Who has not heard of the _cuisine_ of the Reform Club? Who has not heard
of its _chef_, Alexis Soyer, and his _soufflet monstre à la Clontarf_,
and his _créme de l’Egypte à l’Ibrahim Pacha_? Well, here we have the
mighty gastronomic magician coming forward, in _proprié persona_, and
informing us of the methods be employs to produce those results which
astonish and delight the world. If we mistake not, this book of M.
Soyer’s is destined to produce a revolution in the kitchens of England,
and to substitute for the fat, greasy, unscientific school of cookery
the science of gastronomy, a science which teaches the art of extracting
from food, animal and vegetable, the nutritions portions in such a
manner as to please the eye and the taste, while at the same time the
material is economised to the utmost. The following passage shows that
M. Soyer has had considerable experience on the subject of which he
treats:
“During the last ten months, 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.”
The result of that experience we have in this volume. He gives us bills
of fare for parties of all sizes, from a coronation banquet to a
bachelor’s snug party in chambers. He also gives us plans of kitchens of
all sizes, from the magnificent gastronomical laboratory of the Reform
Club to my “Kitchen at Home,” which is suited to the means and
requirements of the solitary bachelor. Let all those who are tired of
the eternal roast and boiled, alternating with chop and steak--who think
that mutton broth is not the only potage in the world--that there are
methods of dressing fish other than plain boiling and frying, and other
sauces than melted butter--purchase M. Soyer’s book. They will find that
it is indeed that which it professes itself to be--a Gastronomic
Regenerator.