Mrs. Seely's Cook Book: A Manual of French and American Cookery : with ..

The entrée is always handed; and when it has been eaten, the second fork which was put on the table when it was set will bave been used. If but two were placed at first, fresh forks must be given for the meat. After the entrée piate has been removed, the butler takes the requisite number of knives on a small tray, and places them first, following them with the forks, and putting them on as we bave just described. Fresh knives and forks should never be put on the table during* a course, nor laid on the clean piate. If the dish of meat must be carved, the butler does it at the serving-table or in the pantry, and the footman can easily take two plates, one in either band. By the time he has put on four plates he may begin to band the sauce or vegetables, as the butler, if he is at ali quick, can easily finish the carving for eight people, let us say, and can then put down the last four plates. Ordinarily, in this country, as soon as a piate which has been used is taken away, a clean one is put in its place, which is ali right if the next dish is to be handed ; but if 2>INNSB8 AND BINNEB-QIVINQ 66 each guest is to be helped to bis share, it will be better from the point of view of service not to put on any plates after the last preceding course, as it Ì8 manif estly impossible, with one pair of hands, to get an empty piate out of the way, and put BemoYing two full ones down. As a general rule, no piate should be ^^^' removed at any course until eyery one at the table has finished, but this rule must be broken sometimes at a large dinner, as one talkative or deliberate person may keep the whole service back indefìnitely. Our service, which is mainly modelled on that of the French, differs from theirs in two particulars. We serve a separate vegetable such as artichokes, cauliflower, or asparagus between the principal dish of meat and the game, whereas the French pref er it after the latter, and we usually serve cheese, for some strange reason, before the sweet dish, while in Europe it comes just before the fruit, as it is especially intended to take away the taste of sweet things from the palate, and prepare it for the fine wìnes, such as port and madeira, which are served with the fruit. Cheese is often replaced in England by various dishes ChaeM. known as ^^savories," and they are gaining ground in this country. A typical savory is made of cheese, highly seasoned with red pepper, in a soufflé, or small sandwiches of caviar are handed as a savory, the object being always to stimulate appe- tite, or rather thirst. If frozen punch is to be used, it must Frocen come before the game. It is generally served in small glasses, P^^* one standing on each piate with small spoon on the plp te with the glass. Supposing that the dish of meat has been followed by a vegetable, such as asparagus, the next course would be game, and this may be preceded or replaced by what is called a ^' chaadfroid," for which there is no name in English. Ita French title, however, " hotcold," describes it well. A chaud- froid is something which has necessarily been cooked, therefore was hot, but which is cold when one eats it. Fillets of game or oiuAdfroid. 56 MB8. BEELT'a COOK BOOK Bemoving crumbt. Desaert ■eryioe.