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PART II
RECIPES AND MODES OF PROCEDURE
In Part I. of this work I treated of the general principles on which the science of cookery is founded, and the leading operations constituting the basis of the work.
In Part II. I shall proceed from the general to the particular—in other words, I shall set forth the recipes of every dish I touch upon, its method of preparation, and its constituent parts.
With the view of making reference as easy as possible, without departing from a certain logical order, I have adopted the method of classifying these recipes in accordance with the position the dishes they represent hold in the ordinary menu, and thus, starting with the hors-d’œuvres, I go straight on to the dessert. I was compelled, however, to alter my plan in the case of eggs, which never appear on the menu of a dinner save in Lent.
These I have therefore placed immediately after the hors-d’œuvres, which, like eggs, should only be served at luncheons, for reasons I shall explain later.
It will be seen that I have placed the Savouries before the Entremets, instead of after the Ices, as is customary in England. My reason for this apparent anomaly is that I consider it a positive gastronomical heresy to eat fish, meats, fowl-remains, &c., after delicate Entremets and Ices, the subtle flavour of the latter, which form such an agreeable item in a dinner, being quite destroyed by the violent seasoning of the former.
Moreover, the very pretext brought forward in support of this practice, so erroneous from the gastronomical standpoint, namely, “that after a good dinner it is necessary to serve something strange and highly seasoned, in order to whet the diner’s thirst,” is its own condemnation.
For, if appetite is satiated and thirst is quenched, it follows [136] that the consumer has taken all that is necessary. Therefore, anything more that he may be stimulated to take will only amount to excess, and excess in gastronomy, as in everything else, is a fault that can find no excuse.
At all events, I could agree to no more than the placing of the Savouries before mild Entremets, and, even so, the former would have to consist of light, dry preparations, very moderately seasoned, such as Paillettes with Parmesan, various kinds of dry biscuits, and small tartlets garnished with cheese soufflé.
In short, if I expressed my plain opinion on the matter, I should advise the total suppression of Savouries in a dinner.