How to Prepare and Serve a Meal; and Interior Decoration

by Lillian B. Lansdown

CHAPTER XI: PLANNING A MENU

Food value and contrast—the avoidance of duplicating flavors—are main points in menu planning. An elaborate menu must alternate its light and heavy courses.

SOUP

Thin soups for formal dinners, cream or thick soups for informal ones is the rule. With Consommé, Bread or Cheese Sticks; with thick soups Crackers or Croutons; with Oyster Stew, Oyster Crackers are the proper thing. Soup garnishings (clear soup) include: Shredded Sprouts, Boiled Macaroni cut in rings, Noodles, Lemon Slices, Italian Pastes and Grated Parmesan Cheese, and Sliced Cooked Chestnuts and Royal Custard. Radishes, Celery and Olives are served after the soup.

HORS D’OEVRES

Cocktails or Canapés beginning a dinner call for plain sandwiches or wafers. When Oysters or Clams (or any seafood cocktails) are served, Graham or Brown Bread Sandwiches are grateful. With oysters served raw on shell, a Horseradish Sandwich is proper. Tabasco, Grated Horseradish, Catsup, Cayenne, or Cocktail Sauce are in order for oysters or clams, and a half lemon should always be laid on the oyster plate.

FISH

Fish flavoring’s include Lemon Juice (lemon sliced with or without the rind, or served in quarters or halves) or Tarragon Vinegar. Sauce Tartare is always appropriate for fried fish. Broiled Halibut or Pompano gain by a Sauce Hollandaise. With Baked or Broiled Shad Cucumber Cream Sauce is in order. Broiled fish in general should be mated with rich, heavy sauces, and may be accompanied by Boiled Potato Balls, and Maître d’Hotel butter. When Halibut or Flounder are steamed or baked in fillets, they call for a piquantly flavored sauce: Caper, Brown Tomato, Shrimp or Lobster. Drawn Butter Sauce, Caper or Hollandaise Sauce, are best with Boiled Hot Salmon; Green Mayonnaise, Vinaigrette or Sauce Tartare with Cold Boiled Salmon. Vegetables do not properly accompany fish in a dinner of many courses. Yet broiled fish may be served with Corn and Shell Beans; white fish of various sorts with Tomatoes, stuffed or fried; and Salmon with Peas.

ENTREES

Every entrée should have the sauce which properly befits it. Patties, however, are not served with the rolls which accompany other entrées, their pastry taking its place. A Purée of Peas may be offered with meat croquettes.

SALADS

For simply dressed salads Cheese Balls or croquettes are appropriate. Fruit salads require thin, unsugared crackers—they may be served hot, sprinkled with mild paprika over butter. Anything of the sort served with a salad is merely served to bring out its flavor, not to destroy it!

DESSERTS

When the dinner is a heavy or elaborate one the heavy pudding with a rich sauce is distinctly out of keeping. Frappéed or cold desserts are the proper thing, served together with small wafers or cakes. At less formal dinners the sweet dessert may be omitted, and cheese and hard crackers, a fruit salad, or toasted wafers and coffee may be substituted.

THE ROASTS

Under this head we will list for the reader’s convenience a grouping of roasts, together with the sauces and vegetables with which they may be combined for menu purposes in a natural and satisfactory manner.

Beefsteak and Roast Beef: As sauces, Mushroom Sauce is appropriate for both; then for Beefsteak we have Sauce Bearnaise, and Maître d’Hotel Butter; for the Roast Beef, Horseradish Sauce, Banana Sauce and as an accompanying dish, Yorkshire Pudding. Accompanying vegetables for both include: Potatoes, white and sweet, Lima and String Beans, Macaroni, Corn, Peas, Spinach and Onions, Eggplant and Squash, Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower and Tomatoes.

Boiled Beef: Horseradish Sauce is the preferred one, and Dumplings may accompany it. Potatoes (white), Parsnips, Turnips, Carrots are the first concomitants.

Corned Beef: Plain Boiled Potatoes and Cabbage are the first concomitants. Spinach or Dandelion Greens, Parsnips, Beets, Turnips and Carrots are also indicated.

