Having been thus trained by the recipes here given, it seems reasonable to suppose that the Chafist is able, after a profound study thereof, to appreciate the possibilities of the Chafing Dish, and may therefore be per- mitted to dip as he listeth into the various recipes which follow, none of which are com- plicated or expensive, and most of which require little, if any, previous preparation. At the same time I would most earnestly beg the Chafist carefully to rehearse all his impromptu eiFects, and never to leave anything to chance. Always have your condiments, your garnishings, your " fixings," as the Americans say, ready to hand. Let the manipulation of the Chafing Dish partake of that Art which conceals Art — simply because everything is foreseen, and nothing postponed till the last moment. Let your parsley be ready chopped, your toast ready cut, your lemon duly cleaned, your spare dishes hot and ready, and, lastly, your apparatus in thorough working order. You may then proceed in all good faith and earnestness. <^^-^m .c^^ ^ . ( ^^^M ^^p / f^m i /^ ^f ^^ Wm y'\^y (X^ i'. „^^^^v ' m' t \ «.^(<. ^^ rS^^T!^.. .._ " Soup is to a dinner what a portico is to a palace, x)r an overture to an opera." Grimod de la Reyni^rb. " While there's life there's soup," said an irreverent parodist, but as a matter of fact the reverse of the proverb would be more true, for, of a verity, while there's soup there's life. There can be no complaint of having dined badly, or even insufficiently, if one has begun with a plateful of good soup ; good, mind you, with some strength and body to it, for the coloured hot water that masquerades too often as soup is un- worthy and despicable. But soup that has character, individuality, and belies not its name, is to the nice eater almost a meal in itself. SOUPS 39 There are practically no soups beyond the scope of the Chafing Dish, albeit some of the more elaborate bisques, a bouillabaisse (an that be a soup), and a pink Bortsch, have not come within my experimental experience. The ordinary French consomme, which may be likened to our gravy soup, is practically the foundation of most clear soups. One meets on different bills of fare with a score of varia- tions on the theme, such as Printanier, Brunoise, Paysanne, Julienne, Mitonnage, Croute au Pot, Faubonne, Mac^doine, Chif- fonade, Flamande, and many more, but they are really only a matter of flavouring and vegetable decoration upon a foundation of good stock. An old French cookbook, dated 1822, lies before me, which contains one hundred and two recipes for soups, but the first one mentioned, the Potage au Naturel, is the Mother Soup of all the rest. The veritable chef has his store of Mother Soup, and that is his kitchen Stock Exchange whence practically all his varieties emanate. The Chafing Dish votary cannot construct his own Mother Soup and keep up his own stock-pot, but he can use the many excellent 40 THE CHAFING DISH preserved soups, in bottles and boxes, which nowadays are absolutely equal to those which are self-manipulated or home-made. I have tried many brands, and really think that there is not very much to choose be- tween them. For ordinary use I lean to the Maggi preparations, the " Cross-Star Soups." They are in tablets, each sufficient for two persons, and the White Haricots, Onion, Tapioca, Chervil, Sago, Semolina, Lentil, Parmentier, Sorrel, Barley, Rice and Julienne are quite excellent.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Having been thus trained by the recipes here given, it seems reasonable to suppose that the Chafist is able, after a profound study thereof, to appreciate the possibilities of the Chafing Dish, and may therefore be permitted to dip as he listeth into the various recipes which follow, none of which are complicated or expensive, and most of which require little, if any, previous preparation. At the same time I would most earnestly beg the Chafist carefully to rehearse all his impromptu effects, and never to leave anything to chance. Always have your condiments, your garnishings, your " fixings," as the Americans say, ready to hand. Let the manipulation of the Chafing Dish partake of that Art which conceals Art — simply because everything is foreseen, and nothing postponed till the last moment. Let your parsley be ready chopped, your toast ready cut, your lemon duly cleaned, your spare dishes hot and ready, and, lastly, your apparatus in thorough working order. You may then proceed in all good faith and earnestness. <^^-^m .c^^ ^ . ( ^^^M ^^p / f^m i /^ ^f ^^ Wm y'\^y (X^ i'. „^^^^v ' m' t \ «.^(<. ^^ rS^^T!^.. .._ " Soup is to a dinner what a portico is to a palace, x)r an overture to an opera." Grimod de la Reynière. " While there's life there's soup," said an irreverent parodist, but as a matter of fact the reverse of the proverb would be more true, for, of a verity, while there's soup there's life. There can be no complaint of having dined badly, or even insufficiently, if one has begun with a plateful of good soup ; good, mind you, with some strength and body to it, for the coloured hot water that masquerades too often as soup is unworthy and despicable. But soup that has character, individuality, and belies not its name, is to the nice eater almost a meal in itself. There are practically no soups beyond the scope of the Chafing Dish, albeit some of the more elaborate bisques, a bouillabaisse (and that be a soup), and a pink Bortsch, have not come within my experimental experience. The ordinary French consomme, which may be likened to our gravy soup, is practically the foundation of most clear soups. One meets on different bills of fare with a score of variations on the theme, such as Printanier, Brunoise, Paysanne, Julienne, Mitonnage, Croûte au Pot, Faubonne, Macédoine, Chiffonade, Flamande, and many more, but they are really only a matter of flavouring and vegetable decoration upon a foundation of good stock. An old French cookbook, dated 1822, lies before me, which contains one hundred and two recipes for soups, but the first one mentioned, the Potage au Naturel, is the Mother Soup of all the rest. The veritable chef has his store of Mother Soup, and that is his kitchen Stock Exchange whence practically all his varieties emanate. The Chafing Dish votary cannot construct his own Mother Soup and keep up his own stock-pot, but he can use the many excellent preserved soups, in bottles and boxes, which nowadays are absolutely equal to those which are self-manipulated or home-made. I have tried many brands, and really think that there is not very much to choose between them. For ordinary use I lean to the Maggi preparations, the " Cross-Star Soups." They are in tablets, each sufficient for two persons, and the White Haricots, Onion, Tapioca, Chervil, Sago, Semolina, Lentil, Parmentier, Sorrel, Barley, Rice and Julienne are quite excellent.

The cult of the chafing dish