Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-07-14
NOVELISTS AS COOKS
Dickens Sets Down the Best Dishes in
Fiction.

1t is said that the cook of late Duke
Of Buccleuch got hints for some of his
best dishes in the novels of which he was
a constant reader: Some of these dishes
were SO successful that eventually they
found their way into cookery books. The
Almanach DIES Commands. for example.
mentions soup with WHICH is gratefully
associated the name of Meg Merrilees.
AS readers of Guy Mannering" will re-
member. this WAS originally a 'goodly
stew composed of fowls, hares cartridges
and moor game, boiled In large mess
with potatoes. onions and leeks.' But
doubtless Meg would have considered it a
waste to refine this down to a soup.
Some of the novelists are excellent ca
terers and spread delightful meals for us
in their pages. No doubt our enjoyment
is in part due to the company they sum-
mon to meet us. but regarded simply as
food, some of these paper meals undoubt-
erly beget in US n keen desire to eat.
We wonder if anybody has ever VEN
turcd to order one of them at an inn ?
What could be better for u winter night
than that sayory supper which was
and Short? ITS a stew of tripe." said
the landlord smacEing his lips. land
coTheol,' Smacking them again, land
bacon smacking them once more. land
steak" smacklng them for the fourth
time. land peas caulifiowers. new pota-
toes and sparrow grass. all working up
together in one delicious gravy Does
it surprise you that Shorts first remark
"
supper. of course. calls for country
kitchen, with a sanded floor and blazing
hearth
Later writer's are less hosptable to
their readers than their predecessors.
Dickens is undoubtedly our hest cook.
He has whole paragraphs which Il house
wife might COPY verbatim into her ktch-
en- book. And the astonishing thing is
that in such passages Dickens Is never
less than at his best. a good example of
this is Ruth Pinchs beef steak pudding.
A whole chapter is given TO 1t, and there
is no more delightful episode in the book.
One fingers over the preliminary butter
ing of the basin, and the picture of Ruth
''kneading away at the crust. rolling IL
out cutting it into strips. lining the basin
with it. shaving it off into small pieces,
raining down pepper and salt upon them
and packing them into the BASIN"
Doubtless one would watch these opera
tons with less GREATNESS interest We're
the cook the stout Mrs. Crupp. But if
sentiment is not to be got out of Mrs.
Crupps cooking there is plenty of fun. as
those who have sat at David Copperfied' s
table know.
And what an eye Dickens has for com
fort Come into the Green Dragon with
Martin and Mark Tapley AS dusks falls
on a winter day. 1.-The kitchen fire burnt
clear and rcd: the table was spread out,
the bootjack. too: sheets of ham were
cooking on the gridiron:. half a dozen
eggs were poaching in the frying pan :;
rare provisions were dangling from the
rafters as If You had only to open your
mouth and something exquisitely ripe and
good would he but too glad of the eX-
cuse to fall into it,
We of this generation are said to eat
too much. But here is n supper which. If
we are to believe Mr.. Blackmore. was not
thought out of the way on EXmoor IN
"girt Jan Ridd's" days; Tom Faeus
stopped to sup that night with us; and
took a little of everything; a few oysters
first, ard then dried salmon. and then
ham and eggs done in small curled
rashers. and then a few collops of veni-
son. and next to that niue cold roast
pig and a woodcock on toast to finish be-
fore the Schiedam and hot water" Jan
ONLY comment on this huge meat was
that Tom seemed in fair appetite
While we arc at Plovcr'S BarrOwS Farm
II might be worth while to make a note
of the mince pies. which had great
vogue on Exmoor. JAMS account OF now
the mnccmeat was made is, however.
with the urdercut of the sirlcin: and spice
and fruit accordingly. and Lar beyond my
nOwledgc.'
Scott sits you down to many grooming
board. and in the best OF company; ne t3n
to a breakfast table Ioaden WIN f .ne
.'pricstlv ham, the noble baron or beef.
the princely venison pasty, whicn YOU
mead But Scott can also be modern;
Onecherishes a pleasant memory of
brace of wild ducks with sauce OF
claret, lemon and cayenne, served ZOE
the dav that Dominic Sampson IMnchen
with Meg Merrilees. But win fieyoell
and his fair friends at the ta5iei one
W ould be content with. bread ana cheese,
Mr. Meredith's cook is generany
Gordon bleu." and. like his exce,lent Dr.
Middleton. one enjoys the lelsure,y prom
Grade up and down The lawn az Katnna m
Abbey or Patterne Hall, N anticlpa'.on o.
the dinner bell. DR.. MIddle.pl ~ ltii IS
doubted the future as well as .ne past Oh
the man who did not in becoming srav Ky
exult to dine" At Sir " ma Nnna of n,,r
one must agree with him None OF our
novelists writes with more I,.llliate
knowledge of wine than NE MI, Mereul. In
The cellars at Patternc ban E con,
structs with loving care. IN particular a an
inner cellar, where he laws a fo" wina one
"aged 90 Over this great AIRY T'he or the the
thinks of Dick Swiveller's purI, or Tue
wine which the Marchioness n irtn oo1d
dropping pieces of orange pee mo eo1 re
water. and which was quite h rc,+r.1 II
you made believe very muc ida Iiroits
can hardly be pushed to Mio his a gIass
DR. Middleton, setting GOVT IL ni fhe n,is,
noints us the moral: Here Is ne NIT Mt
fortune of a thing sn"er-.,, 80
more than one in twenty Will 90 II JUS
tice. London It'd Bits.