The service of a single vegetable, usually only with fresh but-
ter, pepper and salt, is unique to France, for most other countries
280 THE EUROPEAN COOKBOOK
consider vegetables as a mere adjunct to meat, although Italy en-
riches her green stuffs with cheese, Spain with an cggy and thus
delicious vegetable entrees are compounded. And having men-
tioned entrees, it is amusing to note that the French definition of
this elastic course is — the dish that immediately follows the soup.
So there can be no entrees at lunch, since there is no soup, and
that should simplify things.
In a cuisine as vinous as that of Burgundy quite naturally
there is little appetite for sweets after a meal; and since the Bur-
gundians have no local cheese of distinction, they use the Gruyere
of neighboring Franche-Comte, which of course is nothing but
Swiss cheese made in France, for here the two countries are sep-
arated only by a hair in the soup-and-food map. The Burgun-
dians make this fine cheese into La Gougere, a savoury not un-
like Welsh rarebit.
Besides strong brandies distilled from their heavy wines, the
Burgundians make two liqueurs, creme de cassis and kirsch, the
German schnapps, for Burgundy has been influenced by Ger-
man rule, somewhat the same as her sister provinces of Alsace
and Lorraine. In fact, this whole northern section shows the
teutonic influence and the cooking of Strasbourg, the same as
its language is overwhelmingly teutonic. Besides schnapps, Bur-
gundy is praiseworthy for this black currant creme de cassis,
which is used chiefly to sweeten aperitifs rather than drunk after
dinner.
Burgundy wines, of course, have no end. They are served
in good-sized globes, never half filled. The red ones are caressed
and warmed in the hand and their fragrance frequently enjoyed
by the nose, for which ample room is provided by the wide rim.
Besides the wines mentioned in the selection of dishes above,
there are Richebourg and Bonnes Mares of the Cote de Nuits
reds and the heady Cortons of the Cote de Beaune. The best re-
FRENCH 281
cent vintages are 1915, '16, '19, '20, '21, '23, '26, '28 and '29, Chablis
alone having been exceptionally good in 1922.
Sparkling Burgundy, of course, never appears on a Burgun-
dian table. It is an unnatural product manufactured out of most
any old thing for export to America. So if you must drink im-
ported bubbly water, stick to champagne.
The classic French cuisine is nearly as familiar to us as the
cooking of our own Colonial mothers. We eat our canapes, our
dishes of this and that, en casserole, en brochette, en papillote, and
au gratin, have our meats and vegetables dressed with sauces
mayonnaise, beurre noir, maitre d'hotel, Bernaise, Bercy, poulette,
and vinaigrette, after our consomme, bouillon, puree, or bisque;
we prepare dishes saute, frappe, and fricassee and finish our din-
ners with parfaits, coupes, glaces, and mousses. The names of
the mistresses of French kings are chiefly familiar to us through
dishes named for "la Pompadour," "la Maintenon," and for that
first winner of the "cordon bleu" — "la Du Barry."
Page 117
Presented as published in 1936. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
The service of a single vegetable, usually only with fresh butter, pepper and salt, is unique to France, for most other countries
consider vegetables as a mere adjunct to meat, although Italy enriches her green stuffs with cheese, Spain with an eggy and thus delicious vegetable entrees are compounded. And having mentioned entrees, it is amusing to note that the French definition of this elastic course is — the dish that immediately follows the soup. So there can be no entrees at lunch, since there is no soup, and that should simplify things.
In a cuisine as vinous as that of Burgundy quite naturally there is little appetite for sweets after a meal; and since the Burgundians have no local cheese of distinction, they use the Gruyere of neighboring Franche-Comte, which of course is nothing but Swiss cheese made in France, for here the two countries are separated only by a hair in the soup-and-food map. The Burgundians make this fine cheese into La Gougere, a savoury not unlike Welsh rarebit.
Besides strong brandies distilled from their heavy wines, the Burgundians make two liqueurs, creme de cassis and kirsch, the German schnapps, for Burgundy has been influenced by German rule, somewhat the same as her sister provinces of Alsace and Lorraine. In fact, this whole northern section shows the teutonic influence and the cooking of Strasbourg—the same as its language is overwhelmingly teutonic. Besides schnapps, Burgundy is praiseworthy for this black currant creme de cassis, which is used chiefly to sweeten aperitifs rather than drunk after dinner.
Burgundy wines, of course, have no end. They are served in good-sized globes, never half filled. The red ones are caressed and warmed in the hand and their fragrance frequently enjoyed by the nose, for which ample room is provided by the wide rim.
Besides the wines mentioned in the selection of dishes above, there are Richebourg and Bonnes Mares of the Cote de Nuits reds and the heady Cortons of the Cote de Beaune. The best re-
cent vintages are 1915, '16, '19, '20, '21, '23, '26, '28 and '29, Chablis alone having been exceptionally good in 1922.
Sparkling Burgundy, of course, never appears on a Burgundian table. It is an unnatural product manufactured out of most any old thing for export to America. So if you must drink imported bubbly water, stick to champagne.
The classic French cuisine is nearly as familiar to us as the cooking of our own Colonial mothers. We eat our canapes, our dishes of this and that, en casserole, en brochette, en papillote, and au gratin, have our meats and vegetables dressed with sauces mayonnaise, beurre noir, maitre d'hotel, Bernaise, Bercy, poulette, and vinaigrette, after our consomme, bouillon, puree, or bisque; we prepare dishes saute, frappe, and fricassee and finish our dinners with parfaits, coupes, glaces, and mousses. The names of the mistresses of French kings are chiefly familiar to us through dishes named for "la Pompadour," "la Maintenon," and for that first winner of the "cordon bleu" — "la Du Barry."