ThinkProof Cooking^TM
Fish in Lemon Chive Sauce: Meal Guide

A. Menu

Type	Formal Meal
Food	Twice-Grilled Fish in Lemon Chive Sauce, with New Potatoes and Broccoli Refrigerator Chocolate Slice
Booze	Dry white wine
Serves	Four diners; Starting 8.00pm
Sources	"Quick Cook", Thane Prince, Chatto & Windus, London, 1994, p52

B. Ingredients Checklist

Stuff to have or buy:

*Ingredient*	*Already have*	*To buy*
Lemon (one; medium)
Chives (fresh clump or small pack of chopped)
Potatoes (900g/2lb; small, new)
Broccoli (500g/18oz)
Butter (60g/2oz)
Milk (275ml/½ pint; full-fat)
Cheddar cheese (60g/2oz)
Fish fillets (four frozen; e.g. cod)
Flour (30g/1oz)
Digestive biscuits (one packet of at least ten; large-size biscuits)
Glace cherries (30g/1oz)
Flaked almonds (30g/1oz)
Plain chocolate (60g/2oz)
Brandy (1tbsp)
White wine

C. Pre-Preparation

When?: Timeline minus c.six hours (e.g. c.lunchtime)

How long?: Pre-preparation takes about 15 minutes

Ö
	1	Put wine in fridge
	2	Find a shallow cake tin or glass dish (c. 8" x 8"/20cm x 20 cm), and grease the inside very lightly with a piece of butter
	3	Chop up 30g (1oz) of glace cherries
	4	Take ten of the digestive biscuits and put into a medium-size bowl; Roughly crush them into a mix of crumbs and small chunks (e.g. using the end of a rolling pin)
	5	Add the cherries and then add 30g (1oz) of almond flakes and mix
	6	Pour in 1 tablespoon of brandy (or orange juice if you're boring) and stir again
	7	Break 60g (2oz) of plain chocolate into another glass bowl and carefully microwave until melted (30 secs at a time on a medium-power setting, making sure you don't boil/burn the chocolate; should take about 2-2½ mins)
	8	When the chocolate is melted, stir in 30g (1oz) of butter; You may need to do a few seconds of microwaving to soften the mixture
	9	Pour the chocolate/butter mix into the biscuit mix and stir well.
	10	Pour mixture into tin/dish and press down
	11	Put into fridge (unless you're really hungry, in which case just eat it and make everyone have yoghurt instead because that's good for them)

D. Preparation

When?: Timeline minus c.one hour (e.g. c.6.30pm)

How long?: Preparation takes about 20 minutes

Food Preparation

Ö
	1	Grate half the rind of the lemon; Keep rind aside
	2	Halve the lemon; Squeeze juice out of one half; Keep juice aside
	3	Take a bunch of (c.50) chive stalks, wash and chop; Keep chopped chives aside (if you bought ready-chopped, set aside 2 tablespoons of chives)
	4	Grate 60g (2oz) of cheddar cheese
	5	Grease a largish but shallow (at least 12"/30cm diameter, c.2"/5cm depth) ovenproof dish that will fit under grill
	6	Wash broccoli and potatoes; Cut broccoli into sections (e.g. each head into four); Cut any larger potatoes into halves or quarters
	7	Measure out 30g (1oz) of butter and 30g (1oz) of flour and ½ pint (250ml) of milk

Note: Keep food fresh in containers; Any dairy/fish/meat in fridge

Timeline Preparation

Ö
	1	Get cooking implements ready:	Two large and one small saucepan; Spoon to stir sauce
	2	Get serving implements ready:	One large serving bowl for potatoes; One medium serving bowl for broccoli; Colander for draining veg; Three serving spoons; Cake slice for pudding
	3	Get eating implements ready:	Large plates for first course; Small plates for pudding; Wine glasses; Cutlery
	4	Make sure ingredients are all to hand:	All prepared items; Fish; Pepper grinder
	5	Get changed for dinner

E. Timeline Cooking^TM

Ö	*Abs*	*Rel*	*Your*
	7.22	0		Put 3 pints (1½l) fresh water into one of the large saucepans to boil
	7.34	+12		Put 3 pints (1½l) fresh water into the second large saucepan to boil
	7.36	+14		Turn grill on to medium
	7.37	+15		Place frozen fillets into greased dish, and place under grill
	7.38	+16		Put 1kg (2¼lb) potatoes into first saucepan to cook
	7.42	+20		Turn fish fillets
	7.44	+22		Melt 30g (1oz) butter in third saucepan
	7.46	+24		Slowly add 30g (1oz) flour to butter and stir into a paste
	7.47	+25		Turn fish fillets again
	7.48	+26		Beat 275ml (½ pint) milk slowly into sauce and simmer until sauce thickens
	7.50	+28		Put 500g (18oz) broccoli into second saucepan
	7.52	+30		Use a fork to check if fish fillets are thoroughly thawed right through to centre; Turn grill to low if they are; otherwise keep cooking at medium
	7.54	+32		Add lemon rind, juice and chives to sauce and stir; Add pepper if you want
	7.56	+34		Pour sauce over fillets (first, you might want to very carefully spoon off some of the liquid around the fish), and then sprinkle grated cheese all over the top; Return to grill at a medium heat until cheese is golden-brown
	7.58	+37		Drain vegetables in colander and put into serving bowls
	8.00	+38		Serve fish, broccoli and potatoes
				Serve dessert when appropriate

F. Post-Serving Notes

The Meal

Simple but tasty. Good for a romantic meal (serve as indicated for swingers; halve quantities and no. of diners for more traditional romantic meal). Chocolate dish is very rich: a little goes a long way.