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Observations on Dressing Out Tables, pp.421-424.

[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 PyeFowls. 
Custard PuddingCreamVegetables. 
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 PuddingPickled Tongue. 
 Wine Sauce.  
Vegetables.  Vegetables. 
Veal OlivesBoiled Chicken, or Fowl MarinatedFried Smelts
 Saddle of Mutton Roasted.  

No. 3. 

 Boiled Meat, or Fish 
Vegetables.  Lobster or Crab. 
Pigeons in DisguiseBroth or Soup, remove, Sallads, Tart or PyePickled 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 TripeOrnamental JelliesMarble 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. 

 Stewed Tripe.  
Shell Fish.  Potatoes. 
 Curled Butter.  
Slices of Ham. Sallad. Omelet
 Beat Butter.  
Spinage.  Puffs
 Steaks.  
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