I have no doubt that the love of good eating is as irrepressible as—well as l'amour itself. The world is full of people who genuinely like to share the pleasures of the table, whatever the cost may be. And nothing can suppress this feeling. For years and years I have watched the progress of gourmet societies, big groups and small ones, in this country and abroad, and every time one dissolves as old age carries off its members, another always springs up to take its place.
I chose January to write about menus for gourmet-society dinners because January is le bon mois for them. A group giving three dinners a year, fall, winter, and spring, plans the most important one for January. And even when only one annual affair is the custom, January is generally selected for it. In Europe, January's traditional feast day, Twelfthnight, or January 6, is a favorite date for las sociétés gastronomiques.
Now, some of you are, I know, experienced in arranging gourmet dinners for large, sophisticated groups. But many others are just beginners who would like to stimulate interest in better eating by planning a dinner for a small gathering of friends and colleagues, and, most likely, do not know the customs of these epicurean feasts. While the idea is, of course, to have a good time, what constitutes a good time is just a little different from, let us say, an alfresco barbecue. The best foods imaginable, the finest cooking possible, and the perfect wine to complement the dishes in each course are to the gourmet at his dinner what the most inspired conducting of a favorite symphony is to a lover of music. To produce a gastronomic symphony for your gourmet dinner, however, you must first set the stage.
Three rites fairly generally observed in gourmet dinners involve promptness, drinking, and smoking. First, dinner is always served on time and never kept waiting for anyone. If a tardy arrival is unavoidable, the latecomer must start at the course being served. The kitchen and serving schedules are never disrupted to accommodate a late guest. Second, heavy drinking of hard liquor is ruled out. In fact, some groups never serve cocktails and others do so only on special request. Instead, aperitif wines such as sherry, Madeira, or Dubonnet or a dry champagne are served to stimulate your taste buds without deadening their sensitivity. And third, no smoking is permitted during the meal, that is. not until the dessert is served Excessive smoking like excessive drinking tends to limit (he appreciation of the fine flavors in the superb dishes and great wines of these dinners.
In this country the time set for a gastronomic affair of this kind is usually seven thirty or, at the latest, eight o'clock. You should make sure that the table or tables are large enough for the guests to be seated comfortably, that the flower arrangements arc low enough to permit conversation across the table, and that each waiter has no more than six or eight people to take care of. At certain parties a person selects his own place at the table near those he enjoys most; but some eating clubs like to arrange the seating with place cards. Very often all talk of business is banned, and after-dinner speeches, too. But good stories are expected, if nor required, of those attending, especially if the party is entirely of men.
If the function is given in a hotel or restaurant for a group of twenty or more, it is customary to have printed invitations or announcements and souvenir menus. Often these souvenirs are illustrated, especially if the group includes any artists. Always the name of the wine and its year is put alongside the course it accompanies. A list of the guests is Often included and also a few words of appreciation to the hotel and the chef, whose staff must always work overtime to make the affair a success. And very often this souvenir has lasting value in that a page or two arc devoted to the recipes of the special dishes served.
The actual menu for an important gourmet dinner may be long and Complex or relatively short, In either case, the desired aim is that each dish be perfect. And certainly if a long, elaborate meal is going to overtax the available kitchen staff, it is better to simplify the menu.
The menu above is a truly classic one in the grand tradition of foods that are elegant and rich: caviar, lobster, guinea hen and quail, artichokes, and soufflé flavored with Grand Marnier. And then for a little Twelfth-night fun I have added a galette des rois.
The marquise in this menu may be new to you. It is usually served before the roast just as an ice or a sherbet, or sorbet, sometimes is. Instead of combining the ice with egg whites or meringue, however, which turns it into a sorbet, whipped cream is folded in. This makes a marquise. In any case, the marquise should be served very soft, never frozen hard.
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