Sole Meunière from the Incomparable Julia Child

Mary McCoy says:I am enjoying all your recipes & photos. Have you purchased a lot of new equipment to make the recipes? June 20, 2012 at 2:10 pm Laura Leigh Goyer says:Glad to hear you’re enjoying the JC100 posts! One of the great things about Julia’s recipes is that, for the most part, they use just a few simple ingredients and everyday equipment. I did buy my lovely charlotte pan, but other than that, nothing new. Thanks for stopping by Mary 🙂 June 20, 2012 at 8:04 pm Laura Leigh Goyer says:Come to think of it I also bought the little channeller, although I didn’t need to 🙂 June 21, 2012 at 8:24 pm Trish Worth says:The fish looks so yummy. And you’ve taught me something – I have a 12 inch frypan and an 8 inch burner. Now I understand why stuff doesn’t brown properly. Thanks for cooking this fish, Laura. June 20, 2012 at 4:16 pm Laura Leigh Goyer says:Thanks Trish! I’ve done it too, usually because I didn’t have enough 12 inch burners free. My next stove will have 3 large burners and 1 small instead of 2 and 2, or better yet, it’ll be gas. 🙂 June 20, 2012 at 8:07 pm Helene says:I haven’t made it yet. That dish sounds yummy. June 21, 2012 at 7:47 am Laura Leigh Goyer says:Thanks Helene. This recipe was almost as fast and simple as L’Omelette Roulee from week one. I had to keep up the pace with the photos too since the longer this dish sits the less appealing it looks. Hope you give it a go. I’d love to see how someone with your talent would style it! June 21, 2012 at 8:32 pm happysherlock says:The fish looks amazing. I will have to give this recipe a try soon. And love the lemon stars and basket! 🙂 June 21, 2012 at 8:38 am Laura Leigh Goyer says:Thanks a lot! I know the lemons are very old-school, but they were still fun to make and they seemed appropriate 🙂 June 21, 2012 at 8:40 pm Ken Rivard says:Your sole looks exquisite. I’d eat it in a heartbeat. And GREAT photos!I’m of two minds about the trouble-shooting tips issue. It most often comes up for me with a simple technique that is, paradoxically, difficult to describe, the sort of stuff that can easily be taught in person but is more challenging to bring off in print. Getting risotto to the right texture, whisking mayonnaise, sautéing fish–I guess I come down on the side of knowing the possible pitfalls (and their solutions) and THEN plunging ahead, rather than plunging ahead, screwing up, and then having to figure things out myself. It took me weeks of trial and error–and a lot of doorstop loaves of bread– before I finally figured out what a properly active sourdough culture looked like. Unfortunately that last step stops too many timid cooks in their tracks. Still, you’re right, knowing about the possible things that can go wrong can frighten people too. June 21, 2012 at 9:25 am Laura Leigh Goyer says:Thanks Ken! I’ll take that as a huge compliment!I made this recipe about 6 months ago and it didn’t turn out nearly as well, but the problem wasn’t something Julia addressed in her troubleshooting tips. The first time I just melted the fresh butter and poured it over the fillets instead of waiting for it to become brown and nutty and fabulous. Come to think of it, I should have added that tip to my post!Now about that sourdough starter….I’m dying to know what those last steps are (or am I?) I went searching your blog, eagerly anticipating some glorious photos of doorstop loaves of bread, but no such luck 🙂 June 21, 2012 at 9:23 pm Lolabees says:Yummy! And such beautiful photos as always. 🙂 June 21, 2012 at 2:29 pm Laura Leigh Goyer says:Thanks Laura! I’ve finally retired the iPhone for blog photos. Now if I can just sort out the lighting 🙂 June 21, 2012 at 9:29 pm Charlotte Julienne says:I love the final photo June 24, 2012 at 10:15 am Laura Leigh Goyer says:Me too! Thank you so much for stopping by 🙂 June 24, 2012 at 12:24 pm chezbonnefemme says:Divine! Don’t you love it in the movie when she’s eating the Sole Meuniere and can’t put it into words how great it is, and Paul just says, “I know, I know!” My husband and I have those moments ALL OVER FRANCE! October 14, 2012 at 5:24 pm Laura Leigh Goyer says:Lucky you! I know 17 days in Paris doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of the culinary wonder that is France, and I can’t wait to go back. Lyon, Provence, Normany…where to begin?Julie/Julia is one of those rare movies that I actually liked more than the book.Cheers, Laura October 14, 2012 at 8:38 pm Christabel says:That looks absolutely divine! And extremely simple to make. It’s funny that I stumbled upon your blog a couple of days after Julie/Julia – it’s one of my favorite movies! Among many things, it inspired me to start blogging about food : ) January 3, 2013 at 1:34 pm Laura Leigh Goyer says:Thanks Christabel! I just watched Julie/Julia again over the holidays and was struck by just how much blogs have changed since Julie Powell was cooking her way through MTAFC and blogging about it. She didn’t take pictures of her food or include media in her posts, whereas today, it would be a rare thing to see a food blog without photos.And speaking of photos, yours are fantastic! I really enjoyed browsing through them on The Fat Camel.Thanks for stopping by. Laura January 3, 2013 at 9:32 pm Nk says:Love the recipe, amazing and simple. What can you serve this dish with? February 9, 2015 at 8:46 am The Culinary Travel Guide says:Hi Nik – Sole meunière is traditionally served with boiled baby potatoes tossed with butter and parsley. I side of steamed green beans would also be a nice addition to this elegant meal. And don’t forget the white wine! February 9, 2015 at 12:33 pm