Carp à l'Ancienne (Old-Style Carp)

Ingredients

• 1 whole fish carp
• butter
• Régence garnish
• espagnole sauce (mother sauce)
• fish fumet
• truffle
• melted butter
• lard
• parchment paper

Instructions

1. Separate the head and tail from the carp. Using the flesh from the body, prepare a firm butter-based forcemeat (farce au beurre).
2. On a suitable base, reconstruct the body of the carp by molding this forcemeat into its original form. Fill the interior with a Régence garnish, bound with espagnole sauce (a mother sauce) made with fish fumet, reduced to a tight consistency.
3. Reattach the head and tail to the reconstructed body, sealing them into the forcemeat at the center.
4. Decorate the entire forcemeat surface with truffle crescents, cut in graduated sizes to imitate fish scales.
5. Baste with melted butter. Cover with thin sheets of lard and buttered parchment paper. Poach gently in a moderate oven until cooked through.