How to Make a Lunch with Nothing, and a Good Soup with What Remains from Breakfast

"Mon Repos"

Some years ago we were at the Beverly House in Massachusetts. We were invited to lunch with friends at Hamilton, twelve miles off. When we arrived our host met us at the door in his shirt-sleeves, very red in the face with excitement. He threw up his arms in despair and exclaimed: "Didn't you get my despatch telling you not to come? My wife is ill in bed; the cook left us yesterday, and there isn't a thing to eat in the house!" Having Yankee blood and French blood in my veins, I was not to be downed by such trifling obstacles, but accepted the situation at once and answered: "If you will allow me to go into your kitchen and get some one to help me I will see what can be done." The answer was, "We'll all help you, for we are very hungry and it is past two o'clock." I looked into the larder, and there I found a desperate looking bone, the remnant of a leg of mutton, with two cold potatoes. I cut into small pieces what I could find of meat; I did the same with the potatoes, and put them to simmer with a little cold water, salt and pepper. I sent the boys to the garden to see what they could find. They soon came back with fresh tomatoes, lettuce, parsley and onions. I added a little parsley and onion to my Irish stew; then I boiled six eggs for twenty minutes; made a nice white sauce with cream, butter and a little flour, flavoring it with a piece of onion, parsley, cayenne pepper; cut the eggs in half, put them in the cream sauce in a double saucepan until ready to serve, des œufs à la Morelle. A fisherwoman in Deauville, France, taught me how to make this dish. Then I sliced some tomatoes, salted and peppered and powdered them with crumbs of toasted bread, fried them in hot butter, put them in a hot dish, poached six eggs and put them on the fried tomatoes, made some dip toast, a nice French dressing for the lettuce and some good hot coffee, and in an hour and a half we all sat down to lunch in jolly spirits. The lady of the house paid me the compliment to say it was the best tasting breakfast ever had in her house.

The English butler recognized me later in life as the lady who always cooked her own lunch when she went out.

A lady once said to my dear mother: "I wish you would lend me your cookery book, I want to ask you to dinner and treat you to something good." The answer was, "You had better dine with me, as I know my book by heart."

How to Make a Good Soup with What Remains from Breakfast.—Take the remnants of a beefsteak, cut away all fat, cut the meat in small pieces, put them in a saucepan, cover your meat with cold water, put the lid half way on, let it simmer and draw half an hour, add to it two or three spoonfuls of cooked tomatoes; cut a cooked potato, a carrot sliced in two, half an onion, a small piece of cabbage, parsley, salt and pepper. Let it simmer two hours. If you find it short add a little cold water with your vegetables and you will have a delicious soup.

The author closes the English section here: "If this modest work can be of use to young housekeepers, I shall feel rewarded for the pains I have taken in putting it together."

From page 80 of the 1904 edition.

Original pages from the book