Carpe A La Chambord - Carp, Chambord Style

There is but little demand in this country for this sumptuous dish; perhaps only in rich private houses or for high class banquets.

The traditions of the old school of cookery teach us to lard the carp with strips of larding pork; to stuff it with veal force-meat and to garnish it with sweetbreads, cockscombs, etc.

From the modern point of view, such ideas are incongruous. One may claim that the American is proud of his boiled turkey with oyster sauce; but while turkey and oyster sauce may be well fitting, this dish cannot be named among the classical dishes of high class cookery, as Carp, Chambord Style, a dish which it is said was invented by the cooks of Catherine of Medici.

Receipt. - Scale the carp and draw it through the gills, so as to leave the belly intact; stuff it with fish forcemeat and tie the head with a string.

Line a fish kettle with sliced onions and carrots, add a faggot of herbs, lay the fish on top, and moisten with half fish stock and half claret. Cook in a moderate oven, continually basting.

When done, drain the fish and lay it on a dish; strain the fish stock, reduce it with brown sauce to give it consistency, then season to taste. Finish with a few pats of butter and lemon juice. Garnish the fish with fish quenelles, truffles, mushrooms, shrimps, oysters, fried milts of fish, etc. All this dressed separately.

Pour the sauce over the fish, and serve.

Note. - If this dish is intended to be very showy, serve it on a rice socle. Make large fish quenelles and decorate them with truffles. Make also a few skewers with glaced truffles and trussed crayfish and stick them in the carp before serving.

Carpe Bouillie - Boiled Carp. Sauces : Dutch, Caper, Genoise - Carpe Grillee - Broiled Carp

Butter Sauces: Maitre d'hotel, anchovy, horseradish. Cold Sauces : Same as for Salmon.

Carpe Frite - Fried Carp

Hot Sauces : Tomato, Colbert.

Cold Sauces : Same as for Broiled Salmon.

Matelote D'anguille - Matelote Of Eels

The Matelote is one of the oldest and most famous dishes of French cookery. Many of the inns on the border of the Seine have obtained a reputation for the perfect rendition of this dish.

Cut 3 pounds of cleaned eels in pieces 3 inches long, put them into a saucepan and moisten with two-thirds claret and one-third fish stock; add a faggot of herbs, salt and pepper; let simmer for 15 minutes, then add 2 dozen small glaced onions and 2 dozen small heads of mushrooms. Simmer for 10 minutes more, or longer, according to the size of the eel. Remove the faggot, and thicken the gravy with butter kneaded with the same amount of flour. Season to taste; arrange the fish nicely on a dish, pour over the sauce, and garnish with heart-shaped pieces of bread fried in butter.

Another method is to cook the fish separately, to prepare a Matelote sauce, and add the fish to the sauce just to heat it thoroughly.