Cookbook

Created by Patrice Demangel,
for 4 persons

● 1 carrot
● 1 onion
● 1 clove garlic
● 1/2 a leek
● 2 ounces / 50 grams of celery
● 2 medium tomatoes
● 2 lemons
● 1 orange
● 4 monkfish fillet
● 7 basil leaves

Preparation

Peel a carrot, an young onion and a clove of garlic. Dice these ingredients as well as the leek and celery. Add everything to a pan with two tablespoons of water and cook over a low fire until the water has evaporated. Add the juice from one orange and let simmer. Parboil the tomatoes to remove their skins, then cut them in half and remove the seeds, conserving the juice. Cut the tomatoes into small cubes and add to the vegetable mixture with the tomato juice, garlic and a bouquet garni. Continue cooking for five to six minutes, then remove from the fire and set aside.

Preparing the lemon confit

Cut four good-sized lemon into circles with the rind attached. Put the slices into a saucepan with 7 ounces of water and bring to a boil. Drain the pan and repeat. Squeeze the juice of another lemon into the newly-drained pan. Cook until the juice becomes syrupy and then set aside. Preheat the oven to 200 °C/400 °F for 10 minutes. Tie each lemon circle to a piece of monkfish, then place them in a pan with the lemon facing up. Season with salt and pepper. Place the pan in the oven. Cook for seven to eight minutes. Add seven leaves of basil to the sauce in the pan.

To serve, arrange the monkfish on a platter and spoon the sauce around the fish. 

Created for Château Coutet by Patrice Demangel, culinary consultant and trainer at Alain Ducasse's cooking school.