IT'S GETTING BETTER ALL THE TIME...

Tonight my teammate and I did the Filet De Sole Marguery, a Filet of Sole in White Wine Sauce with Mussels and Shrimp, for the second time followed by Filet De Truit A La Nage, Sauce Beurre Blanc, a Poached Fillet of Trout, with Foamy Butter Sauce. I'm not sure I'm crazy about either of these dishes but we're learning how to fillet different types of fish, fish stock-making and different cooking methods.

DISH: Filet De Sole Marguery, a Filet of Sole in White Wine Sauce with Mussels and Shrimp.

DUE: 8:00 p.m. SERVED: 8:00 p.m.

COOKING NOTES: After filleting the fish, we chopped the bones and used them to make a fumet with sweated onions and shallots. Separately, we sweat shallots, added parsley, shrimp shells with wine then added the mussels. The mussels were removed and the sauce decanted (poured off the sauce leaving behind any sand from the mussels with any small mirepoix). The filets and the shrimp were cooked briefly in a little wine wine and mussel broth then set aside. The decanted mussel broth was added to a reduced cream with a little fumet, a little whipped cream and then napped the fish, the shelled mussels and the split shrimp on the plate then finished under the salamander.

CHEF'S CRITIQUE: The sauce was overbrowned under the salamander and the shallots were not thinly sliced enough but overall, not bad, and on time.

DISH: Filet De Truit A La Nage, Sauce Beurre Blanc, a Poached Fillet of Trout, with Foamy Butter Sauce.

DUE: 10:00 p.m. SERVED: 10:05 p.m.

COOKING NOTES: We sliced the onions and grooved the carrots using the channeleur, using the vegetables to create a court bouillon (a poaching stock). We then reduced shallots, vinegar and white wine by 9/10 in a russe and whisked in cold butter, strained it seasoned it and added a splash of cream to it. This beurre blanc was served on the side of the dish in a small pitcher. The fish was filleted, the skin left on and pinched together with a small wood skewer while poached in the court bouillon. The skin was peeled from the poached fish directly before serving in a bowl of bouillon with the onions and grooved carrots.

CHEF'S CRITIQUE: The fish filets could have been bigger and the court bouillon should have been hotter but the taste was good and the dish was almost on time.

OVERALL: This was the first night that we finished both dishes pretty much on time. It was a much-needed success and frankly with the difficulties my teammate and I had been having over the past two weeks, a relief. Could it be that we're finally getting the hang of this?