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.
Dinners of this kind call for excellent wines. Here I have outlined my own preferences. Remember, though, that when many wines are served, only a scant glassful of each suffices and if the traditional formalities—handling the bottle, drawing the cork, and so on—are shirked, much of the pleasure of serving wine is consequently lost. For the fish dish a white Burgundy. perhaps a Puligny-Montrachet 1947, 1948, or 1950, or else a delicate Moselle, maybe a Piesporter Riesling 1950, would be most acceptable. A good red Burgundy is called for with the suprémes of guinea hen; Côte de Beaune wines of 1945, a very great year, are ready now and a Pommard from there would be my selection. And I find the wine service with the characteristic tender handling of the dusty bottles in their wicket cradles always enhances my enjoyment of a fine dish. Château Yquem of the exceptionally great 1937 vintage should be served with the marquise à l'ananas. Quail with a Château Lafite or Margaux 1947, or a 1945 or 1947 Châteauneufdu-Pape, would again be my choice. A demi-sec or sec champagne is the traditional dessert accompaniment, and cognac should follow the coffee.
Profiteroles aux Oeufs de Sterlet (Profiteroles with Caviar)
In a saucepan bring ½ cup water to aboil. Add ¼ cup butter and when the butter is melted, add ½ cup Hour all at once and cook, stirring briskly, until the mixture rolls away from the sides of the pan without sticking. Cool slightly. Add 2 eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Drop he paste in small balls, about the size of a small walnut, on a buttered baking sheet, brush the tops with a little beaten egg yolk mixed with milk, and bake in a moderately hot oven (375° F.) for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the profiteroles are puffed and golden brown and dry and feel light when lifted from the taking sheet. Cool.
When ready to serve, prepare a mimosa by mixing finely chopped hardcooked egg with a little finely chopped parsley. Cut the tops from the profiteroleS, fill the centers with fresh caviar, and decorate the edges with a border of mimosa. Replace the cover so that it rests halfway over the top yet shows he filling of caviar and the mimosa border. Place each profiterole on a plate lined with small leaves of lettuce, and garnish with a small wedge of lemon.
Petite Marmite
Cut into rather small pieces 1 pound of lean beef, 1 pound of fresh plate beef, 1 small oxtail, and the neck and 2 legs of a chicken. There should] be enough pieces to serve 6 people with 2 pieces each of beef and of oxtail. The chicken is mainly for flavor. Cover the meat with water and bring to a boil. Parboil for 10 minutes, drain, and rinse the meat with cold water. Put the meat into a large marmite, or deep kettle, and cover with 2 to 3 quarts of chicken stock or water. If water is used or if the stock is unsalted, add 2 teaspoons salt, Bring the liquid to a boil and simmer over low heat for 2 hours, skimming when necessary.
Meanwhile prepare the following vegetables: Peel 2 medium carrots and 2 small turnips, or enough to make twice as ninth carrot as turnip, and cut the vegetables into small balls or olive shapes. Cut 2 leeks and 2 stalks of celery into 1-inch pieces. Parboil the vegetables in water to cover for 5 minutes and add to the soup. Peel 2 small onions and saute them in a little butter until brown and add to the soup. Simmer the soup for 1 ½ hours longer, skimming when necessary. Correct the seasoning with salt. Place the marmite or kettle in a pan of boiling water to keep hot, but do not let it boil, and remove all the fat from the surface. Serve very hot. If desired, grated Parmesan or Swiss cheese may be served with it. Pass thin slices of small rolls. If marrow is available, cut it into small pieces and cover with cold water. Bring the water to a boil and transfer the marrow immediately to cold water. Place the marrow where it will keep warm until ready to serve. Pass the marrow with the soup.
Turban do Mousse do Soles au Howard Washington (Mousse of Sole with Lobster)
Place 1 pound of filet of sole, sea bass, cod. or other white fish on heavy parchment paper laid on a wooden board and pound the flesh with the dull edge of a heavy knife until it is very fine. Pound in ½ teaspoon salt and a little while pepper and then gradually add the whites of 2 eggs, mixing and pounding until they are thoroughly combined. Hub the mixture through a fine sieve into a metal pan. Set the pan in a bowl of cracked ice and. beat vigorously with a wooden spoon. Gradually work in about 2 ½ cups very heavy cream, adding a very little at a time, always stirring the mixture well after each addition. When all the cream has been added, test a small spoonful of the mousse as follows: Slip a small ball of the mousse into a little warm water and bring the water slowly to a boil. Turn the ball of mousse to poach it on the other side. If the mixture has been . worked enough, the mousse will become firm; if it falls apart, the mixture must be worked more over ice.
