This is the English chop in its beautiful simplicity ; and
although I have not one word to say against the world-
famed roast beef of old England, it must be remembered that
there are persons to whom beef is too potent and stimulating
a meat, and whose constitution and palate are more efficiently
administered to by the plainly cooked chop. No special ex-
^seption need be taken to walnut pickles as a relish, but the
article itself possesses so characteristic and so delightful a
flavour of its own that it seems superfluous to mar its
savour with the conflicting taste of vinegar.
The old English cooks sometimes played sad tricks with
their nmtton "steaks." One Mrs. Mason, in her "Ladies'
Assistant," published in 1787, seasoned her chops with pepj)er
and salt, placed them in a buttered dish Avith milk, eggs, and
flour, sprinkled some beaten ginger✪ Baked Mutton Chops over the mass, and baked
it in an oven. The good lady was scarcely aware that her
mutton steaks leaked would, as I have said, come down to pos-
terity as a " toad-in-the-hole " — a dish which has long since
been banished from refined English society, but which an
ironical fate has transplanted to the French cuisine as la cote-
lette d la Kelson ; but j\Iistress Mason herself was not above
borrowing from France, since .her mutton chops in disguise,
rubbed in pepper, salt, nutmeg, and chopped herbs, rolled in
sheets of Avoll-buttered white paper, and sauted in a stew-jDan
and served with brown gravy, are only an English adaptation
of the cvtelettes a. la Ilaintenon, invented at the instigation
of the morganatic Avife of Louis XIV. by Fagon his physician
to stimulate the jaded appetite of the septuagenarian Grand
Monarque. At a few first-class Parisian restaurants the carte
comprises a dish professing to be a plain mutton chop, that
goes by the name ot cotelette an luiturcl, but it is at its best
a poor, meagre, shrivelled affiiir, which, when contrasted Avith
the splendid!}' juicy English chop Avitli the curly tail, reminds
the Briton of the old satirical couplet Avhich declared that
" Pitt Avas to Addino-ton Avhat London Avas to Paddington.'"
CHATS ABOUT COOKERY. 59
The only tolerable French cutelettes au natiirel are the tiny
neck chops, each providing not more than a couple of
mouthfuls, which, as I have said before, arc furnished with a
little paper ruffle round the shanks, so that they may be
despatched without the aid of knife or fork.
On the other hand, although in unadorned chops the
French are unable to approach us, they are exceedingly
deft, tasteful, and versatile in their preparation of cutlets.
Cotelcttes d la Vicomtesse are egged and bread-crumbed,
fried in a sautt'-pan, garnished with quenelles of veal, dished
on a border of mashed potatoes, and served with rich sauce.
Cotdettes d la Westphalieniie are covered with chopped
Westphalia ham instead of bread- crumbs ; cutelettes a la
Provencale are fried in oil and seasoned with scraped garlic.
Cutelettes d la Buhemienne are marinaded or pickled for
three or four daj's before they are cooked, and are served
with a sauce in which currant jelly and minced gherkins
predominate. Then there are cutelettes d la Palestine,
dressed with Jerusalem artichokes ; cutlets with asparagus
tips; with cauliflower; with sauce d la Souhise, d la Jinauciere,
d la 2Iarseilla Ise, and many other modes ; while the famous
cutelettes d la Refurme were invented either by Alexis Soyer
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This is the English chop in its beautiful simplicity ; and
although I have not one word to say against the world-
famed roast beef of old England, it must be remembered that
there are persons to whom beef is too potent and stimulating
a meat, and whose constitution and palate are more efficiently
administered to by the plainly cooked chop. No special ex-
^seption need be taken to walnut pickles as a relish, but the
article itself possesses so characteristic and so delightful a
flavour of its own that it seems superfluous to mar its
savour with the conflicting taste of vinegar.
The old English cooks sometimes played sad tricks with
their nmtton "steaks." One Mrs. Mason, in her "Ladies'
Assistant," published in 1787, seasoned her chops with pepj)er
and salt, placed them in a buttered dish Avith milk, eggs, and
flour, sprinkled some beaten ginger over the mass, and baked
it in an oven. The good lady was scarcely aware that her
mutton steaks leaked would, as I have said, come down to pos-
terity as a " toad-in-the-hole " — a dish which has long since
been banished from refined English society, but which an
ironical fate has transplanted to the French cuisine as la cote-
lette d la Kelson ; but j\Iistress Mason herself was not above
borrowing from France, since .her mutton chops in disguise,
rubbed in pepper, salt, nutmeg, and chopped herbs, rolled in
sheets of Avoll-buttered white paper, and sauted in a stew-jDan
and served with brown gravy, are only an English adaptation
of the cvtelettes a. la Ilaintenon, invented at the instigation
of the morganatic Avife of Louis XIV. by Fagon his physician
to stimulate the jaded appetite of the septuagenarian Grand
Monarque. At a few first-class Parisian restaurants the carte
comprises a dish professing to be a plain mutton chop, that
goes by the name ot cotelette an luiturcl, but it is at its best
a poor, meagre, shrivelled affiiir, which, when contrasted Avith
the splendid!}' juicy English chop Avitli the curly tail, reminds
the Briton of the old satirical couplet Avhich declared that
" Pitt Avas to Addino-ton Avhat London Avas to Paddington.'"
CHATS ABOUT COOKERY. 59
The only tolerable French cutelettes au natiirel are the tiny
neck chops, each providing not more than a couple of
mouthfuls, which, as I have said before, arc furnished with a
little paper ruffle round the shanks, so that they may be
despatched without the aid of knife or fork.
On the other hand, although in unadorned chops the
French are unable to approach us, they are exceedingly
deft, tasteful, and versatile in their preparation of cutlets.
Cotelcttes d la Vicomtesse are egged and bread-crumbed,
fried in a sautt'-pan, garnished with quenelles of veal, dished
on a border of mashed potatoes, and served with rich sauce.
Cotdettes d la Westphalieniie are covered with chopped
Westphalia ham instead of bread- crumbs ; cutelettes a la
Provencale are fried in oil and seasoned with scraped garlic.
Cutelettes d la Buhemienne are marinaded or pickled for
three or four daj's before they are cooked, and are served
with a sauce in which currant jelly and minced gherkins
predominate. Then there are cutelettes d la Palestine,
dressed with Jerusalem artichokes ; cutlets with asparagus
tips; with cauliflower; with sauce d la Souhise, d la Jinauciere,
d la 2Iarseilla Ise, and many other modes ; while the famous
cutelettes d la Refurme were invented either by Alexis Soyer