Carp à la Parisienne

Ingredients

• 1 large carp
• ordinary forcemeat (farce ordinaire)
• truffle
• 2 parts Chablis wine
• 1 part fish stock (fond de poisson)
• aromatic vegetables (aromates)
• 42 pieces pike forcemeat crescents (croissants en farce de brochet à la crème)
• 12 pieces fluted mushrooms (champignons cannelés)
• 12 pieces small glazed truffles (petites truffes glacées)
• crayfish skewers (hatelets d'écrevisses)
• fish velouté (Velouté de poisson)
• poached oysters, trimmed (huîtres pochées et ébarbées)
• rice

Instructions

1. Choose a large carp and stuff it with ordinary forcemeat (farce ordinaire). Skin the fish on both sides over the upper two-thirds of its body, leaving the natural skin intact toward the head and tail.
2. Mask the exposed flesh with forcemeat and decorate with crescent-shaped truffle slices arranged to resemble fish scales, graduating in size for visual effect.
3. Braise the carp on a bed of aromatic vegetables using a braising liquid of two parts Chablis and one part fish stock (fond de poisson). At the final moment, glaze the fish.
4. Arrange the carp on a low rice base (tampon bas en riz). Surround with 42 pike forcemeat crescents studded with truffles (croissants en farce de brochet à la crème), 12 fluted mushrooms, and 12 small glazed truffles.
5. Decorate with crayfish skewers (hatelets d'écrevisses).
6. For the sauce: reduce the braising liquid, bind it with fish velouté (Velouté de poisson), and finish with poached, trimmed oysters.