THE FORMAL DINNER
From the informal dinner in which the family waits on itself, to the
formal dinner, at which two waitresses attend to the comfort of the
diners, is but a step. Yet it is a serious one for the hostess who
gives the latter form of dinner. The cook often requires extra help
(dishwashing, etc.); and where a chambermaid is available, she has to
be drafted as a second waitress or an extra waitress engaged. There
must be a helper on duty in the pantry, for there must be no hitch in
any detail of the formal dinner service. So the extra pantry-hand must
serve soup and pour coffee, see that there is crushed ice always ready,
stack up soiled dishes, open wine bottles (yes, this is still done!)
and be prepared to do anything else which will help make the dinner a
success.
THE WHAT'S WHAT OF A FORMAL DINNER
The fine damask tablecloth is a feature--though the table is set
practically as though for a formal luncheon--and large-size dinner
napkins are the rule. The parsnips of circumstance are not buttered at
the formal dinner, though the bread and butter plate sometimes shows
its face as a serving convenience for bread, celery, olives and
radishes. Wineglasses still appear in formal dinners given _in
private_. This provides for quite an array of glassware. At the
point of the knives, in the following order stand the water goblet and
the iced tea glass or appolinaris glass. The wineglasses (usually no
more than three wines are served) are grouped to the right of the water
goblet. Their order is that of use. (There are separate glasses for
high and low cocktail, sherry, sauterne, claret, champagne, cordials
and whiskey.) Each guest has his own nut dish, placed directly before
him. Candles are lit and water glasses half-filled a few minutes in
advance of the dinner announcement, and the hostess already having
arranged place cards before this is done.
THE COURSES
The "initial" course may be placed on the table before dinner is
announced or may be served after. If, however, you serve cocktails in
the drawing room with the accompanying caviar or lettuce sandwiches, or
if you serve a canape, do not repeat the latter as the opening of the
dinner. For instance, you should not serve a Lobster Canape in the
drawing room and a Finnan Haddie Canape at the dinner table. Fruit
cocktails of every kind, and canapes are in order for this commencement
of the meal.
A GOOD FRUIT COCKTAIL RECIPE
Mix shredded pineapple, halved strawberries, (fresh, not preserved),
with grapefruit pulp, the pulp in a two to one proportion to the
pineapple, chill and cover with wine dressing. To be served in
champagne glass, with top garnish of a large strawberry for each glass.
The soup course may be preceded by one of fruit, where the cocktail or
canape has been served in the drawing room. Supposing it to be
strawberries, the berries will already be waiting in a small plate when
the guests take their seats upon entering the dining room. They should
be unhulled, large, selected berries, and may be eaten either by hand
(dipped in the sugar mound into which they are thrust on the plate) or
with the strawberry fork. The serving of a finger bowl with this course
is a matter of taste.
When this course has been removed, the soup is served, and the head
waitress pours the sherry, while cakes and olives are passed by a
second waitress.
If fish comes next--we will presume the fish to be Shad a la Delmonico,
Halibut a la Meniere or Turbans of Flounder--it is passed in the
platter, followed by rolls and Cucumber Ribbons, Dressed Cucumbers or
Sliced Cucumbers, as the case may be. Then the fish course is taken
from the table and we come to the entree.
If one entree is the limit it precedes the roast. Where you have two
entrees the heavy (meat) entree comes first, then the lighter
(vegetable) one. Let us say we have only Delmonico Tomatoes or Mushroom
Croquettes. We would carry on next with our roast fowl or flesh. But if
we have Oyster and Mushroom Patties _and_ Roast Ham with Cider
Sauce as entrees, the Roast Ham, being the heavier, should be served
first.
Our roast--the champagne was poured from the _right_ side with the
_right_ hand _after_ the removal of the fish plates--is now
due. The entree plates in turn have been taken away and the warm dinner
plates substituted for them. Ah, the roast! What shall it be? There is
so much from which to choose. It cannot be too epicurean for a formal
dinner. Fillet of Beef Larded with Truffles, with a Brown Mushroom
Sauce; Crown of Lamb (crowned with Green Peas and surrounded by Fried
Potato Balls); Roast Turkey with Truffle Gravy; Venison Saddle,
Chateaubriand of Beef, Sirloin Steak, there is no lack of choice.
