The Portland daily press., 1880-05-13
A Lecture by Madame.
The Mysteries of French Kitchen.
From the New York Times.)

(From the New YORK 11mes.)
"If.'' said Madame, "you really want to
come into my cuisine, and are not hypercriti-
cal, 1 shall be glad to show you how 1 manage
it. The husband, see you, is very particular,
our means are not large and economy must
rule. 1 go to market myself. 1 am not too
proud for that. In Winter it is not very trou-
blesome, but in Summer! / must confess do
not like it so much. But it is not as much the
economy that look for as it is the excellence
of the material. 1t makes all the difference
for plain bouillon whether you get tile right
quality of meat or not. The good hardly costs
any more than the bad, and then, If you have
the least particle of judgment, on the same
piece of beef there are two kinds of meat which
can be used for different dishes. 1 can live
here more cheaply than in Paris, by a great
deal, and there are few things only which are
not as good, as some of the vegetables, peas
and string-beans, for instance, and chickens;
everything else is quite as excellent, if not bet
ter. You don't agree with me about chickens?
Well, but it is so. A chicken of choice bought
in the Paris market is certainly better, is more
tender and more juicy than yours. 1t may be
in the breed. You grow chickens here to have
great big legs, with harp strings running
through them. They are fiat and favorless,
apd taste of the craw. You don't
fatten your poultry with the same
care as we do. Spring chicken That is very
dear food. Well, in France all chicken is
spring chicken-for the bones are tender. Your
turkey is excellent-we have not as good, nor
anything as cheap. As to your vegetables,
your green peas are miserable; you never sort
your peas; in the same quart measure are peas
that are yellow with age with those that are
tender. In France, from the same pod we
pick two or three qualities. AS to the cooking
of your peas, you put too much water in them;
you wash out the taste. 1t is vegetable you
are ignorant about Your carrots are coarse
your vegetable raisers get good French seed
and grow these better varieties? 1t is quite
possible. Five years ago my husband sent to
France and got 3-sou package of seed in a
letter, and for two years we have had carrots
as good as in France. They were small and
round, not much bigger than q radish, but so
Sweet-Sweet as sugar, and whole-ome. There
are many vegetables you know nothing about
Choux de Bruxelle; why is not that grown
here? My husband raises that too, with per-
feet ease. l see some now and then in the
market but so very dear. Then there is the
French flageolet bean, so delicious and tender
Your people neglect the many advantages they
possess of soil and climate otherwise they
would raise all these things. Behold my cui-
sine. This is my range. l cook great deal
| on this, as do your people, because of the adj
| vantage of hot water, but would not dispense
| with my charcoal furnace. In summer, from
| about now until fall again, il answers all my
| purposes. In winter there are certain dishes,
| as beefSteak and outlets, that l never would
| think of putting on the Goals. They taste in
| that way of the smoke. / do not entirely use
| charcoal in my furnace, but when my cooking
| is long or sustained, / mix coke with my char
| coal. find it inexpensive. | make my char
| coal furnace under my own direction. A
| penter constructs the frame of wood, and buy
| the tiles and have blacksmith TO arrange the
| iron work. 1t cost me altogether IS. | have
had it three years now, and 1t will last me five
| years more. See you, in summer Il will ar
| range it so in q week. screw off the legs, and
| put it all right on the top of the range, and it
| is SO made that the ash drops into the range,
| and have no trouble. | never cook in any
| thing but casseroles but for soup, and then L
| have this big American pot, but just as often
| for soup l use an earthernware crock. My
| cook is very careful and does not break much,
| because l scold much when she is negligent /
| can not give you general ideas of what is sue
| cess III cooking. suppose the great point in
| all stewing lies in the slower heating of food.
| You Americans, when you cook, want to do all
| things very fast-at grand gallop. Things III