Soyer's Culinary Campaign: Being Historical Reminiscences of the Late War.: With The Plain Art of Cookery for Military and Civil InstitutionsSoyer, Alexis
History
Soyer's Culinary Campaign: Being Historical Reminiscences of the Late War.: With The Plain Art of Cookery for Military and Civil Institutions
Soyer, Alexis
Cooking for military personnel; Crimean War, 1853-1856
“These details upon the same subject are perhaps tedious to you.”
“Not at all, sir; I see the importance of them.”
“Well, the other receipts will come quite plain and easy to you. To tell
the truth, I have had those overdone kidneys upon my conscience for some
time. Mind, I do not intend to erase the plain broiled kidneys from the
supper bill of fare, for I am very fond of them when properly cooked.”
“They are very good; and many gentlemen will not have them any other
way.”
“Well, I do not blame them, for they are both agreeable and nutritious
that way; but here is another appetizing receipt, which we will call _à
la_ Roberto Diavolo.”
No. 2.--Put two plain kidneys upon a skewer, and with a paste-brush
butter them over. Set them upon the gridiron as near the fire as
possible, for they cannot be done too fast; turn them every minute,
and when half done season with salt, pepper, and a small spoonful
of cayenne; chop some gherkins and a little green chillies, if
handy; or, instead of either, a table-spoonful of chopped picolilli
with the liquor. Put these on a hot plate, with a tea-spoonful of
lemon-juice and a pat of butter. Take up the kidneys, and slip them
burning hot from the skewer to the plate; turn them round four or
five times in the mixture, and serve immediately. A small piece of
glaze added to the butter will prove a great addition. Three, four,
or five minutes will do them, according to the size.
_Kidneys à la brochette, Paris fashion._
The Parisian _gourmet_ would not eat a kidney if it was not served
upon the silver skewer; the only merit of which is, that they keep
hot longer and look better than when the skewer is omitted; as they
often shrink, especially if the sinew has not been properly divided
in the splitting of them.
“As, no doubt, you have something to do, you had better leave me; I will
write a few more receipts. Bring me my supper in a quarter of an hour,
and they will be ready.”
“Very well, sir; I will give a look round and order your supper.”
To the minute Little Jack walked in with the scalloped oysters, which I
must admit looked remarkably tempting. He handed me my supper, but upon
reflection I did not hand him the receipts, only a list of their names,
intending to put them into the cookery-book I had promised him, knowing
well enough that it was not in his power to bring them out. He thanked
me for my lecture on cookery, as he called it, and the following bill of
fare. I paid my bill, and left.
_New Bill of Fare for Tavern Suppers._
Rump-steak and fried potatoes; ditto with shalot, pimento, and
anchovy butter. Relishing steak, fillet of beef, à la Parisienne;
ditto à la Chateaubriand.
Mutton chops à la bouchère; ditto semi-provençale; ditto Marseilles
fashion; ditto with relishing sauce.
Plain cutlets with fried potatoes, à la maître d’hôtel, à la
Sultana, semi-provençale.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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