The Pleasures of the Table: An Account of Gastronomy from Ancient Days to Present Times. With a History of Its Literature, Schools, and Most Distinguished Artists; Together With Some Special Recipes, and Views Concerning the Aesthetics of Dinners and Dinner-givingEllwanger, George H. (George Herman)
History
The Pleasures of the Table: An Account of Gastronomy from Ancient Days to Present Times. With a History of Its Literature, Schools, and Most Distinguished Artists; Together With Some Special Recipes, and Views Concerning the Aesthetics of Dinners and Dinner-giving
Ellwanger, George H. (George Herman)
Gastronomy
Of the innumerable forms of preparing the cutlet, the following recipe
can at least lay claim to originality, and is thoroughly English:
The cutlets should be cut from the neck of mutton, then egged and
breadcrumbed, finely minced tongue or ham having been mixed with the
crumbs. Fry a delicate brown. For the centre of the dish use the
whites of three eggs steamed in a cup. Place in a saucepan gherkins,
mushrooms, ham, and tongue cut into small bars, adding to this a sauce
of good brown gravy, with a dessertspoonful each of red-currant jelly,
Harvey's sauce, mushroom ketchup, and tomato sauce. For the quality of
this recipe the writer cannot vouch further than to observe that, like
its predecessor, it emanates from the daintiest of feminine fingers
of Wargrave, where the excellence of the contributor's kitchen is
equalled only by the beauty of her flower-garden.
The universal employment of bottled sauces, such as Worcester, Halford,
Harvey's, etc., and pungent condiments, like gherkins, mustard,
chow-chow, and ketchup, would seem to be more or less necessary in
England, owing to the monotony of her roast beef and mutton and the
extensive use of cold meats, poultry, and game. Harvey's sauce,
mentioned among the ingredients of the above-mentioned recipe, owes
its origin to this circumstance: During the middle and later years of
Mr. Meynell's mastership of the hounds in the celebrated Quorn country
there often appeared in the field Captain Charles Combers, who was
born at Brentwood in 1752, and who was more familiarly known as "The
Flying Cucumber" from the manner in which he put his horses along.
On one occasion, when on his way to Leicestershire, he stopped, as
was his wont, at Bedford to dine at the George, then kept by a man
named Harvey, where he ordered a steak; and when it was served Combers
requested Harvey to let his servant bring from his buggy a quart bottle
which contained an admirable sauce. Having poured some of it into his
plate and mixed it with the gravy of the steak, he asked Harvey to
taste it, and the host pronounced it to be a most excellent relish.
"Well, Mr. Harvey," said Combers, "I shall leave the bottle with you
to use till my return, only be careful to reserve enough for me." On
the next day Harvey had to provide a wedding dinner and introduced
the sauce, which afforded such general satisfaction that several
smaller parties were made up, and the contents of the bottle were soon
exhausted.
In due time Captain Combers returned, and, having been told that no
more sauce remained, said: "Never mind; I can make some more from my
mother's recipe; and, by-the-bye, I will give you a copy of it." He
was as good as his word. Harvey made it in large quantities, sent it
to the different shops in London, advertised it as "Harvey's Sauce,"
and by its extensive sale realised a large income. He subsequently sold
the recipe for an annuity of £400 or £500, which he received for the
remainder of his life.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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