I beg to present to my Readers a copy of the Bill-of-fare of the most
recherché dinner I ever dressed, which the liberality and epicurean
taste of the gentleman who gave it, to a select party of connoiseurs,
enabled me to procure; he wishing me to get him a first-rate dinner, and
spare no expense in procuring the most novel, luxurious, and rare
edibles to be obtained at this extravagant season of the year; I,
therefore, much to his satisfaction, placed before him and his guests
the following: (see p. 609).
I had also proposed the following dish to the party, which was accepted,
but which I was unable to obtain from Paris on account of a change in
the weather preventing their arrival, the articles being two dozen of
ortolans; having already procured twelve of the largest and finest
truffles I could obtain, it was my intention to have dug a hole in each,
into which I should have placed one of the birds, and covered each with
a piece of lamb’s or calf’s caul, then to have braised them half an hour
in good stock made from fowl and veal, with half a pint of Lachryma
Christi added; then to have drained them upon a cloth, placed a border
of poached forcemeat upon the dish, built the truffles in pyramid, made
a purée with the truffle dug from the interior, using the stock reduced
to a demi-glace and poured over, roasted the twelve remaining ortolans
before a sharp fire, with which I should have garnished the whole round,
and served very hot.