Читать книгу Lowney's Cook Book - Maria Willett Howard - Страница 16
ОглавлениеThe Formal Dinner
A formal dinner generally consists of ten courses, but may be eight or twelve. In order to have one harmonious whole, the different courses must blend well with each other. Avoid repetition; if oysters appear in the first course, they must not appear again. Observe these two points particularly in arranging the table: first, have the table linen immaculate and without folds; and second, arrange the covers with mathematical exactness.
The table may be square, oblong, or round; it must be covered with a soft pad, and then with the tablecloth, which should hang over the sides of the table at least one quarter of a yard on every side.
The selection of guests for a formal dinner is extremely important, and the seating at the table so that all are congenial takes some time to plan. Name cards should be placed at each cover. Each gentleman should be given a card, on entering the dressing room, with the name of the lady whom he is to escort to the dining room, and the letters R or L, also on the card, indicating to the right or left of the hostess.
When dinner is announced, the host with the guest of honor leads the way to the dining room, followed by the other men with their ladies, and the hostess with the gentleman of honor brings up the rear. The guests all stand behind their chairs until the hostess makes a move to be seated; then the men push up the chairs for the ladies, each lady seating herself from the left of her chair.
The decoration of the table should be simple and low in design and in the center of the table. A small flower may also be placed at the right of each cover. Of course the colors of the flowers must harmonize with the china, but otherwise individual taste should be exercised.
The illumination of the table is most important. If candles are used, they must be so arranged as not to interfere with the guests, and the shades so placed that they will slip down as the candle burns. If candle light is insufficient, try if possible to have the lights come from the side rather than from above.
The Cover.—The place for each guest and the necessary plate, silver, glasses, knives, and napkin is called the cover.
Arrangement of Cover.—Allow twenty inches for every person. Place a ten-inch service plate, having decorations, right side up, in the center of this space, and one and one half inches from the edge of the table.
Arrange knives, edges toward plate, in the order in which they will be needed, beginning at the right. At the right of knives, place soup spoon, bowl up; at the right of soup spoon, the oyster fork, with tines up; the other forks, with tines up, at the left of the plate, in the order in which they will be needed, beginning with the extreme left.
If there are too many courses to admit of all the silver being put on at once, extra silver may be placed at each cover just before serving the course requiring it.
The glass for water should be placed just above the center of the plate, to the right, the wineglasses to the right of the water glass, in the order in which they are to be used. Place the napkins either to the left of the forks, or over service plate. They should be so folded as to hold a bread stick or dinner roll.
The name card is generally placed on top of the napkin or over the plate.
Serving the Formal Dinner.—The dinner maybe served from the butler’s pantry, having each course arranged on individual plates, and placed by the waitress, on the right side of the guest, with the right hand, and anything which is to be served with the course, passed on a tray to the left of the guest and low enough and sufficiently near to the guest, to be easily taken with the right hand. Served in this way, there is less interruption to conversation.
Or each dish may be so arranged on a platter or serving dish on a tray that the guest may easily serve himself. Served in this way, the waitress places plates before each guest before passing the courses.
At present the service plate is quite universally used; that is, the space in front of the guest is always occupied with a plate. When the waitress removes the course plate with the left hand, she places another plate with the right hand. In this way of serving, the tray, if used at all, is only used when the food is passed, not for removing dishes.
Removal of Courses.—When every one has finished, the waitress removes one plate at a time, beginning with the hostess or with the guest at the right of the hostess.
Before the dessert, everything not needed for this course should be removed from the table; if there are crumbs, they should be carefully brushed with a napkin on to a plate or tray. After this is accomplished, place the dessert dishes from the right. While the dessert is being eaten, the finger bowl, filled one third full of tepid water, with a slice of lemon or a geranium leaf or a flower in it, set on a doily on a plate, may be placed in front of and above the dessert plate. When the dessert plate is removed, the finger bowl is moved into the space. If fruit follows the dessert, the guest removes the finger bowl and doily from the plate and uses that plate for the fruit.
If coffee is served in the dining room, the finger bowls are not placed until after the coffee, but coffee is usually served in the drawing room.
Order of Service.—The guests on the right of the host and hostess are served first in the first course, in the second course the guests on the left, in the third course the second guest on the right of the host and hostess, and so on in rotation, so that no guest is served twice first. Some hostesses insist upon being served first. If the different courses are passed rather than served from the butler’s pantry, this may be a good plan, but otherwise there seems to be no reason for it.
MENU FOR A FORMAL DINNER
First Course Oysters or Clams in Shells Brown Bread Sandwiches Second Course Consommé Croûtons Third Course Broiled Trout—Maître d’hôtel Butter Cucumbers Fourth Course Croquettes or Sweetbreads Fifth Course Saddle of Mutton Currant Jelly Potatoes Peas in Fontage Cups Sixth Course Punch Seventh Course Broiled Quail with Chestnut Purée Tomato Salad Eighth Course Bombe Glacé Sponge Cake Ninth Course Fruit and Bonbons Tenth Course Black Coffee
Salted almonds and bonbons to be on the table all the time.
Celery to be passed with oysters.
Radishes or olives to be passed with fish course.
When and How to serve Wines
Sauterne slightly cold with oysters.
Sherry slightly cold with soup.
Rhine Wine not very cold with fish.
Claret slightly cold with entrées.
Champagne very cold with poultry and meats.
Burgundy a little warm with game.
Burgundy and Champagne with salads.
Port Wine or Madeira temperature of wine cellar with desserts.
Cordials and brandies with coffee.
Courses
First Course.—Appetizers, cold hors-d’œuvres, eaten preliminary to the dinner, supposed to stimulate the flow of the digestive juices and create an appetite.
Second Course.—Oysters or Shellfish. Salt, pepper, cayenne, Tabasco sauce, and tiny brown-bread sandwiches are passed with this course.
Third Course.—A Clear Soup. Hors-d’œuvres, such as celery, olives, radishes, or pimolas are passed with this course.
Fourth Course.—Fish, boiled, fried, or baked; sometimes potatoes, and generally cucumbers or tomatoes dressed, are served.
Fifth Course.—Entrées.
Sixth Course.—The Meat Course, one vegetable besides the potato.
Seventh Course.—Frozen Punches or Cheese Dishes.
Eighth Course.—Game or Poultry and Salad.
Ninth Course.—Hot Desserts or Cold Desserts.
Tenth Course.—Frozen Desserts, Cakes, and Preserves may be passed with this course.
Eleventh Course.—Fruits.
Twelfth Course.—Coffee and Liqueurs.
The Informal Dinner
The hostess serves the soup, and the host the fish and the roast. Vegetables, sauces, and entrées are served from the side.
Either the host or hostess makes the salad, and the hostess serves the dessert and the coffee.
The cover is arranged the same as for the Formal Dinner.
The Formal Luncheon
The table may be covered or bare. If bare, use doilies for plates and glasses.
The arrangement of the cover is the same as for the Formal Dinner.
Lighter dishes are served for luncheon than for dinner; entrées take the place of the roast.
Soup or bouillon is served in cups. Fruit may be served for the first course instead of canapés.
The hostess sometimes serves the salad and the coffee, but it is better to have all serving from the side.
The Formal Breakfast
This really is the same as the Formal Luncheon except that men are invited with the ladies, and coffee is served throughout the meal.
The Informal Luncheon
Like the Informal Dinner except that the roasts are omitted.
When luncheon is announced, the first course may be on the table, and the dishes required for the remaining courses arranged on the side table.
Seldom more than three courses are served.
Tea, coffee, or cocoa are served throughout the meal.