What a Gentleman is Eating Today

[Mac of Cygnet]

Following my contribution "Things a Lady Would Like to Know" in the Weird Books Room I've been re-acquainting myself with this very useful book. Among other things it includes a prescribed 3-course meal "Today's bill of fare" with recipes for every single day of the year. AFAICT, all different - quite an achievement!. It would be even more of an achievement to follow them. Here's one of today's courses:

 

 

 

Mock Turtle Soup

Bespeak a calf's head with the skin on; cut it in half and clean it well; then half boil it, take of all the meat in square bits, break the bones of the head and boil them in some beef and veal broth to add to the richness. Fry some shalot in butter, and dredge in flour sufficient to thicken the gravy; stir this into the browning and give it one or two boils; skim it carefully, and then put in the head; add half a pint of Madeira wine, and simmer till the meat is quite tender. About ten minutes before serving, put in some tarragon, chives, basil, parsley, salt, and some cayenne pepper to taste, one spoonful of say , and two spoonfuls of mushroom ketchup; squeeze the juice of a lemon into the tureen, and pour the soup upon it. Forcemeat-balls and small eggs. More or less wine may be put, according to taste.

 

No, I don't know what 'say' is, or where the forcemeat balls and small eggs come in.

 

Of course, I imagine Cook would be instructed to do this by the Lady.

 

Watch out for the Snow Pancakes on Monday, with real snow!

 

[Bettie Boo]

There is only one possible comment I could make......

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don't eat the yellow snow

[Guest User]

Eeeew ! .... Just about the only part of that recipe I'd contemplate eating is the fried shallots ... I wonder if the 'say' is soy sauce?

 

 

Edit to add: I'd also take the option to add more wine, much more.

 

LC x

Edited December 4, 2014 by Lady Cassandra

[c c]

Say is possibly a kitchen term which may be of French or German origin. Do you know about what year was that written?

[Athy]

No, it is more likely to suggest an approximate or flexible measure: add some cayenne pepper, say one spoonful, as in more or less one spoonful.

 

Mac, when I was reading the recipe I was thinking that one should instruct Cook to prepare it, then I saw that you had written the self-same thing.

[magnetman]

Bespeak. I love that word

a spoonful of cayenne pepper ??? I hope its a very small spoon

[Athy]

I don't.

 

Yes, bespeak is rarely seen, though "bespoke" has survived as a term in tailoring and latterly in wider usage, in the sense of "made to order".

[Guest User]

No, it is more likely to suggest an approximate or flexible measure: add some cayenne pepper, say one spoonful, as in more or less one spoonful.

 

Mac, when I was reading the recipe I was thinking that one should instruct Cook to prepare it, then I saw that you had written the self-same thing.

 

Hmmm - it doesn't read that way to me. As it appears in Mac of Cygnet's quote, *assuming* it's been transcribed from the book accurately, it definitely seems part of a list;

 

"some cayenne pepper to taste, one spoonful of say , and two spoonfuls of mushroom ketchup"

 

Then again a quick Google isn't showing any examples of soy having ever been 'say' - either way I still wouldn't eat it!

[Athy]

I see what you mean, but on some parts of our land, Sussex for example, that apparently superfluous "of" is often used, As in,

Customer: I'll have a Bitter, please.

Barman: Pint of?

[Tam & Di]

Say is possibly a kitchen term which may be of French or German origin. Do you know about what year was that written?

 

Our New Larouse Gastronomique and The Oxford Companion to Food each have mention and abreviated recipes for mock turtle soup (and the real thing too!), but neither include "say", nor does it occur in the alphabetical list of food terms.

 

Athy's suggestion does not seem likely from the context though, so not much wiser yet..

 

 

Tam

Edited December 4, 2014 by Tam & Di

[Mac of Cygnet]

The recipe is transcribed exactly, even to the spelling of 'shalot'. The book was published in 1885.

[Tam & Di]

The recipe is transcribed exactly, even to the spelling of 'shalot'. The book was published in 1885.

