Nineteenth-Century Masters of French Cuisine
Report by A. Lynn Martin
Reprinted from Campus Review.
Beauvilliers, Carême, Dubois, Gouffé
The Grange Restaurant of the Adelaide Hilton hosted a special dinner on the evening of Thursday, 30 May 2002, Nineteenth-Century Masters of French Cuisine: Beauvilliers, Carême, Dubois, Gouffé. Early nineteenth-century French Cuisine was synonymous with elegant dining. What better way to celebrate the University of Adelaide's new Graduate Program in Gastronomy than to prepare a meal based on the recipes of the giants of French gastronomy? In an exemplary case of culinary collaboration, Dr. Barbara Santich, lecturer in gastronomy, selected the recipes, which Cheong Liew of the Grange then interpreted.
The stunning menu evoked memories of Babette's Feast. The cold hors d'oeuvres were tuna and salmon canapés, the hot hors d'oeuvres oysters with yabby butter, oyster tarts, grilled oysters with herbs, cheese fritters, and cheese puffs--all superb. Next came yabby bisque, salmon cooked in champagne, boned quail filled with chicken mousse, ragout of pigeon with shallots and button mushrooms, and braised sirloin of beef with stuffed tomatoes, stuffed mushrooms, and potato croquettes, accompanied by a vegetable mould and warm cucumbers in cream. Exquisite! Cheong selected French and Australian wines to accompany each course. My favourite was the 1997 Duhart Milon Bordeaux Pauillac that came with the beef.
Barbara explained to the diners that the serving style of the early nineteenth century was service à la française, with platters of food on large tables and diners not receiving serves from each platter. The Grange staff served the food on platters, but the portions were generous enough so every diner at the large tables could sample all the dishes. Cheong explained that the preparations began four days previously, and that he and his staff appreciated the opportunity to renew their techniques.
The pièce de résistance was yet to come, or I should say pièces--the dessert. Each large table received sugar baskets of glacé fruits and platters of croquembouche, Charlotte russe, Nesselrode pudding, moulded jellies, coffee custard, praline and orange ice, and gâteau de Compiegne. Instead of Babette's Feast, the combined delights, especially the moulded jellies, were evoking memories of La Grand Bouffe.
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