Preparation time: 25 minutes 

Ingredients for 4 servings: 

3 tablespoons softened butter (for the dish) 
2 pounds New Jersey silver hake steaks (1 ½ to 2 inches thick)  
2 tablespoons olive oil 
Salt, pepper 
1/2 cup dry white wine 
6 tablespoons heavy cream 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (240 degrees C). 

Butter a baking dish large enough to hold all the fish flat on the bottom. Sprinkle in the shallots, arrange the slices of fish on top after brushing each one on both sides with oil, salt lightly and pepper, and add the white wine. Bake for 20 minutes. 

Remove the fish from the oven, lift out with a slotted spatula and place on a warm serving platter. Pour the cream into the baking dish and heat on top of the stove until the sauce just comes to a boil, stirring constantly. Taste for salt and pepper, then spoon the sauce over the fish and serve immediately. 

(After a recipe in Paul Bocuse in your Kitchen, an introduction to classic French cooking by Paul Bocuse, 1982, Pantheon Books, New York, NY)