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| What You Need: |
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3 pounds eel, cleaned and cut crosswise into 2-inch slices
1 small onion, peeled and cut into quarters, plus ½ cup thinly sliced onion
4 small bay leaves
4 parsley sprigs plus 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup pale dry sherry
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 hard-cooked eggs, quartered
Rough puff pastry
1 egg yolk combined with 1 tablespoon heavy cream
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| How To Cook: |
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1. In a heavy 3- to 4-quart saucepan combine the eel, quartered onion, bay leaves and parsley sprigs, and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low, partially cover the pan, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the eel is firm to the touch. Do not overcook.
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2. With a slotted spoon, transfer the eel to a plate and strain the stock through a fine sieve into a bowl. Discard the vegetables. When the eel is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and cut the flesh away from the bones. Spread the pieces side by side in a 6-by-6-by-2-inch casserole or baking dish and set aside.
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3. Preheat the oven to 450°F. In a heavy 8- to 10-inch skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over moderate heat. When the foam begins to subside, add the sliced onion and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, or until the slices are soft and transparent but not brown. Add the sherry, chopped parsley, nutmeg, cayenne pepper and salt, and set aside off the heat.
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4. In another 8- to 10-inch skillet, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter over moderate heat. When the foam begins to subside, stir in the flour and mix thoroughly. Pour in 2 cups of the reserved eel stock and, stirring constantly with a whisk, cook over high heat until the sauce thickens heavily and comes to a boil.
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5. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 3 minutes to remove any taste of raw flour. Then add the lemon juice and the reserved onion-sherry mixture. Taste for seasoning. Pour the sauce over the eel slices, arrange the quartered eggs on top, and let the sauce cool to room temperature.
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6. On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry into a rough square about ¼ inch thick. Drape the pastry over the rolling pin, lift it up and unfold it over the baking dish.
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7. Trim off the excess with a small, sharp knife and, with the tines of a fork or your fingers, crimp the pastry to secure it to the rim of the dish. Gather the scraps of pastry into a ball, reroll and cut them into simple leaf and flower shapes.
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8. Moisten their bottom sides lightly with the egg yolk- and-cream mixture, and arrange them decoratively on the pie. Then brush the entire pastry surface with the remaining egg-yolk-and-cream mixture and cut 3 parallel 1-inches slits ½ inch apart in the top.
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9. Bake the pie in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325°F and bake for 30 minutes longer, or until the top is golden brown. Serve at once.
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