Flounder (Really Tilapia) Provencal

I had a tough day yesterday. It was the kind of day that made me want to pick up chicken cones for dinner and round out the night with a very sophisticated pairing of white wine and straight-out-of-the-container Blue Bell. Nevertheless, I stuck to my guns and stopped by Central Market to get some last minute ingredients and set out to make Flounder Provencal--made on the cheap with tilapia--while the fish I bought the day before was still fresh.

Wait a second, I thought as I walked into the house--THE FISH! I exclaimed in my head. I FORGOT TO DEFROST THE FISH! Feeling ever so close to ordering pizza (I couldn't possibly expend the energy required to get back in my car to pick up chicken cones at this point. Duh.), I decided to roll with the punches and use the defrost button on the microwave. On my precious fresh fish. Nothing to make me feel like less of a "real" cook than using that blasted button. But I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.

The result was very good, after a few road bumps. I misjudged the cooking time on the fillets; I think they were a bit thicker than the recipe called for so they needed more time in the oven. I plated our food and everything before I realized they weren't done in the middle. After a few more minutes cooking, the tilapia tasted great. Despite that damn microwave.

• 4 4 oz. flounder or other lean whitefish fillets - Substituted tilapia for less than half the price.
• 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese - Substituted Swiss because I couldn't find the Parmesan in the fridge and I am literally that impatient.
• ¾ tsp. dried whole basil
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. garlic powder
• ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 8 ¼ inch thick slices tomato
• 4 ⅛ inch thick slices onion - Skipped because onions are revolting.
• ½ cup chopped green bell pepper
• Non stick cooking spray
• Parchment paper

Cut 4 15X14 inch pieces of parchment paper; fold in half crosswise, creasing firmly. Trim each piece of parchment paper into ½ of a heart shape. Unfold parchment hearts and reveal entire heart shape, and place on baking sheets. Place 1 fillet on each parchment heart, right up to, but not over, the crease. Combine Parmesan cheese, basil, salt, garlic powder and pepper; sprinkle evenly over fish. Arrange tomato and onion slices over cheese mixture; sprinkle with bell pepper. Fold over remaining half of each parchment paper. Starting with rounded top edge, pleat and crimp edges together, working down to the bottom, pointed end of the heart. Twist ends tightly to seal. Packet should now be well sealed. FYI--My packets were not well sealed. The fishies were too big for the parchment. It still turned out fine, though. Coat top of parchment hearts with cooking spray. Bake at 400 for 12 minutes or until puffed and lightly browned. Place on individual serving plates, and cut open. Serve immediately, but be careful of escaping steam.

After all that, we ended up with a superb entree. I paired it with a salad, leftover Okra Nut Bread, and of course a chilled bottle of Evian in keeping with our French theme. We'll be having the other 2 fillets for lunch at work today. And since that takes care of leftovers... you can bet I'll be getting my free chicken cone this evening. If Hudson's on the Bend is responsible, it can't possibly count against our junk food rule. Right? Even though it's essentially fried chicken? Right?