2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium onion, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup dry white wine

¼ cup brandy

2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon fresh ly ground pepper

2 large cucumbers-peeled, halved lengthwise and seeded

1/3 cup minced fresh parsly1

A cup mincedfresh dill

4 salmon steaks, cut 1 inch thick (6 to 8 ounces each)

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1. In a large skillet, melt the butter over moderately high heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, until softened but not brown, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the onions are very soft, about 6 minutes.

2. Add the cream, wine, brandy, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Increase the heat to moderately high and boil, uncovered, whisking occasionally, until thickened, about 8 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, with the small end of a melon baIler, make a shallow incision in one of the peeled cucumbers and cut out a half-sphere of cucumber. Cut out as many half-spheres as possible and repeat with the remaining cucumber.

4. Add the cucumber pieces to the sauce, reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cucumber is slightly soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in all but 1 tablespoon each of the parsley and dill. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.

5. Heat the oven to 4000. Pat the salmon steaks dry with paper towels. In a large ovenproof skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat until smoking slightly. Add the salmon to the pan and saute' for 1 minute on each side, until browned. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the salmon is just opaque throughout, checking for doneness around the center bone, about 7 minutes.

6. Remove the salmon from the oven and drizzle the lemon juice over the top. Spoon the reserved sauce onto a large, warm serving platter and put the fish on top. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon each parsley and dill over the salmon.