Friday, December 24, 2010

The Savoy, Christmas Eve 1899.

Herewith the menu, prepared by Escoffier himself, for Christmas Eve, 1899 at the Savoy Hotel in London.

Caviar frais      Bouquet de crevettes     Royal natives
Tortue claire       Bortsch à la russe
Suprêmes de soles à l'aurore
Filets de rougets aux laituces
Poulardes royales
Timbales de truffes au champagne
Selle de chevreuil grand veneur
Mousseline d'écrevisses
Délices de bécasses
Sorbets dame blanche
Ortolans cocotte
Cailles à l'orange
Salade des capucins
Asperges nouvelles
Foies gras pochés au Clicquot
Soufflé Chantilly
Ananas glacé
Mandarines à l'orientale
Biscuits aux avelines         Mignardises
Galettes écossaises
Fruits

Vins
Johannisberger cabinet, 1874
Pommery, extra sec, 1884
Château Coutet, marquis de Lur-Saluces Mise du Château Etampé, 1861
Grande Champagne, 1830
Grandes liqueurs
Café turc

As the Recipe for the Day, I give you Escoffier’s blushing pink (like the goddess Aurora’s dawn light) sauce for your sole.

Aurore Sauce.
Into ½ pint boiling veloute put the same quantity of very red tomato purée and mix the two. Let the sauce boil a little, pass it through a tammy, and finish, away from the fire, with 3 oz butter.

Quotation for the Day.

The merry Christmas, with its generous boards,
Its fire-lit hearths, and gifts and blazing trees,
Its pleasant voices uttering gentle words,
Its genial mirth, attuned to sweet accords,
Its holiest memories!
The fairest season of the passing year –
The merry, merry Christmas time is here.
George Arnold.

2 comments:

Fay said...

oh. well, we're going a tiny bit simpler today. Merguez on couscous.
Oh, but I'm sure we'll enjoy it just as much... wont we... nearly?

Marcheline said...

Here's hoping the "royal natives" on the menu didn't come with feather headdresses still attached!

Yuletide cheers,
M