Recipe by Dione Lucas~
Make a panade first, by putting in a pan 1 cup of cold water, 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) of salt butter, cut up in pieces, and a good pinch of salt. Bring slowly to a boil. When bubbling, throw in 1 cup of all-purpose flour. Stir with a wooden spoon until smooth.
Turn the panade into a mixer bowl and beat in, 1 at a time, 2 eggs, 2 egg whites. Then beat in, teaspoon by teaspoon the ground raw pike. Remove mixture from bowl. Put in bowl 12 tablespoons (6 ounces) of butter cut into pieces. Beat until light and creamy. Add fish mixture slowly to butter while beater in on. Beat in slowly 1/3 cup of heavy cream. (Add this a few drops at a time with mixer on low, then speed it up until cream is absorbed. Continue doing this until you have used all the cream.) Add a good 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, 3 good teaspoons of salt, 2 good shakes of cayenne and 1 level teaspoon Dijon mustard.
Rub mixture through strainer or, better yet, put it through a food mill. Chill in a covered shallow bowl for at least half an hour. (The quenelle mixture can be made up to this point and refrigerated even a day ahead of time.)
When you are ready to make the quenelles, form them into 3 inch long sausage shapes on a lightly floured board, Put them in a deep pan of very hot water – but it must not be boiling. Cover the surface of the water with 2-3 paper towels. This will keep the quenelles, which swell and rise to the surface, from forming a nasty skin if they are exposed to the air. Poach for 15-20 minutes. When poached, arranged the quenelles on a buttered au gratin dish.
Spoon over them the following sauce: Make a fish stock with the skin, bone and head of the pike in a saucepan. Add ¾ cup of dry white wine and 3 cups water. Bring slowly to a boil. When bubbling, reduce to a simmer. Carefully skim off scum. Add ¾ cup, in all, of sliced onion, carrot and celery; and 2 teaspoons of salt, 8 black and white peppercorns, 1 small white onion stuck with 2 cloves, one sprig of parsley tied to one bay leaf. Simmer gently for 1 ½ hours. (At this point the liquid should be reduced to 2 ½ cups. Any fish stock that is not used in this recipe can be stored in a covered plastic container and frozen for future use.) Strain.
Melt in a pan 6 tablespoons of butter. Stir in, off the fire, 4 tablespoons of flour. Season with a little salt, a few grains of cayenne. Carefully and slowly add and stir in 1 ½ of fish stock. Stir over the fire till it boils. Add 1/3 cup of light cream, bit by bit: add 3 teaspoons of butter and ¼ cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Simmer 5-6 minutes. (Sauce should be rather thick and shiny.) Mix in a small bowl 2 egg yolks, 2 tablespoons of dry sherry or brandy. Add 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Pour a little warm sauce on the egg yolks, beating all the time. Now add egg yolks to sauce in pan and reheat without boiling.
Carefully coat quenelles with sauce. Spoon it, rather than pour it over them. Sprinkle top with freshly grated parmesan cheese and cool melted butter. Brown under broiler for a few minutes.
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