Rien ne dispose mieux l’esprit humain à des transactions amicales qu’un diner bien conçu artistement préparé.
DINER LUCULLUSIAN À LA SAMPAYO.
I BEG to present to my Readers a copy of the Bill-of-fare of the most recherché dinner I ever dressed, which the liberality and epicurean taste of the gentleman who gave it, to a select party of connoiseurs, enabled me to procure; he wishing me to get him a first-rate dinner, and spare no expense in procuring the most novel, luxurious, and rare edibles to be obtained at this extravagant season of the year; I, therefore, much to his satisfaction, placed before him and his guests the following: (see p. 609).
I had also proposed the following dish to the party, which was accepted, but which I was unable to obtain from Paris on account of a change in the weather preventing their arrival, the articles being two dozen of ortolans; having already procured twelve of the largest and finest truffles I could obtain, it was my intention to have dug a hole in each, into which I should have placed one of the birds, and covered each with a piece of lamb’s or calf’s caul, then to have braised them half an hour in good stock made from fowl and veal, with half a pint of Lachryma Christi added; then to have drained them upon a cloth, placed a border of poached forcemeat upon the dish, built the truffles in pyramid, made a purée with the truffle dug from the interior, using the stock reduced to a demi-glace and poured over, roasted the twelve remaining ortolans before a sharp fire, with which I should have garnished the whole round, and served very hot.