ponltry with a cold sauce, f or instance, is a very common chaud
froid, and salad is served with these dishes, as with game or
pàtés. Some people like crescent-shaped side plates for salad,
which is sensible when game is served, for the cold dressing and
the hot juice do not mingle well, but on the other hand they take
up room and complicate the service. Spring chickens, squabs,
or a fine old ham may take the place of game, or ag^in, at an
informai dinner, cheese may be served with the salad.
After the last course, which is nsnally the cheese, with
which bread or biscuits are served, the crumbs should be re-
moved from the table. If there are many largo pieces of bread
or rolls left, the footman should go first and pick up each one
with a fork, placing it upon a clean piate which he holds in his
other hand, and he is foUowed by the butler, who collects the
crumbs with a silver scoop or scraper, or, in some houses, with
a clean napkin f olded over into a small roU. This, however, is
not as effective as the silver scoop. Ali plates, small silver,
salts and peppers, hors d'oBUvres, and glasses which will not be
again needed, are taken off the table.
Then the dessert and fruit plates with the finger-bowls are
put before the guests. Each fruit piate beare a small ornamentai
dolly with a finger-bowl about one-third full of water with the
chili off, and often with a sprig of rose geranium or verbena in it,
or a few violets or pansies. With the plates are placed fork,
dessert spoon, and fruit knife. After the hostess lifts ber
finger-bowl from ber piate, the guests lift theirs. The dessert
is now passed, each individuai helping himself. The dessert
plates are then removed, and plates are then served for fruit,
fresh and candied, etc., which are then handed.
Dessert being finished, the hostess leads the ladies to the
drawing room and the gentlemen follow soon, after coffee and
liqueurs bave been served to them and thoee bave smoked who
wish to do so. The smoking may take place either in the din-
ing room or smoking room or library, as ciroumstances dictate.
DINNEBS AND DINNER-GIVING 67
At the same time coffee and liqueors are also served to the
ladies in the drawing room ; while later in the erening, after the
gentlemen have joined the ladies, apollinarìs or some other
sparkling minerai water is handed.
A smart dinner to-day is served in an hour, or very little
longer, and as the gentlemen do not stay in the smoking room
more than fifteen or twenty minutes, and the company remains
together in the drawing-room for about the same time, it is easy
to see that the whole entertainment may be easily got through
with in a couple of hours, leaving the rest of the evening free.
This is an immense improvement over the ponderous feasts of
even a dozen years ago, when people sat for hours in a hot room
eating five times as much as they wanted, and perhaps tired to
death of their companions.
Page 33
Presented as published in 1902. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
ponltry with a cold sauce, f or instance, is a very common chaud-froid, and salad is served with these dishes, as with game or pàtés. Some people like crescent-shaped side plates for salad, which is sensible when game is served, for the cold dressing and the hot juice do not mingle well, but on the other hand they take up room and complicate the service. Spring chickens, squabs, or a fine old ham may take the place of game, or again, at an informai dinner, cheese may be served with the salad.
After the last course, which is usually the cheese, with which bread or biscuits are served, the crumbs should be removed from the table. If there are many largo pieces of bread or rolls left, the footman should go first and pick up each one with a fork, placing it upon a clean piate which he holds in his other hand, and he is foUowed by the butler, who collects the crumbs with a silver scoop or scraper, or, in some houses, with a clean napkin folded over into a small roU. This, however, is not as effective as the silver scoop. All plates, small silver, salts and peppers, hors d'oeuvres, and glasses which will not be again needed, are taken off the table.
Then the dessert and fruit plates with the finger-bowls are put before the guests. Each fruit piate bears a small ornamentai dolly with a finger-bowl about one-third full of water with the chill off, and often with a sprig of rose geranium or verbena in it, or a few violets or pansies. With the plates are placed fork, dessert spoon, and fruit knife. After the hostess lifts her finger-bowl from her plate, the guests lift theirs. The dessert is now passed, each individual helping himself. The dessert plates are then removed, and plates are then served for fruit, fresh and candied, etc., which are then handed.
Dessert being finished, the hostess leads the ladies to the drawing room and the gentlemen follow soon, after coffee and liqueurs have been served to them and those have smoked who wish to do so. The smoking may take place either in the dining room or smoking room or library, as circumstances dictate.
DINNERS AND DINNER-GIVING 67
At the same time coffee and liqueors are also served to the ladies in the drawing room ; while later in the evening, after the gentlemen have joined the ladies, apollinaris or some other sparkling mineral water is handed.
A smart dinner to-day is served in an hour, or very little longer, and as the gentlemen do not stay in the smoking room more than fifteen or twenty minutes, and the company remains together in the drawing-room for about the same time, it is easy to see that the whole entertainment may be easily got through with in a couple of hours, leaving the rest of the evening free. This is an immense improvement over the ponderous feasts of even a dozen years ago, when people sat for hours in a hot room eating five times as much as they wanted, and perhaps tired to death of their companions.