Menus made easy, or, How to order dinner and give the dishes their French names

EMUS ^r&refcs \£»Ti\Teme\s Ex Libris C. K. OGDEN 0 MENUS MADE EASY. MENUS MADE EASY; OB HOW TO ORDER DINNER AND GIVE THE DISHES THEIR FRENCH NAMES. B7 NANCY LAKE, AUTHOR OP " DAILI DIJiXEBS." THE EIGHTH EDITION, REVISED AND ENLAEGED. LONDON: FREDERICK WARNE & CO. AND NEW YORK. 1894. INTRODUCTION. THIS publication is a humble endeavour to afford some assistance to ladies in the daily difficulty of what to order for dinner, and how to describe it. Cooks are not generally gifted with fertile imagi- nations, and are inclined to get into a routine which is a source of annoyance to those who desire a variety of dishes, if not for themselves, at least for their friends. Ladies often wish to be ready with suggestions of a change in the proposals of the cook, and even when in some measure provided with these, a second difficulty arises — What are these dishes to be called? What are the correct technical names for them ? The French of cookery is a language of itself, and those who are not learned in it are often entirely at a loss when suddenly called on to write out a correct French menu with no other assistance than that of a dictionary. In carrying out this a 3 1G97798 INTRODUCTION. idea, lists of various dishes have been given, arranged in courses, with the French names, as well as the English equivalent or description. It is not intended to give recipes, such as would be adequate for the preparation of the dishes in the kitchen ; the dishes are only so far described as to enable the mistress to recognize them, giving a general idea of their ingredients and of their appearance when sent to table, PEEFACE TO EE VISED EDITION, IN this edition a considerable number of dishes have been added, and such alterations made as are demanded by the changes of fashion. Dishes of a very elaborate character have, for the most part, been rejected. They are often merely (what a botanist would term) " sports " from well-established originals, differing from them, perhaps, only in some details of fantastic decora- tion, the fashions of which are very short-lived, and are quickly succeeded by some newer fancy. With regard to decoration, it is suggested that very fanciful effects should be avoided. In a zeal for originality in this respect, the object of all decoration — viz. to render the dish attractive — seems occasionally to be forgotten, and a contrary effect is produced. Dishes are presented more fit to adorn a confectioner's window than to appear at a gentleman's table. viii PREFACE TO REVISED EDITION. Compounds of preserves and ices have actually been made to represent, with painful accuracy, boiled legs of mutton, boars' heads, etc., etc It is a mistake, too, to give fantastic names to the dishes. A menu is intended to convey in- formation, not to mislead or confuse ; and few people care to bestow sufficient attention to the subject to enjoy a succession of "surprises." Neither is a dish more generally appreciated for bearing an extravagant name — even when under such a name as Sastartees a la Malay are revealed the homely aspects of curried veal! One is re- minded of the old saying, " Fine feathers do not make fine birds."