A Julia Child's Inspired Romantic Dinner for Two

A few years ago, when the movie "Julie & Julia" brought Julia Child back into the minds of the public, there was a real resurgence in the sales of Julia Child’s cookbooks and people began enjoying her many recipes again.

I've always had a great respect and admiration for this formidable lady who forged the way in the food arena. She wrote one of the first American cookbooks for the home cook. One that was easy to understand without needing a formal culinary degree like the other cookbooks of the time.

She also was the first woman to have a cooking show on public television. Women were not respected as chefs when she went on air in the 1950’s. Even today, women have a much harder time being recognized in the professional cooking world, but the strides we have taken have a great deal to do with the pathways that Julia created for us.

With her in mind, I offer to you one of her very favorite dishes, Sole Meuniere. It’s such a simple dish and was the meal she had during her first trip to her beloved France. The best recipes rely on the flavors of the ingredients and not the cover-up of many spices and sauces. When you start with quality ingredients, you don’t need to add much to create a memorable dish.

This preparation originated in the Bretagne area of France and is most likely the one from which all other variations were created.

Sole Meuniere

Serves 4

This recipe was developed decades prior to non-stick cookware and therefore, fish needed to be floured and pan-fried in butter to prevent sticking. The name of the recipe comes from the French word, la meuniere, which means a miller’s wife or a female owner of a flour mill. “Meuniere," still applies to any fish cooked in butter.

• 4 fresh whole sole, about 6 oz. each
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 6 oz. butter
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped

Make sure you buy fresh, whole sole from a reputable fish market. Ask the fishmonger to clean and skin the sole, but leave it intact with heads and tails left on.

To prepare:

1. Rinse the sole and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Use two large non-stick skillets so you can cook all 4 fish at the same time. Add 1 ½ oz. of butter to each pan. Place two sole in each pan. Cook the sole 4 minutes on each side. Transfer the fish to heated plates.
3.  Discard the butter from one of the pans and set the pan aside. Using the remaining pan, add the rest of the unused butter to the pan containing the butter you cooked the fish in. Add the lemon juice and allow the butter to melt over very low heat. Once melted, pour the sauce over all 4 sole, sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

A variation uses capers in place of the parsley, however cut back a bit on your salt if using the capers.

This dish makes the perfect romantic Valentine's Day meal for you and your sweetie. Light some candles for the table. Add a good white wine, a fresh salad and some toasty French bread and imagine that you’re dining at a small café in France. Ooh la la!