Quenelles
quenelle
Light oval dumplings associated especially with Lyon, traditionally made with pike or other finely ground mixtures and served with sauce.
About this dish
Light oval dumplings associated especially with Lyon, traditionally made with pike or other finely ground mixtures and served with sauce. The recipe here chooses one named variation from that wider tradition; household fillings, shapes and serving styles may differ.
Recipe
French pike quenelles in cream sauce
Quenelles
- 300 g boneless pike or zander flesh, very cold
- 250 ml double cream, very cold
- 60 g melted butter, cooled
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 tsp salt
- pinch of cayenne
Sauce
- 400 ml prepared béchamel
- 100 ml cream
- 50 ml white wine
- 1
Quenelles: 300 g boneless pike or zander flesh, very cold; 250 ml double cream, very cold; 60 g melted butter, cooled; plus the remaining ingredients listed for this component. Process fish to a fine paste and pass through a sieve. Set the bowl over ice and slowly beat in cold cream, then butter, eggs, salt and cayenne. Refrigerate covered at least 4 hours. Keep bowl and ingredients cold, beat gradually and scrape the bowl so the emulsion does not split.
- 2
Sauce: 400 ml prepared béchamel; 100 ml cream; 50 ml white wine. Reduce wine by half; stir in béchamel and sauce cream and simmer gently 3 minutes. Reduce wine over moderate heat and stir sauce gently so cream does not scorch.
- 3
Using two damp spoons, form 16 ovals. Poach at a bare simmer 12-15 minutes, until set and the fish-and-egg center reaches 71°C/160°F. Wet spoons between equal ovals, slide into a bare simmer and test a set springy center and fish temperature.
- 4
Drain into a baking dish, cover with sauce and bake at 190°C/375°F 12-15 minutes until lightly golden and bubbling. Preheat fully, arrange in one layer and bake until bubbling and lightly golden; rest briefly.
Note
This is a cold fish-mousseline quenelle, not the flour-only choux variation in the third source. Keep fish and cream cold to prevent splitting.