[Dressing Out Tables Contents]
THE same directions apply to every one who has a table to dress out; let it therefore be particularly observed, by those who would do it handsomely, that a load of expence will by no means gain the end; it is in combining taste and consistency in the choice, cooking, and placing of the dishes, that the beauty, excellence, and elegance of a table consists.
Where only one course is intended, and a very large party is met, the table must be covered with substantial dishes, partaking of first and second, also such as form the third course. For example, examine the one course dinner in the plate, to which may be added a desert modified from the elegant one in plate 5th.
Where first, second, third, and fourth courses, are required, observe that the first generally consists of soups or boiled fish; the second of fish dressed variously, game, or boiled meats; the third of roast, baked, potted, and stewed meats, and made dishes; the fourth generally embraces both fourth course and desert, and consists of syllabubs, custards, tarts, flummeries, jellies and fruits various, both fresh and preserved.
The following is a List of Dinner Dishes.
ON very large tables of one course, different soups may be placed at top and bottom, and both removed by fish of different kinds; the third remove must be baked or roasted meats, or fowls. Top dinner dishes, without soups, generally consist of fish boiled or dressed, viz.
Salmon or trout, haddocks, crimped cod or haddocks, cod’s head and shoulders dressed, turbot flounder, turbot, sturgeon, turkey dressed to imitate sturgeon, skate, &c. &c.
These are generally removed with boiled meats, as haunch of venison, veal stewed, fowls, turkey, ducklings, capons, chicken pye, pheasants, mutton venison fashion, or house lamb stewed, &c. Observing, that if there is a third remove it must be a dressed dish, highly seasoned or baked fruit, such as suits taste or conveniency. If only two removes the second should be roasted.
Centre Dishes.
Occasionally soup, blamange with jelly over, ornamental jellies, chantillies, ornamented cakes, salver with jellies, syllabubs, custards in cups, trifles, handsome pies, large cross-barred tarts, plum pudding, salver with a crown decked with rock candies, emblems, mottos, &c. crystal salver, with a wire crown decked with flowers or any tasteful ornament, salmagundy, sallads, &c.
Bottom Dishes.
Roast beef, saddle of mutton or lamb, haunch of venison roasted, boiled, or stewed, roasted goose, pork, pig, and hares, fillet of veal, rump of beef stewed, rump of beef with greens, &c. &c.
Supper Dishes.
Dishes used for genteel suppers are always light, such as small fishes broiled or fried, young fowls, small birds, or game roasted, cutlets, fricassees, fritters, pancakes, omelets, spinage and eggs, with other vegetables; cold meats in slices, either plain or potted, tripe, all kinds of shell fish, dressed variously, also tarts, puffs, custards, stewed apples, trifle, blamange, jellies in shapes, and creams various, with numberless little showy savoury dishes, as taste directs.
Again, it is to be observed, especially in suppers, that a good judgment in tastefully decorating and garnishing, goes much farther, and produces a finer effect than a great deal of expence without it.
THREE DINNER BILLS.
| No. 1. | ||
| Gigot of Mutton, remove, Pigeon Pye. | ||
| Chickens Broiled. | Crimped Haddock. | |
| Lamb Kebobbed. | ||
| Vegetables. | Cross-barred Tart. | |
| Cream. | ||
| Ham or Tongue. | Soup, remove, Apple Pye. | Fowls. |
| Custard Pudding. | Cream. | Vegetables. |
| Veal Collared, or Pigeons. | Udder. | Rabbit or Duckling Fricasseed. |
| Sirloin of Roast Beef. |
No. 2.
| Salmon, remove, Pigeons in a Hole. | ||
| Crabs. | Stewed Palates. | |
| Duckling. | ||
| Vegetables. | Vegetables. | |
| Cream. | ||
| Udder. | Plum Pudding. | Pickled Tongue. |
| Wine Sauce. | ||
| Vegetables. | Vegetables. | |
| Veal Olives. | Boiled Chicken, or Fowl Marinated. | Fried Smelts. |
| Saddle of Mutton Roasted. |
No. 3.
| Boiled Meat, or Fish. | ||
| Vegetables. | Lobster or Crab. | |
| Pigeons in Disguise. | Broth or Soup, remove, Sallads, Tart or Pye. | Pickled Pork and Greens. |
| Fried Flounders. | Vegetables. | |
| Roast Meat. |
THREE SUPPER BILLS.
No. 1.
| Roast Fowl, or Fish broiled. | ||
| Vegetables. | Pancakes. | |
| Slices of Bacon Ham. | ||
| Mince Pye. | Custards. | |
| Fried Tripe. | Ornamental Jellies. | Marble Veal. |
| Whipt Cream. | Tart. | |
| Cold Tongue in Slices. | ||
| Brain Cakes. | Vegetables. | |
| Pigeons or Ducklings. |
No. 2.
| Broiled Fish. | ||
| Vegetables. | Cockles or Muscles. | |
| Custards. | ||
| Pickles. | Cream or Butter. | |
| Salmagundy. | ||
| Slices of Ham or Tongue. | Slices of Potted Veal. | |
| Curled Butter. | Pickles. | |
| Jellies. | ||
| Oysters Scolloped. | Vegetables. | |
| Shoulder of Lamb Broiled. |
No. 3.