The partiality of crowned heads towards "Bavarois aux Abricots"--"Bavarois" is simply Bavarian cheese, a superior sort of _blanc mange_--is proverbial. And the above repast was served on priceless Meissen china and silver. The only remarks I will make upon the above _menu_ are that it is quite possible that the capon may have come from Metz, though not very probable. French cooks name their meat and poultry in the most reckless fashion. For instance, owing to this reckless nomenclature the belief has grown that the best ducks come from Rouen. Nothing of the sort. There are just as good ducks raised at West Hartlepool as at Rouen. "Rouen" in the bill-of-fare is simply a corruption of "roan"; and a "roan duck" is a quacker who has assumed (through crossing) the reddish plumage of the wild bird. As for (alleged) Surrey fowls, most of them come from Heathfield in Sussex, whence £142,000 worth were sent in 1896. Let us enquire into the composition of some of the high-sounding _plats_, served up by the average _chef_. _Bouillabaisse._--Of it Thackeray sang-- "This Bouillabaisse a noble dish is-- A sort of soup, or broth, or brew, Or hotch-potch of all sorts of fishes That Greenwich never could outdo: Green herbs, red peppers, mussels, saffron, Soles, onions, garlic, roach, and dace; All these you eat at Terré's tavern, In that one dish of Bouillabaisse." Avoid eels and herrings in this concoction as too oily. Soles, mullet, John Dory, whiting, flounders, perch, roach, and mussels will blend well, and allow half a pound of fish for each person. For every pound of fish put in the stewpan a pint of water, a quarter of a pint of white wine, and a tablespoonful of salad oil. If there be four partakers, add two sliced onions, two cloves, two bay-leaves, two leeks (the white part only, chopped), four cloves of garlic, a tablespoonful chopped parsley, a good squeeze of lemon juice, half an ounce of chopped capsicums, a teaspoonful (or more _ad lib._) of saffron, with pepper and salt. Mix the chopped fish in all this, and boil for half an hour. Let the mixture "gallop" and strain into a tureen with sippets, and the fish served separately. _Tournedos._--No relation to tornado, and you won't find the word in any Gallic dictionary. A _tournedos_ is a thin collop of beef, steeped in a _marinade_ for twenty-four hours (personally I prefer it without the aid of the marine) and fried lightly. Turn it but _once_. The oyster atop is simply scalded. _Try this dish._ _Bisque._--In the seventeenth century this was made from pigeons by the poor barbarians who knew not the gentle lobster, nor the confiding crayfish. Heat up to boiling-point a Mirepoix of white wine. You don't know what a _Mirepoix_