Julius C. Hartmann provided a very fine collation at
his Restaurant and Café in the Washington Building (No. 1 Broadway, New York)
on New Year’s Eve in 1892. It seems that the following menu was his gift to some
lucky (presumably very regular) patrons:
MENU
Pickled Oysters
-
Clear chicken broth en tasse
-
Kennebec salmon decoré, sauce ravigote à la Chas.
Hellstern
-
Anchovies Caviar
Pàté de foie-gras
en gelée
-
Celery Olives Chow Gherkins
-
Chicken Lobster Shrimp
Herring and Russian salads
-
Boned turkey in aspic en Bellevue
Boned capon in aspic en Bellevue
-
PIÈCE MONTÉ
Battle between an army of 500 quails and a chicken
hawk
-
Stuffed wild boar’s head sur socle à la St. Hubert
-
Variety of cold joints
-
Roast turkey with celery mayonnaise
-
Fruit Cakes
-
CHEESE: Port du Salut Roquefort Gruyère Cheddar
-
CHAMPAGNE BOWL
As
the recipe for the day I would love to have given you a recipe for the “battle between
an army of 500 quails and a chicken hawk,” but alas, no such instructions were
to be found.
Celery mayonnaise was a popular dish in the U.S.A in the 1890’s.
The
Williamsburg Journal Tribune of September
9, 1892 had this to say on the subject:
The use of celery on
the table, coming as it does in the fall, after the long heat of summer, can
not be too highly recommended, not only because of the delicious flavor of this
vegetable, but because also of its admitted value as a nerve tonic. A well-made
ice-cold celery mayonnaise is one of the most delicious salads we have when
served either with game or with a dinner of poultry. It is a great mistake to
allow celery to become wilted. After it has once wilted it never regains its
pristine crispness and freshness. Celery should be put into a dark and cold
place as soon as it is brought into the house. Absence of light is especially
necessary to keep it crisp and firm. N.Y.
Tribune.
It
would seem that any dish which may help with “the nerves” might be particularly
useful at this hectic time of year!
The
following recipe for celery mayonnaise is particularly interesting as it
suggests the flavour match with ducks which have fed on wild celery.
Celery Mayonnaise.
Pare off the green
leaves of two bunches of celery, cut in short pieces, wash well, drain in a
cloth, put in a salad bowl, and add a well-seasoned mayonnaise dressing. Mingle
well, and serve with roast canvas-back duck. As wild celery is the food that
gives such succulence to the flesh of canvas-back ducks killed in November and
December on the Potomac and Susquehanna rivers, cultivated celery is the proper
accompaniment of this dish.
Goshen Independent January
28, 1882
At least in the areas in the US where I've lived, one can no longer get leaves on celery. They are chopped off before the stalks are put out for the customers. I used to use them for soups and stuffing for chicken. Why did someone decide we had no use for celery leaves??
ReplyDeleteIt could be a thousand quails and my money would still be on the chicken hawk.
ReplyDelete