In this Coronation month, my memory turns back to the member of the British royal family whom I knew best, Edward VII, great-grandfather of the present queen, and one of the great gourmets of modern history.
England had been plunged into deep mourning upon the death of Queen Victoria's royal consort, Prince Albert. For a generation the Queen did not forget her sorrow, and did not permit her people to forget it either. Young Albert Edward was educated in an atmosphere of gloom and sobriety. When, as Prince of Wales, he married the beautiful and charming Alexandra, he quickly escaped from this gloomy milieu. Ah, but the young Prince of Wales found himself in Paris, and Paris rejoiced in his genial presence!
In the gaiety of the Edwardian reign, England was to rediscover the gentle art of enjoying itself, la joie de vivre, and life was both spiced and sparkling. Edward could appreciate an exquisite vin rosé—and the rosy cheek of the Jersey Lily when it blushed under his royal glance. He was the symbol of an era of magnificent entertaining and superb food, an era in which Madame's robe de stylo was created in Paris, her brilliant complexion caused by hunting in the Shires and riding in Rotten Row, and her superb figure due to the exquisitely planned and executed little dinners and suppers at the Hotel Bristol and later at the Ritz.
Much has been written about those years, and there are many who, like myself, enjoy remembering that wonderful temps perdu.
My acquaintance with King Edward began when I arrived in Paris, at the end of the century, a country boy fresh from my apprenticeship at the Maison Calondre in Moalins. I was lucky indeed to find a place in the kitchens of the Hotel Bristol, the Paris' rendezvous of European and British royalty. Edward, then Prince of Wales, was a frequent visitor to the Bristol until the Ritz opened its doors close by and enticed the Prince and his friends into its shining quarters. Rumor has it that M. Morlock, the owner of the Bristol, never again spoke to M. Elles. the manager of the Ritz, after this terrible coup.
Myself, I was at that time at the bottom of the ladder, a poor potager in the kitchen struggling with gallons of stock and soup bubbling m the great copper pots. Little did I think then that another Ritz would open one day in London, and that I would be there as saucier—eventually to be entrusted with the preparation of les diners intimes for Edward the Seventh himself when he entertained at Grosvenor Square.
And, indeed, i never expected that one day I would watch, from a window of this London Ritz, his impressive funeral procession, always to recall its most poignant touch—the king's little dog trotting behind the great flag-draped coffin in the slow-moving cortege.
The establishment of a chef's career in those days of gastronomic glory, and especially in the heart of one of the hotels which fostered this greatness, required unfailing skill in all the basic techniques of haute cuisine. And infinite attention—has not someone called genius the capacity for taking infinite pains?—to the details of garnishing was of first importance.
Surely this coronation month, when elegance is the order of the day, is an appropriate time to consider the classic and justly famous methods evolved by the Edwardian maitres de cuisine to embellish their chefs-d'oeuvre.
It was, and is, most important that garnishes have more than their beauty to account for their being; they should be as good to eat as they are good to look at, and they must by their color, flavor, and texture complement the dish which they accompany.
Some foods are inherently decorative: slices of truffle, bouquets of asparagus tips, tiny glazed carrot;, artichoke bottoms, and tomato shells. But the true Frenchman includes among his garnitures even the vegetables that go into the stew, the vermicelli and other pasta that go into the soup. So the instruction préparez la garniture as often means the culling and shaping and cooking of the turnips, onions, carrots, and potatoes for an oxtail ragout as it does the notched orange slices for a canard à l'orange or the diamond-shaped croutons and pink shrimp for a sole normande.
Of particular interest at this moment are the special dishes created to commemorate important occasions and garnished in appropriate ways. When a famous personage is concerned, the dish usually contains his favorite food, served in a manner that pays tribute to his native land, or to the country which saw his greatest success. The Ritz hotels have a long tradition of gracefully achieving this sort of culinary tribute. Here, for example, are recipes named for four generations of the British royal family, some of them based on the very fine English sole with the sole arranged en couronne, in the form of a crown.
Supreme of English Sole Queen Victoria
Spread 6 filets of English sole with a thin layer of mousse of fish (see May, 1953). Fold the filets in half lengthwise and press the edges together. Make a fitly cut at the fold so the filets won't spring apart. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a shallow pan large enough to hold the filets side by side and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon finely chopped shallots. Arrange the filets in the pan and pour over them enough dry white wine so that the liquid is about ½ inch deep in the pan. Cover the fish with a circle of buttered wax paper with a very small hole in the center. bring the wine to a boil, cover the pan, and poach the fish for about 10 minutes, or until the flesh flakes easily.
Arrange the filets in a ring on a warm serving platter and cover them with Newberg sauce (sec May, 1953). Fill the center of the ring with 1 to 1 ½ cups cooked, diced lobster meat and 12 to 18 poached oysters, both mixed with about 1 cup cream sauce (see January, 1953). Decorate the top of the ring of filers with cooked shrimp and slices of truffles arranged alternately, and garnish the edge of the platter with croutons.
