Hotel Dining

We are going upmarket today, into the world of fine hotel dining. The Hotel St.Francis in that wonderful food city of San Francisco. The famous chef at the hotel, Victor Hirtzler wrote a cookbook which was published in 1919. He suggested menus for each day of the year, and naturally gave recipes for many of the dishes. Here they are for today.

BREAKFAST
Sliced figs with cream
Hominy
Pulled bread
Chocolate

LUNCHEON
Olive and anchovy salad
Eggs, Canada
Broiled pigs' feet
Chow chow
Potatoes, surprise
Corn starch blanc mange with stewed fruits
Demi tasse

DINNER
Potage Colbert
Salted hazelnuts
Eels, marinière
Roast leg of mutton
String beans with shallots
Mashed potatoes
Endives salad
Dariolets, Duchess
Coffee

The recipe I have chosen for you is a simple salad, and I chose it because it introduced me to a new kitchen must-have: the ravier.

Olive and anchovy salad.
Lay on a ravier, or flat celery dish, two dozen fillets of anchovies, crosswise. Cut the stones out of one dozen large queen olives, and slice the olives thin. Lay them over the anchovies, sprinkle with a very little salt, some fresh- ground black pepper, a spoonful of vinegar, and a spoonful of olive oil. Garnish with hard-boiled eggs cut in four, and chopped parsley.
The Hotel St Francis Cook Book. Victor Hirtzler. 1919

A ravier is ‘is a small dish varying in shape and material in which hors-d'oeuvre are served. I wish I had one. I’ve always wanted a bacon fork too. I do have grape-scissors (it’s a longish story).

Quotation for Day …

Celery contributes to a stimulation of the digestion, but is also suspected to be somewhat sexually exciting or even straightforward arousing. These effects can be reduced by boiling. It is not a food for everybody. C.E. Hagdahl. Cooking as Science and Art, 1879.