To sustain and deserve the title of “Gastronomic Regenerator,” nothing
but an entire change from the system of any other publication on the art
of Cookery would be admissible, it is now in the hands of my readers to
judge for themselves, and to stamp its character according to its
merits, either as an original or a copy; to avoid the last, however, I
have closely studied to introduce the greatest novelty in every
department, and have entirely omitted all unnecessary confusion, which,
in many previous works, have rendered them unintelligible to the
uninitiated, and almost impracticable to the initiated; however, many
old and useful receipts, too good to be omitted, will be found much
simplified--to reduce them to a practical point.
I have also minutely studied the disposing and arranging of the building
of all sized kitchens, from the one of the Reform Club and the Kitchen
of the Wealthy to the humble one of the cottage, which cannot fail to
prove useful when closely followed, as six years of experience in the
kitchen of the Reform Club[1] has fully proved to me that those useful
departments have not only previously been much neglected, but in many
instances at a very great expense still worse arranged for want of
practical knowledge, and considering that the pleasures of the table are
an every-day enjoyment which reflects good and evil on all classes, my
readers I am sure will agree with me that the proper disposing of such
an important department deserves some little attention, for food
uncomfortably prepared is almost always unsightly, unwholesome, and
consequently indigestible, not being cleanly prepared.
I have likewise omitted in this work the placing of a long series of
bills of fare, which has been done in every previous publication;
although they might have proved useful in some few circumstances, they
are seldom referred to, and often create confusion in the composition of
a dinner by the difficulty of procuring perhaps the identical
comestibles required in the receipts which the bills of fare refer to;
and more I would venture to say, that in no circumstances have those
bills of fare been correctly followed; the only three I have introduced
being one to arrange my pagodatique service to grace the Table of the
Wealthy, the other the Lucullusian dinner, and the dinner of my Table at
Home, which will give a general idea of the manner in which I usually
compose my bills of fare, which of course may be increased or decreased
to any size. To avoid the old-fashioned method of giving ten or twelve
for every season in the year, I have made the whole contents of my book
one regular bill of fare, which will enable the most inexperienced cook,
_or young lady just commencing housekeeping_, to compose a recherché or
economical bill of fare at will, being so distributed, that after a
short series of sauces the bill of fare commences, being first the
soups, then the fish, then the hors-d’œuvres, or flying dishes, to be
handed round the table during the time the removes and entrées are
placing upon it; this is the usual manner I serve a dinner, which cannot
fail to be very hot; and to prevent confusion, which too often occurs, I
place a number on a piece of paper between the cover and the dish, with
a corresponding number to the name of the dish upon the bill of fare,
which is then forwarded to the steward, who by this means not only
understands the better placing it upon the table, but is able to answer
to any questions respecting the dinner, thus saving time and confusion;
and, above all, the dinner will be very hot and inviting, which would
not be the case in the regular system of laying out the whole of the
first course first upon the kitchen table, having to uncover every dish
unnecessarily, then upon another table in a room adjoining the
dining-room, and third and last, upon the dining-table, adding to which
the chance of confusion and innumerable delays, in which your dinner is
getting quite cold. In a plate service of sixteen entrées, which I was
directed by the committee of the Reform Club to order, I introduced
silver sand concealed in the heaters; thus by placing them two hours in
a hot closet previous to serving, they will retain their heat nearly a
couple of hours longer upon the table, but for further details, see
Pagodatique Dish at the end of the book. But to return to the
arrangement of my book: after the hors-d’œuvres come the removes,
flancs, entrées, in succession in the first course, and for the second
the roasts, savoury dishes, vegetables, entremets, and removes second
course; thus my readers will have but to turn from one series to another
in succession to arrange their bills of fare.
For any description of plain joints frequently required in the first
course, they will be found at the commencement of the series entitled My
Kitchen at Home.
For a public breakfast, luncheon, or suppers, where everything is partly
cold, the series of savoury dishes in the second course will be found to
facilitate and very much abbreviate the composition of the bill of fare
for either of the above purposes.
In the department entitled My Kitchen at Home will be found the same
arrangements, and the repetition of many dishes from the Kitchen of the
Wealthy, but so much simplified that the industrious classes of society
may partake freely of them at a very moderate expense.
I shall also remark that my motive in not making a translation to my
index, but merely naming at the commencement of each series the
different comestibles, is to avoid the following ridiculous occurrence,
that is, the making of bills of fare in English from such curious
translation, not one of which have I seen deserving publication, being
composed of comic French _trivialité_.
As it is not the name that makes the dish, I have only explained the
names of the different articles by way of distinction; I have also mixed
several headings in French and English, to instruct by degrees the
uninitiated in the art of making a correct bill of fare; I have also, in
every place where the heading is in French, endeavoured to place the
name of the comestible in the first line of the receipt. The reference
by numbers will be found unavoidably repeated in many instances,
especially those referring to stocks, sauces, pastes, or any of those
articles which are the foundations of any others, which will be easily
remembered after a few weeks’ practice without having recourse to the
index.
My readers will probably also feel interested in knowing that, although
for some time it has been my intention to write a work upon Gastronomy,
the laborious and difficult duties which I had to fulfil at the Reform
Club, added to the terrific effect which has produced upon me the 19th
edition of that monstrous volume mentioned in the preface, have often
been the cause of my giving up such an idea, and having destroyed my old
manuscripts, it is only within the last ten months that I in reality
commenced afresh this work, in which lapse of time I had to furnish
25,000 dinners for the gentlemen of the Reform Club, and 38 dinner
parties of importance, comprising above 70,000 dishes, and to provide
daily for 60 servants of the establishment, independent of about 15,000
visitors who have seen the kitchen department in that lapse of time.
Although I am entirely satisfied with the composition, distribution, and
arrangement of my book, should some few little mistakes be discovered
they will be the more excusable under those circumstances, as in many
instances I was unable to devote that tedious time required for
correction; and, although I have taken all possible care to prescribe,
by weight and measure, the exact quantity of ingredients used in the
following receipts for the seasoning and preparing of all kinds of
comestibles, I must observe that the ingredients are not all either of
the same size or quality; for instance, some eggs are much larger than
others, some pepper stronger, salt salter, and even some sugar sweeter.
In vegetables, again, there is a considerable difference in point of
size and quality; fruit is subject to the same variation, and, in fact,
all description of food is subject to a similar fluctuation. I am far,
however, from taking these disproportions for excuses, but feel
satisfied if the medium of the specified ingredients be used, and the
receipts in other respects closely followed, nothing can hinder
success.