Roast Lamb: May be accompanied by Banana Croquettes or Bananas baked, by Currant Jelly, Mint Sauce, Mint Jelly or Mint Sherbet. In addition to most of the vegetables already listed, Asparagus, and Jerusalem Artichokes are in order, and Cauliflower may be served with Cream Sauce or au gratin.

Lamb Chops Broiled: Potatoes in any form desired, Cauliflower or Brussels Sprouts, and practically any green vegetables, but piquantly served, are in order.

Boiled Lamb and Mutton: Caper Sauce and accompanying Dumplings are in order for both. Potatoes (white) Carrots, Turnips and Parsnips are the vegetables.

Saddle of Mutton: Takes all vegetables served with Lamb. It should be served with Currant Jelly or Mint Sauce and, aside from Asparagus, Spinach, French Peas and String Beans, may be accompanied by Fried Rice Balls or Rice Croquettes.

Fowl in General and Chicken: These take Cranberry Jelly and Sauce, also Chestnut, Mushroom, Oysters, Celery and Curry Sauce, and fresh Celery. Glazed Sweet Potatoes, Corn Fritters, Croquettes (Rice, Chestnut, Hominy), all fresh summer vegetables, including String and Lima Beans, Mushrooms, Onions and Squash are in order with fowl.

Roast Turkey: Here, while we may have Cranberry Sauce or Jelly, we must have crisp, fresh Celery. There is a choice of stuffings —Sausage, Chestnut, Oyster, Sage and Nut. Potatoes (white and sweet), Brussels Sprouts and Cauliflower, Squash, Turnips and Onions are the vegetables.

Roast Goose: The vegetables are the same as for Roast Turkey, and Brown Giblet Gravy, Apple Sauce and Celery are accompaniments. The stuffings mentioned for Turkey are also in order here.

Duck (Domestic): The vegetables served for all fowl, plus Fried Hominy if desired, are indicated. Either Boiled or Souffléd Onions are a tradition with duck.

Duck (Game): Salads are preferred to vegetables as an accompaniment for Wild Duck. The Salad Greens—any salad green may be used—should be dressed in a simple manner. If preferred, Olive and Orange Jellies and Sauces, and Currant and Plum Jellies, Orange and Cress or Orange and Walnut on Lettuce may be served.

Roast Grouse or Guinea Hen: With Bread Sauce may be served Potatoes (as croquettes or French fried), Celery Croquettes, String Beans, Asparagus, and French Peas, also Currant Jelly and Currant Jelly Sauce.

Quail, Roasted or Broiled: Green salads in which Orange dominates should accompany this game bird. Ideal ways of serving are: 1. In a nest of Chestnut Purée. 2. On Buttered Toast. 3. On toast spread with Purée of Cooked Calf’s Liver moistened with Sherry.

Squab, Roasted or Broiled: Serve with Currant Jelly and—if offered as a main course at a luncheon—with light vegetables, Mushrooms, Peas, Beans, Asparagus on Toast, Spinach in Puff Paste or Fried Potato Balls.

Boiled Ham: For Boiled Ham Champagne or Cider Sauce is best. Potatoes in practically any form desired, Creamed, Chantilly, Escalloped, etc., with Spinach, Beet Greens, Cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts are vegetable choices.

Pork: Implies the presence of the apple, as Apple Sauce, Cider Apple Sauce, Fried Apples or Apple Croquettes, though Sauce Soubise or Sauce Piquant may also be used with it. Potatoes, if desired, and practically any vegetable are in order.

Roast Veal: A Brown Gravy or Sauce Soubise are proper for veal. Rice, Spaghetti, Macaroni, are accompanying dishes; and practically all the usual garden vegetables are in order.

Roast Venison: A Wild Plum Sauce is especially appropriate, plus Currant Jelly. Potatoes should be Saratoga or French Fried. French String Beans and French Peas, Brussels Sprouts (with Chestnuts) and Mushrooms (in Brown Madeira Sauce) will add to the occasion.