FAMOUS DINNERS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19134, 29 July 1930, Page 10

FAMOUS DINNERS.

DELICIOUS DISHES FOR GREAT OCCASIONS. (Special to the “ Star.”) LONDON, June 28. Many an interesting dinner and luncheon has been prepared in the House of Commons kitchens besides famous banquets like the Coronation luncheon in 1911, and the dinner for the International Commercial Conference which was honoured by the presence of the Prince of Wales and was held in the Royal Gallery of the House of Lords. On May 26 last year a dinner of bachelors, presided over by Sir Robert Horne, was also catered for by the kitchen staff and held at Westminster. The menu for the Coronation luncheon (the portraits of the King and Queen both appear on the cover of the prized menu) was all cold and included Mayonnaise de Saumon, Filet de Sole, among the fish. The entrees were aigulettes de caneton montmorcency, small strips of cooked duck served with macedoine, cotelettes d’agneau a l’estragon, Chaudfroide de Cailles en Bellevue, quails masked with white chaudfroid sauce, garnished with truffled tongue, tarragon leaves, and chopped aspic jelly. To come to the grosses pieces of the Coronation menu—Baron of beef (de bceuf) with sauce Raifort (horseradish sauce) led the list, followed by boeuf presses a la Commons, and poulardes and jambon a la gelee, chicens and ham in aspic. The entremets were gelees a l’ecossaise, jellies with fruits set in them. Some had grapes, some strawberries, and some had a macedoine of fruit jellied. Patisserie, ices, and dessert concluded the festive meal. When the Prince of Wales dined at the International Commercial Conference dinner the menu was:— Consomme Imperial. Truite glace, sauce verte. Selle d’Agneau aux Primeurs. Pommes Nouvelles Rissolees. Poulardes en gelee en Belle-Vue. Salade Ninon. Asperges Anglaises. Souffle Glace. Fraises Marie Gordon. Petits Fours. . Dessert. The Consomme Imperial is just a rich chicken consomme, but elegantly garnished with peas, rice, chervil, and julienne of cock’s comb and kidneys, and thickened slightly with tapioca. For the Truite glace, cook a trout in courtbouillon and when cold serve with mayonnaise mixed with puree of tarragon, chervil, chives, parsley, and watercress all sieved. To prepare Pommes Nouvelles Rissolees to go jvith a saddle of lamb cooked as the members of the House of Commons like it, choose new potatoes that are of olive shape or cut them to this shape, blanch them in boiling water, and then brown them till crisp outside and tender inside in butter. Poulardes en gelee en Belle-Vue is just capons prepared like Chaudfroide de Cailles served at the Coronation luncheon, only instead of the pieces of capon being masked first with chaudfroid sauce it is set in aspic and then garnished like the quails. The English asparagus was served with melted butter, and the iced souffle preceded Fraises Marie Gordon for which the strawberries were mulled, in a glass dish, sprinkled with sugar and Grande Marnier, and served with Chantilly cream when the sugar had dissolved. But the most amusing dinner that, has been prepared in the House of Commons kitchens for some time was the Bachelors’ Dinner. Here is the menu:— Oeufs de Vanneau. Consomme Imperial. Darne de Saumon Grille Sauce Verte. Selle d’Agneau aux Primeurs. Pommes Nouvelles Rissolees. Mousse de Foie Gras en Belle-Vue. Asperges Vertes Beurre Fondu. Timbale Messalinc. Petits Fours. Dessert. “Peace with Honour” headed the lists of toasts which started with "Pass me the ■wine. To those who keep The bachelor's secluded sleep Peaceful, inviolate, and deep I pour libation.” Later on “Marriage is a taming thing,” was quoted. But as for the menu—the lapwings’ eggs were served hardboiled along with salt and paprika, and the consomme was followed by a middle cut of grilled salmon served with the same sauce as was served with the iced trout at the Commercial Conference Dinner, while the joint was also the same in every respect. The Mousse de Foie Gras, which is a puree of foie gras mixed with cream and liquid aspic and poured into moulds set with aspic, was garnished en Belle-V ue, which is a favourite garnish of Members, and followed by green asparagus and melted butter, "and an ice pudding with petits fours and dessert, but whether or not the bachelors over their dessert and coffee openly regretted their bachelorhood was never made known. So long as they are able to fare so well at the House so long will many of their hearts be impregnable. At least that is what I feel after seeing what rulers eat, where they eat, and how their food is prepared.—(Copyright).