
Now, let’s make the sole!
Season fish with salt and pepper and turn over in flour, shaking off excess. Heat 1 teaspoon of butter with 1 teaspoon of oil in a pan until the butter foam begins to subside, add fillets and saute for about a minute on each side. Cook only until fish begins to take a light springiness to the touch. Be careful not to overcook; if the fish flakes, it is overdone.
Here’s how easy it is!
So now all you have to do is plate it, and what could be easier?
A dab of pommes puree, the fish, the sauce and fresh parsley and you have a meal!
Here it goes:
The dish is fast, easy and delicious: the flavor of the sole comes out well, while the thin flour coating gives it a bit of crispness on the outside while holding in all of the moist interior of the fish – and the butter lemon sauce gives it a nice kick to finish it off!
I served Julia’s Sole Meunière with a salad of greens and a dressing of French mustard, red wine vinegar and olive oil…a light side dish. I also added some Avocado and Radish because I love them!
As for those “pomme puree” that the Sole rests magnificently on, here is the recipe from the iconic Chef Joel Robuchon – make them as decadent as the recipe calls for and live life!
I have shared many recipes from Julia before, as well as a look at her kitchen – because you can see it now in a museum! Take a look:
Yes, the next time you are in Washington DC, see it up close! Here’s where you can find her actual kitchen – the Smithsonian Museum of American History – and it’s free!
I had the chance to see Julia’s original provencal stove, and my wife Alex and I had the chance to cook on it as well!
We attended a week-long cooking class with Author/Chef Patricia Wells…and Patricia’s good friend Julia gave her the stove when she left Provence…and Patrica keeps it looking meticulous! Read all about our Julia / Patricia “Chanteduc” adventure here!
I have made many of Julia’s best recipes, even tackling her time-consuming but worthwhile Boeuf Bourguignon dish!
And here is Julia’s famous recipe for “boeuf bourguignon” to make at home!
And if you really want to tackle some of Julia’s most unique dishes – like the time she cooked with brains!
You can see it here – if you dare!
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