When both roast and game are served, a frozen punch is supposed to draw
the line of demarcation between them, and the salad enters _with_
the game instead of being counted as an individual course.
While one waitress passes the roast, another follows with the
potatoes. Other vegetables and rolls then come in order and, if the nut
dishes of any of the guests are empty, they are refilled.
When more than a single meat course is served at a formal dinner, the
sorbets and frozen punches should be dropped. In such a case they are
only permissible at an especially large official dinner, a banquet or a
large hotel spread.
After dinner plates have been taken away the salad (already arranged on
the plate, the fork on the right hand side) is served from the right,
and sandwiches are passed. The variety of possible salads has already
been alluded to in the consideration of the formal luncheon, hence
nothing need be added here on that head.
With the emptied salad plate are removed peppers and salts (on tray)
and the table crumbed, the ice cream plate (as at the formal luncheon)
is placed. The ice cream mold is passed with _the mold already cut,
but retaining its shape_, to facilitate the guest's helping himself.
Together with the ice cream, the accompanying small cakes are passed.
The appearance of the finger bowl service follows the removal of the
dessert plates. The finger bowl should be approximately one-fourth full
of luke-warm water (never cold) and garnished. The dessert plate is
removed with the left hand, the plate, finger bowl, and doily served
with the left. The passing of the bonbons concludes the actual service
at the table.
Coffee, as already mentioned, is poured by the hostess in the drawing
room and, after the waitress has collected and removed the coffee
service (and cups and saucers) she may, in the event that cordials are
served, return with the cordial service, which the hostess pours and
the waitress serves as in the case of the coffee.
If the ladies _only_ retire to the drawing room, one waitress
serves them there with coffee, while another remains in the dining
room. Here she passes cigars and cigarettes on a tray, together with a
lighted candle or matches, and then serves coffee and cordials or
brandy and soda.
It is good form for the waitress to serve carbonated water in
apollinaris glasses in the drawing room about an hour after the
conclusion of the dinner.
THREE FORMAL DINNER MENUS
1. Grapefruit. Chicken Consomme with Oysters. Bread Sticks (served like
roll in napkin). Deviled Crabs. Chicken Mousse with Sauterne Jelly.
Saddle of Mutton. White Potato Croquettes. Carrots and Turnips a la
Poulette. Currant Mint Sorbet. Mushrooms au Casserole. Roast Grouse,
Bread Sauce. Watercress Salad. Willard Souffle. Strawberry Ice Cream.
Salted Almonds. Bonbons. Crackers and Cheese. Black Coffee.
2. Oyster Cocktail. Saltines. Mushroom and Sage Soup. Dinner Braids.
Lobster Chops. Cucumber Boats. Sauce Tartare. Swedish Timbales with
Calf's Brains. Larded Fillet of Beef with Truffles. Brown Mushroom
Sauce, Potato Rings. Flageolets. Buttered Carrots. Asparagus Jelly
with Pistachio Bisque. Ice Cream. Cream Sponge Balls. Salted Almonds.
Bonbons. Water Thins. Neufchatel Cheese. Black Coffee. (From "A Book of
Good Dinners for My Friend": Fannie Merrit Farmer.)
3. Cocktails. Caviar Sandwiches. Selected Strawberries. Mock Bouillon.
Olives. Sherry. Rolled Cassava Cakes. Turbans of Flounder. Dressed
Cucumbers. Rolls. Delmonico Tomatoes. Roasted Incubator Chickens.
Chantilly Asparagus Potatoes. Buttered Asparagus Tips. Champagne.
Grapefruit and Alligator Pear Salad, Paprika Crackers. Montrose
Pudding. Small Cakes. Coffee. Cordials. (From "Table Service," Lucy G.
Allen).