FRIDAY NIGHT FISH FEAST ~ FILLET of DOVER SOLE VENONIQUE (Timothy Leeper)

"TIMOTHY LEEPER is an Honorary Islander ... Aside from his cooking wizardry, he is the caretaker of the new lilacs that arrive on the Island each year, donated by members of the International Lilac Society ... His early experience on the Island was as executive chef for some of its major hotels. To re-create a romantic Mackinac Island dinner at home, Tim shares one of his special recipes ...."

~ Mackinac Island Memories

(Travel Memories Press)

~ June memories of the Island

________________________

FILLETS of DOVER SOLE VERONIQUE

1 cup double cream (instructions below)

8 Dover sole fillets

salt & freshly cracked pepper to taste

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup chopped fresh shallots

lemon juice

1 cup seedless white grapes, halved

• To prepare double cream: Place 2 cups heavy whipping cream in stainless steel pot and heat over low heat. Simmer until cream is reduced by half to 1 cup (approximately 40 minutes to 1 hour for cream to reach a thin sauce consistency).
• Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Generously butter a large earthenware or glass baking dish. Season sole with salt & pepper, then place in baking dish. Sprinkle wine, shallots, and lemon juice evenly over fillets. Cover dish with buttered waxed paper. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until fillets are tender.
• Carefully remove fillets from baking dish and arrange on flameproof platter. Strain broth from baking dish into a saucepan and heat over high eat until broth is reduced by two-thirds to about 3 tablespoons. Reduce heat to low and add double cream; blend well with whisk.
• Sprinkle grapes over fillets, then top with cream sauce. Place platter under broiler for 2-3 minutes or until sauce bubbles and turns a light brown. (8 servings)

MACKINAC ISLAND (Lilacs & Romance) ~ FRENCH ALMOND CAKE

MACKINAC ISLAND

( Official site: http://www.mackinacisland.org/ )

~ Lilac festival

__________________________

"The lilac is one of the enduring symbols of Mackinac Island. First planted here by French missionaries in the 1600's, the oldest living lilacs on American soil are on Mackinac Island. some of the older lilac shrubs have grown to treelike proportions over the years. Each spring,m the trees fill the Island air with sweet fragrance and dazzle with their rich shades of purple, lavender, and white.

Since 1949, Mackinac Island has celebrated the arrival of summer with the annual Lilac Festival in June, when hundreds of lilac trees are in full flower. Stella King, a well-loved citizen of the Island, created quite a stir that year when she rode through town in her carriage decorated with lilacs.

Amid this lush atmosphere, is it any surprise that romance is rampant on the Island? Couples get married every day and every place on Mackinac Island ~ in quaint churches, on rocks by the water, on lookout points over the highest bluffs, on Victorian croquet lawns, by the apple orchard, in gazebos, and on boats. And the weddings are no longer just in the summer. Spring and fall are popular times, too, and others are discovering the quiet solitude of winter. Later, these same couples return to celebrate wedding anniversaries and recapture the romance of the island.

The residents of Mackinac Island welcome nearly a million guests each year. The Island's leisurely pace and scenic beauty draw and endless parade of visitors ~ some familiar, some new. Old traditions are cherished, yet new ones are formed at the same time. And Mackinac Island memories continue to be born, year after year, stretching into the future and circling back into the past."

~ Mackinac Island Memories (Len Trankina)

_____________

* Note: For more information regarding this beautiful festival, visit ~

( http://www.mackinacislandlilacfestival.com/ ) and

http://www.absolutemichigan.com/search/?search=city&linkcity=Mackinac%20Island

____________________

FRENCH ALMOND CAKE

~ In honor of the French for gracing Mackinac Island with revered lilacs, here is Julia Child's lovely recipe.

*

1/4 pound soft butter

3/4 cup blanched almonds, pulverized in blender with 1/4 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 Tbsp rum, kirsch, or vanilla extract

1/2 cup sugar

1/8 tsp. almond extract

1/2 cup sifted cake flour

1 tsp. baking powder

• Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
• Grease and flour a 8 1/2-inch baking pan.
• Cream butter and sugar together in a medium-size mixing bowl. Add eggs one at a time, mixing between each addition. Add baking powder and flavorings. Gently fold in flour, one tablespoon at a time.
• Fold batter into pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes.
• Sprinkle with powdered sugar when cool. Serve with the freshest fruit of the season.