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01. Quick Cookery - These days, nothing is more fun—nor more socially ac­ceptable—than "messing about in the kitchen." What with pressure cookers, electric broilers and blenders, packaged mixes, bottled sauces, every possible herb or spice from the Indies, and something new every day in the frozen food sec­tion of any supermarket, Cookery is the latest game, the newest fad.

02. Canapes - The expression "free lunch" originated in Victorian saloons —when immense platters of excellent cold meats, potato salad and cheeses were strategically placed along a bar to encourage the greater consumption of beer. In those halcyon days, a nickel glass of beer assured the impecunious of as much food as he could tuck away in preparation for the next 24 hours.

03. Evening Soup - Few people, it seems, eat soup any longer. In our diet-conscious lives, many diners save their calorie-allowance for the main dish—but a clever gourmet chef never overlooks the possibilities in soup.

Of all the packaged foods available today, soup is probably the easiest to trick up into a replica of grandmother's stock-pot.

04. Man's Poisson - If you think you do not like fish, you will never qualify as a gourmet. Gourmets eat and enjoy everything—when prop­erly prepared. Your dislike may come from the way in which fish is cooked. Try it baked or broiled—both of which mini­mize cooking odors.

Fish is low in calories, thus good for diets. It is also ex­tremely versatile in presentation . . . for instance:

05. Meat - For the quick gourmet chef, meat is sometimes a problem —so many of the most delicious dishes seem to require hours of simmering time.

When minutes matter, it often seems that meat is limited to lamb chops and steak, and as anyone knows who has tried it, it is possible to become jaded with filet mignon six nights in a row.

06. Chicken - Chicken is a most rewarding dish, with which you can do practically anything, at any moment, in any way. William Randolph Hearst made it a rule that in every one of his nu­merous homes, there should ALWAYS be a cold roast chicken in the icebox. He might not visit that particular home for two years . . . but such was his power that 365 days of every year, a chicken was roasted tenderly and placed in readiness for his coming. . . .

07. Specialties - A speciality de la maison is simply the main dish you pre­pare best.

It may be tripe or Chateaubriand; a special sauce for codfish cakes or Lobster Thermidor; it can be your own trick of preparing hash, stew, or a slumgullion of tasty left­overs—or it may be a recipe used only for champagne occa­sions

08. Gourmet Orientale - Oriental dishes have become increasingly well-known to Occidental palates. While we had always understood that time had no meaning whatever in the Orient, oddly enough most Chinese and Japanese cookery requires only minutes to prepare.

Presentation of a dish is much more important in the Orient than in even the fanciest gourmet restaurant of the West.

09. Vegetables - A gourmet can make a meal of vegetables alone—if prop­erly cooked.

Vegetables must be slightly undercooked and firm.

A pressure cooker is excellent for artichokes, beets, turnips and such—but tricky for softer vegetables which may easily turn into a mush, since cooking times are only 2 or 3 minutes.

10. Last Resort - Eggs are universal, ubiquitous and unreplaceable.

Eggs can be used for any meal at all—they can be simple and filling, or chichi and spiced . . . and they are one of the foods that is highly personal.

Everyone has his own taste in eggs. Gourmet egg cookery is not easy, therefore, because some like their eggs well-done and others like 'em raw . . .

11. Breadstuffs - There is practically nothing to be added to the bewilder­ing and delicious varieties of breads, rolls, and crackers avail­able in any corner grocery. Despite the national preoccupa­tion with our waistlines, we are certainly the most versatile country with starches!

What's needed for a gourmet chef today is simply a spirit of adventure, and some concept of what goes best with what. . . .

12. Green Salad - Salads are vital to a gourmet meal.

They are not only delicious to eat, and hailed with delight by anyone on a diet, but they have a particular purpose and should be served at a particular moment: after the entree.

In these days of informal service, it is quite correct to serve the salad with the main dish—or to plan a good green salad in place of a vegetable to accompany the entree—but for a proper gourmet meal, a salad there must be, and it is to be eaten after the main course, in order to clear the palate in preparation for dessert and coffee.

13. Desserts - Because most everyone is trying to eat their cake and re­tain their waistlines, too, few people eat desserts these days . . . and for all but the most impressive occasions, the quick-cook can stop dead with the salad. Coffee and liqueurs will suffice to round off the carte du jour.

Still, it's a pity to overlook the seasonal goodies of fresh fruits, and today's commercial ice creams and sherbets pos­sess few calories (being mostly full of substitutes like gela­tine unless rigidly controlled by State food laws)

14. Coffee - Coffee is not only universal, but controversial.

It is a strange fact that other people's coffee often seems mysteriously to be more delicious than your own. This is possibly an extension of the basic premise that any meal you did not cook will seem excellent. . . .

There are approximately a hundred ways to make coffee —(yes, there are!)—but there is probably only one way that suits you. Our personal preference is a Chemex—but in the past we have loved percolators . . . and in our extreme youth, we knew how to make delicious boiled coffee with an egg shell!

15. Midnight Supper - The days when a hostess knocked herself out in cleaning and cooking before a gathering of friends are long since gone. Today we give one PARTY a year—perhaps—and consider all the other meetings with friends as completely informal. In either case, the refreshments can achieve a gourmet stand­ard without undue strain

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