The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-11-16

A Feature of the Metropolis-An Afternoon in
One of the Modern Cooking Schools.

New l Ork sun.
A bill of fare of the game dinner cooked by
Miss Parloa yesterday afternoon could be printed
in an inch of Sun type, but a description OF the
manner in which it was prepared would take up
half the first page of the paper. Miss Parloas
class of thirty ladies looked on while she, wear
ing a striped calico dress, a lawn apron, a rose
at her breast, and a gold pin at her throat, con
jured the artistic meal out of the raw material.
The big second-story front at 222 East Seven
tenth street had the walls and ceiling of a
parlor, but the furniture of a kitchen. One
corner was faced with thing above a
big sink and a pine table laden with
dishes, pots, brown paper parcels, knives,
spoons, cups, plates, and saucers. Next along
the side wall was n movable range, and next TO
that a sideboard that looked like a bookeasewith
snow white china apparent through the glass
doors. Along the other side of the room the
thirty ladies sat on three rows of chairs. Two
were about twenty-five years old, three were
about fifty years old, and two dozen we're married
ladies in the full bloom of youth, health and
beauty. Diamonds s~parkled in many ears and
silks and satins were plenty. Between them
and the opposite wall stood Miss Parloa, a tall,
matronly woman, bending over an oaken extern
sion table covered with a thin oil-cloth and sup
porting a cutting board, two feroc.ous big knives,
a steel. and a haunch of venision which she had
skinned and washed. She talked all the time she
worked, explaining every movement of her hands.
They leaned forward, watching and listening,
like medical students in a dissecting room.
She mixed up a paste, two parts -four and one
part water, saying: Covering the venison with
this makes it juicier and more evenly cooked.
Without it the outside would cook better than
the center, but this equalizes it, | think you
obtain the flavor in this way better than by
Harding. l frequently do lard legs of venison,
but then, of course, l do not use the paste.
She put the meat on the board, pasted the top
of it, then put ii, paste down, in a big iron pan.
and pasted the other side. cit forms a hard
crust" she said, (which comes off easily. Now
it is all ready to go in the oven, which must be
hot, and where it must remain one hour and
three-quarters."
Every lady had taken out a pencil and note
book and jotted down ''oven must be hot and
''one hour and three quarters" Miss Parloa
opened the oven door, revealing a unique con
trivanee which let down and formed an out
side shelf when the door opened, and folded out
of the way when the door closed. She put
the venison in, and, turning to the ladies, said
she was going to give them the rules
for the roast duck. Her assistant, who
was always addressed as Louisa, shot out of tho
room, and presently reappeared with a fat brown
duck on a plate. Miss Parloa said that perhaps
not more than ten in one hundred would like
duck as rare as she was going to cook this one,
but all who like game like ii rare. Nothing is
more injured by overlooking than game.
Twenty minutes is enough for very rare duck,
and it must be served at once when cooked. "
The pencils all wagged at once at these words.
Again they were piled as the teacher remarked
that for stuffing use potatoes, mashed, and sea
soned with onion and butter, or herbs very
lightly. like it better without herbs. usually
cut an onion in two and put it in the body-not
to be served, but to give a delicate flavor, which
cannot be traced to the onion"
She said she would use a redhead for the les
son, because canyasbacks are expensive, and a
redhead would do just as well. She pulled the
skin back, cut the gristly neck off, drew the skin
in place again, cut II cash in the other end OF the
body, and inserted her hand to draw it out
again, with the internal organs following it.
She said that all the organs are fastened at the
breast bone, and, if loosened there, will
come away easily. A dozen other points she eX-
planned in this way, and relieved the work with
a story of a very delicate young lady who nearly
tainted while assisting at the dressing of a
pigeon. In spite of the nature of the work, she
made no litter. Her sleeves come to her wrist,
yet were not soiled. The refuse of any opera
ton disappeared as quick as it came. She put
the duck aside when it was ready for the oven
and delved into the mysteries of sauce making.
''Oh, / think there's nothing as nice as canvas
back duck" said she, pausing with her fingers
webbed together with wet Hour. when I'm
rich I'll have it once a week; so, you see, it will
be a long time before realize my wish" The
ladies asked all manner of questions, which
seemed highly important, and received answers
which were instantly jotted down hot from the
teachers lips. AT times they looked as If they
might be thirty stenc graphers hard at work.
'Larded grouse said Miss Parloa gravely,
and Louisa appeared with a gaunt, long-legged
bird. IA very hot oven, remember, for all
game. Twenty minutes to cook it rare. If it is
for a eentlemans dinner twenty minutes will be
right, but for a mixed company thirty minutes
is better" Saying that larded grouse is one of
the %prettiest and most satisfactory game dishes,
she proceeded to cut off the wings and TO ampu-
tate the legs at the knee joint.
Now, who's cooking the venisong' she asked
with startling suddenness.
a guilty look flashed on one fair face after
another. Nobody had taken it upon herself to
see that the venison was attended to. Miss Par
loa said that only the cooks would have a taste.
and that it seemed no one would be so fortunate.
Then theladies remembered that the venison
went in at 3:20 o'clock and must come out at sos
O'Clock. Never let your butcher cut the legs
off a bird, said the teacher, for they are apt to
let the cleavor fall as it happens, perhaps above
the joint, which makes a bad looking dish"
Business began to be brisk at this time. The
veni son was taken out and a short legged frame
was put under it in the pan, shot had to be picked
out of the g~rouse-whirh fact Miss Parloa said
did not call up pleasant thOughts-the science of
Harding had to be explained and Illustrated, the
grouse had to be salted, p%eppered and dredged
with -four, some steamiug pots on the stove
needed looking at, and the mistress and maid
both had their hands full. The silken forms on
the chairs took no part in the work, but the flight
of their pencils gave promise that hereafter,
when the costly dresses are replaced by calico or
cloth, the white hands would be themselves be
Toured and the tender faces flushed with such
heat as Miss Parloa's face reflected.
Louisa brought on some reed birds next, and
helped her mistress to take their little ewes out
and rid them of part of their internal furnish
ings. Miss Parloa said if she had her way she
would take the heads and legs right off, but
fashion decreed otherwise, and epicures followed
it by opening their mouths and putting in q
whole bird at once.
Now, a great many persons don't draw these
birds at all, " said she, neither do they draw
woodcock or any smaller birds. Shall they be
drawn or undrawng"
Drawn" came the voice of a great majority,
and in the most emphatic tone. Some of the
birds she wrapped in layers of bacon, and some
she put into the interiors of scooped-out sweet
potatoes, and sealed them in with butter, only
their heads protruding. Around they went on
a plate for inspection when they were ready for
the oven, and the pencils waved again and again
in unison with the jeweled figures on the little
pads in the silken laps.
How would you serve city s~parrows?" an