Butter a ring mold and fill it to the top with the mousse, then knock the mold against the table a couple of times to remove any large air pockets. Place the mold in a pan of hot water, cover with a piece of buttered wax paper, and bake the mousse in a moderate oven (375° F.) for 12 to 18 minutes. When done, a large kitchen needle or skewer or a small sharp-pointed knife inserted in the center will come out clean, with no uncooked mousse clinging to it, when withdrawn. Let stand a few minutes, then invert the mousse on a serving dish and fill the tenter with lobster Washington.
Lobster Washington
Split 3 live lobsters, each weighing from 1 ½ to 1 ¾ pounds, and remove the intestinal vein. Remove the claws and cut them into 2 or 3 pieces. Cut the bodies into 3 or 4 pieces and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and a little white pepper. In a large shallow saucepan melt 3 tablespoons butter and in it sauté the lobsters for 4 to 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon chopped shallot and 1/3 cup warm rye whiskey. Ignite the whiskey and as soon as the flame dies out, add 1 cup Cream. Cover the pan closely and cook the lobsters for about 20 minutes.
Remove the lobsters. Reduce the cooking liquid to about one-third the original quantity and add 1 cup cream sauce (see “The Last Touch”), Bring the sauce to a boil and stir in 2 egg yolks mixed with 1/3 cup heavy cream and a little of the hot sauce. Cook, stirring briskly, for 2 minutes, being very careful not to let the sauce boil. Add ¼ cup dry sherry and 3 tablespoons rye whiskey and correct the seasoning with salt. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve or muslin cloth. Remove the meat from the lobster shells and cut it into pieces. Put the meat in a saucepan with enough of the sauce to cover it well, and reheat but do not boil. Fill the center of the mousse with the lobster meat and sauce and pour the remaining sauce over the mousse.
Riz Pilaf (Rice Pilaf)
Select a pan that can be covered very tightly to keep in the steam. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in the pan and in it cook 1 teaspoon finely chopped onion until it is soft but not brown. Add 1 cup rice and mix well. Add 2 cups boiling water or chicken stock and ½ teaspoon salt, cover tightly, and cook in a moderate oven (350° F.) or over low heat on top of the stove for 18 to 20 minutes, or until all the water is cooked away. Turn the rice into a hot serving dish, separate the grains with a fork, and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Keep the pilaf in a warm place until ready to serve.
Suprêmes de Pintade Périgourdine (Breast of Guinea Hen Périgourdine)
Allow 1 guinea hen for 2 servings that is, 1 breast for each serving. Mow ever, if the birds are very large and the dinner menu has many courses, then 1 bird will serve 4, or 1 breast will be enough for 2 servings. Clean the birds and season them with salt. Place them in a roasting pan and spread them with good fat. Roast the guinea hen in a hot oven (425° F.) for 40 to 45 minutes for birds weighing from 1 ¾ to 2 pounds, basting often. Remove the birds from the oven, carve off the legs first. then remove the breasts. Reserve the legs and carcass for making salmis the following day.
Make a sauce in the roasting pan as follows: Pour off the fat from the pan and add to the pan 1/3 cup sherry, 1 to 2 tablespoons juice from a can of truffles, 1 cup brown sauce (see “The Last Touch”), and 2 tablespoons glace de viande or meat extract. Cook the sauce slowly for about 10 minutes, stirring in all the brown crustiness around the edge of the pan. Strain. Add 2 to A tablespoons diced truffles and 2 tablespoons sherry or Madeira. Correct the seasoning and bring the sauce to a boil. Sauté a slice of goose liver for each serving in a little hot butter until the liver is heated through. Remove the skin from the breasts of the guinea hens and trim the breasts to give them a neat, natural shape. Arrange the breasts on a warm serving dish with a slice of goose liver on top of each and pour the sauce over them.
Fends d' Artichauts Surah Bernhardt (Artichoke Bottoms à la Sarah Bernhardt)
Break off the stems of 6 to 8 artichokes, trim the bottoms neatly with a sharp knife, and rub the exposed cut surface with lemon juice to prevent it from darkening. With a very sharp knife trim the leaves so that only an 1/8 to ½ inch of the green is left around the artichokes. In a saucepan combine 3 pints of water, 1 tablespoon flour, 2 teaspoons salt, and the juice of 1 large lemon or 3 tablespoons vinegar. Bring the water to a boil, add the artichokes, and cook them for 45 to 50 minutes. Remove the artichokes from the liquid and turn them upside down to drain. Then separate the leaves and remove the center choke.
