The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-12-25
KITCHENS OF THE RICH.
PREPARING CHRISTMAS DINNERS
IN FIFTH AVENUE.

Gould Always Has an Old-Fas hioned
Chicken Pie on Thanksgiving Day.
From the Brooklyn Eagle.
Columns have been written about th "a
uptown parlors aud boudoirs, but not a
word about that most important of all
rooms-the kitchen. When the guests
assemble for Christmas dinner, reportorial
pens will be busy giving detailed accounts
of the dining-rooms, the dinner service, the
decorations and all that; they will even re-
produce the daintily decorated menu cards,
but the real thing-the food-without
which the most gorgeous feast would be a
fiat failure, is left alone. How to prepare
a seventeen-course dinner for 500 guests.
and have everything, down to the minutiae
of a bit of linen or a silver fork, exactly
as it should be, requires some thought and
training and more appliances than one would
dream of. The most spacious private kitchen
in New York is that of Cornelius Wander
bilt, at West Fifty-seventh street. 1t is
40 feet long by 20 wide. The floor is laid in
small squares of brown and white marble.
the walls are of pressed brick. and the whole
of one side and end is filled with closets.
Through the glass doors one can see upon
the shelves every sort of utensil which the
most exacting housekeeper could desire
This kitchen is beautifully lighted, as it is
in the front part of the basement, ON a level
with the street, and has two very large
stained glass windows. The chef is pleas
ant young German, who is evidently proud
of his position.
''You have a very large range" re-
marked the writer; 1.-THE largest l have
ever seen in private family"
Yes" replied the Chef, "but sometimes
/ must prepare for thousand people,"
"And do you do it alone?"
"Why, certainly; that is, I do all the
cooking. You know l have nothing to do
with preparing the food; there arelten serv-
ants who attend TO that.
DO you have anything extra for Christ
mass" was the next query.
why, no; we could not have,n was the
reply. I'VE get the best there is in the
market every day. The only difference
will be the number of people to provide
for"
had noticed that all the cooking dishes
are of copper and asked why this was So
Because" said the Chef, as he lifted the
cover from a huge baking dish, cooper is
cleaner than anything else and it holds the
heat better You cannot brown meat in
anything else as you can In copper Now
this is for a roast. You see this cover fits
closely. | prepare the roast-say it is a
turkey or little pig-and put it inside
this dish and shut it up tight. / do not
open it again until it is done. l only turn
the dish over once in ten minutes"
but how can you tell when it is done"
very easily. In the first place, have
my oven at exactly the right heat. You
see here is an an indicator that tells me lust
how hot it is" pointing to tube Just inside
the oven door. Then | weigh the roast
and allow just fifteen minutes to pound.
At that time it comes out crisp and brown,
done to turn, with all the flavor and all
the juices retained. Not even the steam
can escape. That is the only way to roast
Christmas turkey"
don't think Mrs. Vanderbilt visits her
kitchen very often, but when she does she
will find the great range with its six broad
fireplaces and great copper roof sinks,
tables, floor and all, as clean as can be.
Even the blonde chefs white linen suit is as
white as snow.
Mr.. Frederick Vanderbilt lives at $50
Fifth avenue, in the old Vanderbilt home.
1t was here that William H. lived before he
removed to the mansion on Fifty-second
street, from which he was buried. This
kitchen is an od-fashioned one, is below
the street, and is dark and damp. Gas is
burning all day long. The servants, when
at dinner, sit at two long tables In the
kitchen.
There is no chef her e. His place is occu-
pied by Frenchwoman, who has the girth
of a typical cook. Sne explained in her
broken English that, though the family had
nothing different for dinner on Christmas
day, the servants had. And she took me
into the servants parlor, which was not
only comfortable but in some respects ele-
CANT.
The floor was covered with dark blue
felt, over which large rug was laid.
Sofas, easy chairs, pictures and pretty cur
tains gave very ccZy and homelike air to
the place. Some old ornaments of rosewood
and gilt were scattered about, and in the
center of the room stood q large table.
Upon this the Christmas gifts for the serv-
ants are placed, and they are always of
value A special order is given for the
servants dinner. On this day each one of
the help is allowed a pint of good old bur-
gundy, and at some time during the day
each is allowed to go out for an hour or
two. Mrs. Fred Vanderbilt is one of the
Lady Bountifuls to the poor. A Christmas
feast, most of which is prepared in her own
kitchen, is served at her mission, and
present for each child is provided by her.
self. The hours which most society women
spend in bed are devoted by Mrs. Wander
bilt TO her various beneiciaries, one of
whom remarked: "St. Peter ought to swing
the gates open wide when she comes in"
At 8 east Thirty-thrd street is the home
of William Waldorf Aston, who believes in
the good old English Custom of filing
Christmas day with good Christmas cheer.
The chef, a broad-faced Frenchman, seemed
to thoroughly enjoy the prospect of the
good things he was going to prepare, par
ticularly the plum pudding. Everybody in
the land will surely be interested to know
what the Ingredients Of this pudding are.
Here is the recipet:
Snet, two pounds; raisins, two pounds;
citron, one pound; English plums, two
pounds; molasses one pint; twelve eggs,
cloves, cinnamon, mace, and nutmeg, each
one ounce; one teaspoon salt lone tablespoon
soda; one pint best brandy; flour for a sJiff
batter. Tie the mixture in a well-greased
pudding cloth and steam four hours. Serve
with brandy sauce, hot and plentiful.
Mrs. Astor's kitchen is comparatively
small, but thers is separate dining-room
for the servants, SO the Chef had it all to
himself. He had finished a plateful of
delicate chocolate eclaires for lunch, and
was just beginning on salad. | noticed
that here the cooking dishes were OF porce-
lain, and spoke of it.
"Mr. Vanderbilt's chef can have all the
copper dishes he wants." said the French
man, sententiously. "Pll take porcelain
every time; it's easier to keep clean and I'm
sure it is more wholesome, and as for roast
ing" with self-satisfied smile, ''T'L place
my roast beside his on Christmas day, If he
likes and any one NAV choose"