Filets de Sole à la Dumonet

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Filets of Sole Rolled Up and Ready to Cook
Last week, Chef Jean Luis Dumonet and his wife Karen came up for the weekend. Jean Luis and I cooked together, and here is the master recipe he taught me for the most delicate and delicious Filet of Sole any of us had ever experienced. This recipe is best made with Dover sole, of course, but if you cannot get any, grey sole of fluke will also do quite well.
Filets de Sole à la Dumonet
Ingredients

4 fish (one per person)
Salt and pepper
1 shallot coarsely chopped
1 onion coarsely chopped
½ cup of celery coarsely chopped
1 quart of water
1 bottle of dry white wine
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 cup heavy cream
4 oz cold butter cut into small chunks 

Recipe Directions
Filet the fish and reserve the bones.Lightly season the filets and place into an oven proof deep skillet.  Make a fumet by first rinsing the fish bones. Drain and mash with the back of a large spoon. Place in a stockpot and add the water and the wine. Bring to a simmer skimming off any scum. Add the shallots, onions, celery and seasonings. Partially cover and simmer for 20 minutes, skimming the surface every 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and remove the fish and vegetables with a slotted spoon. Strain through a sieve. Return the pan to the heat and reduce the fumet to half.Add the cream and bring it to a boil.On a very low heat whisk in the butter a few chunks at a time. Keep whisking. Spoon the liquid over the filets and bake at 375F for 9-10 minutes for Dover sole, 5-6 for grey sole or fluke. Remove the cooking liquid from the skillet and bring it to a boil to reduce to a nice consistencySpoon the sauce on top of the fish. Serve alone as an appetizer (as we did) or with rice as a main course. Bon appétit!
Gerard's Wine Suggestion

Gerard says that Jean-Louis Dumonet’s delicate yet rich recipe, is an excellent illustration of his Poitou-Charente origin where butter and cream are inescapable ingredients. They make the wine choice of great importance. The fine flesh of the fish would go well with a lovely white Burgundy (Meursault ou Puligny-Montrachet) but the butter and cream demand a more incisive more mineral wine.  So I turn to my old favorite – a classic Chablis, brisk and fruity, very dry and with a refreshing acidity. In the nose, there are flavors of green apple and lemon. In the mouth Chablis delivers aromas of vanilla, lemon and linden. The perfect matching with your Sole a la Dumonet. Recommendation: Louis Latour Chablis La Chanfleure 2009 - $25.99 at Pine Plains Wine (or $20.80 - if you take advantage of their 20% by the case discount). Chablis Christian Moreau 2010 - $22.99 at Arlington Wines. Other nice pairings: Pouilly Fuissé, Sancerre, Pouilly Fumé.