 

Although verbally Ange's suggestion is fine, that date does make it unlikely that such informal rustic language would have been used, I think.

[magnetman]

is it sage?

[Athy]

is it sage?

Nay, it's daft as a brush.

[c c]

In old Mock Turtle Soup recipes, one ingredient often listed that is not in yours, is Savory. Could 'Say' be the authors local shortened kitchen version of Savory (pronounced Say-vor-ee)

[Mac of Cygnet]

Here as promised is a recipe from today's Bill of Fare - Snow Pancakes. And we have snow! Not enough here, alas, to gather the tablespoonfuls required without including bits of grass or worse, but just in case you have enough where you are:

 

 

 

Beat up 1/4 lb of flour in milk till you have a stiff batter; add a spoonful of salt, quarter of a nutmeg grated. Divide the batter into as many pancakes as you require, and to each portion add 3 table-spoonfuls of pure snow. Fry in fresh butter, when they will be found as light as though eggs had been used.

 

If we get any more snow today I'm certainly trying this - a lot more feasible than the mock turtle soup!

[Guest User]

Here as promised is a recipe from today's Bill of Fare - Snow Pancakes. And we have snow! Not enough here, alas, to gather the tablespoonfuls required without including bits of grass or worse, but just in case you have enough where you are:

 

 

 

 

If we get any more snow today I'm certainly trying this - a lot more feasible than the mock turtle soup!

 

It hasn't snowed here (yet) and I did have a look on the roof to see if there was any of last year's snow left, but it appears to have blown away. Anyway, I'd like to try your recipe ..... I know it's an outrageous suggestion ..... but could I replace the 'pure snow' with something else? ...... salt? caster sugar?

Edited December 8, 2014 by Lady Cassandra

[Mac of Cygnet]

 

It hasn't snowed here (yet) and I did have a look on the roof to see if there was any of last year's snow left, but it appears to have blown away. Anyway, I'd like to try your recipe ..... I know it's an outrageous suggestion ..... but could I replace the 'pure snow' with something else? ...... salt? caster sugar?

 

Certainly not! Anyway, I took a walk up a hill today to get some snow (there was lots) and it's in the freezer now. Watch this space...........

[Guest User]

Ooo maybe you could start up a side-line in selling frozen snow? I mean, it's not like you can get it on tap .... oh wait ...

[Mac of Cygnet]

Right, here we are.

 

The snow here having melted, I took a walk up Ruberslaw, a local hill, in the spirit of culinary experiment:

 

 

There was a lot of snow, especially on the north side:

 

 

But I realised I had forgotten to take anything to put it in! I considered using my hat, but suffering from AFD (apical follicular deficiency) this was a no-no in the conditions, but I remembered the binocular case, so the snow made it home to the freezer.

 

And the result, filled with pears in red wine topped with cream:

 

 

Delicious! Who would have thought you could make pancakes with snow! Definitely Something a Lady Would Like To Know.

Edited December 8, 2014 by Mac of Cygnet

[BruceinSanity]

Right, here we are.

 

 

Delicious! Who would have thought you could make pancakes with snow! Definitely Something a Lady Would Like To Know.

Amazing! And here's me thinking it was a load of crêpe...

[Athy]

Amazing! And here's me thinking it was a load of crêpe...

Greeno for that! Both for humour and for your computer skill in managing to put a circumflex over the e.

I assume the lady was called Suzette, and somehow the name stuck.

[BruceinSanity]

Greeno for that! Both for humour and for your computer skill in managing to put a circumflex over the e.

I assume the lady was called Suzette, and somehow the name stuck.

Thank you kind sir!

 

iPad tip of the day: if you keep your finger/stylus on a letter on the touch keyboard, it opens a context menu with a choice of accents for that letter.

[Athy]

I have just tried that on my computer keyboard and all it does is print eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee ad nauseam!

[patty-ann]

èéêëēėę

 

hey mine works, brill!