Do you remember the scene in Julie and Julia where Julia is having her first French meal and is going on and on about the fish? That is exactly what will happen to you if you fix this dish. Tonight I made Sole with Spinach from My French Kitchen. Unfortunately I could not find sole, so I substituted Tilapia. I bought 3 and cut them in half to be able to do the twisting. The twisting just adds looks to the dish. As it was only Jim and I, I just made half the following recipe. I would definitely serve this to company.


Serves 6

8T butter

4 shallots

Drizzle of olive oil (for the broiler rack. I used non-stick aluminum foil)

12 sole fillets

2 # spinach

1/3 C heavy cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Lemon for serving

I did not use a broiler pan as the recipe directed. I covered a flat pan with non-stick foil and put it under the broiler for a few minutes to heat. I chopped the shallots and with 1T butter cooked them slowly for 10 minutes. Do not burn or brown, just soften. Twist the fillets and place on the hot pan. Place under the broiler for 5 minutes. Mine took 6 minutes to get done. Place the spinach in a pot with 3T of water, sprayed to prevent sticking. Cook for 3 minutes. Place the spinach in a lightly buttered baking dish and arrange the sole fillets on top. Place them under the turned off broiler to keep warm.

To the shallots add the cream, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Cut the remaining butter into small pieces and whisk a few pieces at a time into the simmering cream. Pour the sauce over the fish and spinach and finish with a squeeze of lemon.

We had a 2007 Bourgogne Chardonnay by Pierre Andre au Chateau de Corton Andre, a Vin de Bourgogne. This crisp, dry chardonnay is a great way to experience a white Burgundy at a reasonable price. This was a Wine of the Month selection by the Opera House Gourmet in Manassas, VA.

Meryl Streep was not acting if they really served her a meal like this. It was a natural reaction to the food.