Meanwhile prepare the following garnish: Remove the stems from ½ pound of small mushrooms, peel the mushroom caps, and season them with salt and pepper. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a shallow pan and in it saute the mushrooms until they are golden brown, shaking the pan to brown them evenly. Add ½ cup cream, cover the pan, and cook the mushrooms very gently for shout 10 minutes. Arrange 2 or 3 mushrooms in the center of each artichoke. Continue to cook the sauce until it thickens a little, and combine it with 1 egg yolk beaten with a little of the hot sauce. Correct the seasoning with salt, add 2 or 3 drops of lemon juice, and fold in 1 tablespoon whipped cream. Cover the mushrooms with the sauce and brown under the broiler flame.
Place the artichokes on a serving dish and around each arrange 3 to 4 cooked asparagus tips and a few small carrot balls, cooked and glazed with a little butter and sugar until golden brown.
Marquise à l' Ananas (Pineapple Sherbet)
Grate enough fresh pineapple to make 1 cup. Put the pineapple in a saucepan with 1 cup pine-apple juice, the grated rind of I lemon, 1 cup water, and 1 cup sugar. Bring the water to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Strain, add the juice of 1 lemon, and freeze. When the mixture is frozen, remove and fold in I cup cream, whipped until stiff, and about 3 tablespoons kirsch or rum, and serve immediately.
Cailles des Carolines Rôties sur Canape (Roast Carolina Quail on Toast)
Clean 6 quail, wrap a thin slice of flesh fat pork around each, and tie the pork in place with string. Place the birds in a roasting pan, spread them with a little butter, and roast in a very hot oven (475° F.) for 12 to 15 minutes, basting frequently. Remove the pork. and reserve it to garnish the quail.
Meanwhile toast a slice of bread for each bird and spread the toast with liver paste. Remove the quail from the pan, pour off the fat from the pan, and add a little water or stock. Cook the sauce for a few minutes, stirring in all the crustiness around the pan. Place the birds on the toast and pass the sauce separately.
Pommes de Terse Gaufrettes
Peel potatoes and slice them very thin with a cutter that makes lattice like slices. Wash the slices and dry them on a napkin. Pry the potatoes in hot deep fat (395” F.) until golden brown, drain on paper towels, and sprinkle with salt.
Salade Elisabeth
Clean Belgian endives and cut the stalks in half lengthwise. Arrange the endives on plates and cover them with thin slices of cooked beets mixed with French dressing. Sprinkle with a mixture of finely chopped chervil, tarragon, and chives.
Soufflé au Grand Marnier
In a saucepan melt 2 tablespoons butter, add 1 tablespoon flour, and cook slowly until the roux just begins to turn golden. Stir in gradually ½ cup hot milk, add a piece of vanilla bean, and cook slowly for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove the vanilla bean. Beat 5 egg yolks with 4 tablespoons sugar and combine with the hot sauce. Beat 6 egg whites until they are very stiff, adding 1 tablespoon sugar during the last few minutes of healing. Fold the egg whites carefully into the egg yolk mixture, cutting through the mixture and folding it over and over until the whites are completely but lightly incorporated, Put half the mixture into a buttered and sugared souffle mold or straight-sided baking dish, place 6 or 8 ladyfingers soaked in Grand Marnier on top, and cover with the rest of the soufflé mixture. Bake the souffle in a hot oven (425° F.) for 20 to 25 minutes, or until well puffed and brown. If a glaze is desired, sprinkle the top with a little powdered sugar a few minutes before the soufflé is done. Serve immediately with a sauce made by adding 2 tablespoons each of whipped cream and Grand Marnier to ½ cup vanilla sauce.
Galette des Rois (Twelfth-night Cake)
Sift 2 cups flour into a bowl. Make a well in the center and in it put ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 ¼ cups butter, and ½ cup water. Work the ingredients together with the hands, mixing as quickly as possible in order not to overwork the dough. If the dough seems too dry, add another ¼ cup water. The dough should be about the same consistency as pie dough. Shape the dough into a ball and chill it for 1 hour. Roll the dough out into a long rectangle 1/ 4 inch thick, fold in thirds, and chill for 20 minutes. Place the dough on the table, narrow side toward you, and make A “turns' as you would in making puff paste (see October, 1953), chilling the dough for 20 minutes between each turn. Let the dough stand for 15 minutes.
Press a tiny metal doll or an almond or a bean in the dough and roll the dough into a round or oblong ½ inch thick. Place the dough on a buttered baking sheet and brush the top with 1 egg beaten with a little milk. Prick the top with a fork or a small pointed knife to make a design. Let stand 10 minutes and bake in a hot oven (450° F.) for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Cut into rectangles or wedges.