Kettner's Book of the Table

Every food on the Victorian table gets its history, its etymology and a strong opinion — the wittiest cookery book of 1877, written in secret by a Times leader-writer and named for London's most fashionable restaurant.

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Custards

These have been known for some time on the Continent as English creams; but latterly simply as creams - vanilla cream, lemon cream, chocolate cream, according to the flavour. One receipt will be enough. Lemon Custard.-Beat up the yolks of eight eggs to a strong white cream. Mix into this very slowly a pint of boiling hot cream, together with the zest and juice of two lemons, and sugar to taste. Stir this on the fire till it thickens-but do not boil it. Add also, when nearly ready, a wineglassful of sherry and a tablespoonful of brandy. Keep stirring it till it cools, and serve it in cups with grated nutmeg.

A wonderful flavour is given to these creams or custards by boiling in the cream or milk with which they are made a laurel-leaf-that is, not a bayleaf, but a leaf of the cherry laurel. Great care, however, must be used; for the cherry laurel is poisonous.

Dab AB.-Who ever heard of dab at a fashionable dinner or in a fine bill of fare? Nevertheless a dab-the French limande is better than any flounder; and as Mr. Bugg changed his name to Norfolk Howard, the poor little dab aspires to fame under the name of a Thames flounder, which is the best of all flounders. Let us give dab his due. His name is as plebeian as Snooks or Blogg; but he is an honest fish, with a good taste and a faculty of making himself agreeable in society which his friends with great names might well envy.

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