Chicken or Gapon Edward VII
Clean a roasting chicken Or capon weighing from 4 to 4 ½ pounds, and prepare the following stuffing: Mix together lightly 3 cups cooked rice, 6 to 8 cubes of goose liver, sautéed quickly in butter, and 2 or 3 truffles, diced. Add 2 tablespoons glace de viande, or meat glaze, and 2 to 3 tablespoons sauce supreme or velouté (see January, 1953). Mix well, stuff the chicken, and sew up the vent. Poach the chicken in chicken stock to cover for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the chicken is tender when tested with a fork. Place the chicken on a warm serving dish and garnish with creamed cucumbers. Add 1 tablespoon diced pimiento to 2 cups curry sauce and serve the sauce separately.
Curry Sauce
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan, add 1 onion, finely chopped, and cook until it is soft but not brown. Add 1 small bay leaf, a little thyme. and 1 tablespoon curry powder and mix well. Add ¼ cup chicken stock and bring to the boil. Add 1 ½ cups chicken volouté (see January, 1953). Boil for 10 to 15 minutes, strain through a fine sieve, and finish with ½ cup cream.
English Sole Edward VIII
Clean 6 English soles, each weighing from 1 to 1 ¼ pounds. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a shallow pan large enough to hold the fish side by side and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon chopped shallots. Arrange the fish in the pan and pour over them enough dry, white wine so that the liquid is about ½ inch deep in the pan. Cover the fish with a circle of buttered wax paper with a very small hole in the center. bring the liquid to a boil, cover the pan, and poach the fish for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the flesh flakes easily.
Place the fish on a flat board and trim off the fins. Cut away about 1/8 inch all around the edge of the fish, then cut down the center back to the depth of the backbone. Carefully lift off each half of the filet, discarding the backbone. Replace the halves and arrange the fish on a warm serving platter. Cook the liquid in the pan until it is reduced to half, and stir in 1 teaspoon curry powder. Add gradually 1 cup cream sauce (see January, 1953) and 2 tablespoons heavy cream, mixing constantly with a wire whisk until the sauce reaches the boil. Correct the seasoning with salt and strain the sauce through a fine sieve. Meanwhile, prepare 12 tiny rice molds about the size of demitasse cups. Garnish each fish with a turned, or fluted, cooked mushroom, pour the sauce over the fish and mushrooms, and sprinkle the mushrooms with finely chopped parsley. Arrange the molds of rice around the fish, with a slice of truffle on each, and put cooked shrimp between the molds.
Paupiettes of English Sole George VI
Spread 6 filets of English sole with a mixture of mousse of fish (see May, 1953) and artichoke puree in the proportion of 2 parts mousse to 1 part purée. Roll up each filet and secure it with wooden picks. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a shallow pan large enough to hold the paupiettes and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots. Arrange the paupiettes in the pan so that they stand with the rolled sides up (looking like pinwheels) and add 2 cups Chablis wine. Cover the fish with a circle of buttered wax paper with a very small hole in the center. Bring the wine to a boil, cover the pan. and poach the fish for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the flesh flakes easily. Place the fish carefully on absorbent paper to drain thoroughly.
Sauté 6 cooked artichoke bottoms in butter and arrange them in a circle on a warm serving dish. Pill the small hollow of each artichoke with diced truffles and place a paupiette on top. Cook the liquid in the pan until it is reduced to half. Add 2 cups Mornay sauce (see March, 1953), mix well with a wire whisk, and fold in 2 tablespoons whipped cream. Pour the sauce over the fish and glaze under the broiler flame. Place a slice of truffle on each paupiette and a bouquet of 4 or 5 cooked asparagus tips between them.
Breast of Chicken Queen Elizabeth
Remove the breasts from 3 chickens, each weighing from 2 ¾ to 3 pounds, and trim off the skin. Separate the top filer section of each breast from the smaller one lying beneath. Flatten each filet a little with a small mallet or the broad side of a knife. The smaller filet, which is thicker, should be flattened until it spreads to the same size as the upper one. Cut 6 thin slices each of ham and Swiss cheese the same size as the filets. Put the filets together with 1 slice each of ham and cheese between. Moisten the edges of the filets with beaten egg to hold them together securely. Roll the breasts in flour, and shake off the excess.
Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a shallow pan large enough to hold the filets side by side. Sauté the filers in the butter for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown on one side. Turn and continue to sauté for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the chicken breasts are done. Put them on a serving platter and keep warm until ready to serve.
To the butter in the pan in which the chicken was cooked, add ½ pound of small mushrooms, 1 teaspoon chopped shallots, and 1/3 cup dry white wine, and cook until the liquid is reduced to half. Peel 4 of 5 firm tomatoes, cut them in half, and squeeze gently to remove the seeds and juice. Chop the tomatoes coarsely and add them to the pan with the mushrooms. Cook briskly until most of the liquid is cooked away, bur do not let the tomatoes become mushy. Add 1 cup sweet cream and continue to cook until the cream is reduced to half. Add 1 cup cream sauce (see January, 1953) and correct the seasoning with salt. Pour the sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with finely chopped parsley. Garnish the platter with 6 small molds of rice and top each rice mold with a slice of truffle. Place water cress at ends of the platter.