The Modern Cook

Charles Elmé Francatelli, from an Italian family, was born in London in 1805, and learnt cookery in France. Coming to England, he worked for various aristocrats before becoming chief chef of Crockford's club and then chief cook to Queen Victoria in 1840. He went on to work at Crockford's again, at the Coventry House and Reform Clubs, St James's Hotel, and for the Prince and Princess of Wales. This made him a celebrity cook of his time. ==Book==

Approach Apart from the preface and Francatelli's advice on serving wine, the body of the book consists almost entirely of recipes without any kind of introduction. There is no guidance on choice of kitchenware or advice on the layout of the kitchen. Contents The following apply to the 28th edition of 1886. The table of contents did not have page numbers. • Glossary, xiii • Common Stock and Stock Sauces, 1 • Grand Sauces, 3 • Special Sauces, 4 • Cold Sauces, 22 • Purees of Vegetables for garnishes, 25 • Vegetable Garnishes, 30 • Essences, Gravies, and Prepared Savoury Butters, 39 • Ragout and Garnishes, 43 • Broths and Consommés, 48 • Medicinal ditto, 52 • Braizes, Poeles, Mirepoix, Marinades, and Roux, 54 • Quenelle Forcemeats, 57 • Clear Consommé Soups, 61 • Purees of Vegetables for soups, 69 • Soups Made with Rice or Pearl-Barley, 78 • Bisques of Crayfish, and Other Shellfish Soups, 80 • Fish Soups and Water-Souchets, 84 • English Soups, 89 • Purees of Poultry and Game, 97 • Foreign National Soups, 100 • Italian Soups, 106 • Panadas and Light Soups for Infants, etc., 108 • Dressed Fish, 110 • Salmon, 115 • Trout, 119 • Sturgeon, 121 • Cod Fish, 125 • Haddocks and Cod's Sounds, 128 • Dressed Soles, Gurnets, and Mackerel, 130 • Dressed Mullets, etc., 134 • Fresh-Water Fish, 138 • Skate, Whitebait, and Scolloped Shell-Fish, 150 • Removes (Beef, Veal, Lamb, etc.), 152 • Entrees (Pies, casseroles, etc.), 226 • Second Course Roasts (game, poultry, etc.), 348 • Vegetables for Entremets, 351 • Entremets of Eggs, Macaroni, etc., 362 • Cold Entrees for Ball Suppers, etc., 369 • Cold Raised Pies and Preserved Game, 382 • Different Kinds of Paste, 387 • Vol-au-Vent and Tourte Cases, 392 • Cakes in General, 396 • Small Pastry, 419 • Fritters, 430 • Iced Puddings and Ornamented Entremets, 433 • Timbales and Cakes of Macaroni, Nouilles, etc., 446 • Souffles, 448 • Puddings, 451 • Jellies, 458 • Creams, 465 • Mincemeats, 469 • Instructions for the Service of Wines, 477 • Bills of Fare, 483 • Index, 547 Illustrations The 28th edition is illustrated with 60, mostly small, engravings. There is a full-page frontispiece of the author, drawn by Auguste Hervieu and engraved by Samuel Freeman (1773–1857). Freeman is known for working mainly in stipple, and the portrait here is no exception. All the other engravings are of completed dishes, showing the serving-plate with the food arranged on it and often elaborately garnished. The artists and engravers of the food illustrations are not identified. It reached its 29th edition in 1896. Francatelli presented a copy of the 8th edition to Queen Victoria on 4 June 1853. Editions included: • 1846, First edition. Richard Bentley & Son, London. • 1846, Lea and Blanchard, Philadelphia. • c. 1855, T.B. Peterson and Brothers, Philadelphia. • 1858, 11th edition. Richard Bentley & Son, London. • 1859, from 9th London edition. Thomas L. White, New Orleans. • 1880, 13th edition. Richard Bentley & Son, London. • 1886, 28th edition. Richard Bentley & Son, London. • 1895, from 26th London edition. D. McKay, Philadelphia. • 1896, 29th edition. Richard Bentley & Son, London. • 1911, Reprint of 1st edition. Macmillan, London. • 1973, Reprint of 1880 edition (T.B. Peterson and Brothers, Philadelphia). Dover, New York File:Francatelli Turban of Ox-Palates a la Perigueux.jpg|"Turban of Ox-Palates a la Perigueux" File:Francatelli Sturgeon a la Cardinal.jpg|"Sturgeon a la Cardinal" File:Francatelli Capon a la Godard.jpg|"Capon a la Godard" File:Francatelli Yorkshire or Christmas Pie.jpg|"Yorkshire or Christmas Pie" File:Francatelli Ham with Aspic-Jelly.jpg|"Ham with Aspic-Jelly" ==Reception==

Contemporary of Fowl a la Reine" ''Kettner's Book of the Table of 1877, describing Francatelli as "a type of all the great French cooks", asserted that he "gives a most elaborate recipe for aspic jelly; and he is so satisfied with it that, having to prepare a cold supper for 300 people, he works it up in every one of his 56 dishes which are neither sweet nor hot. The book further argues that "this is the result of science—this the height of art. It produces, with such elaborate forms and majestic ceremonies, an aspic jelly without aspic, that, exhausted in the effort, it can proceed no further, and seems to think that here at last, in this supreme sauce, we have a sure resting-place—the true blessedness—the ewigkeit''." George H. Ellwanger wrote in his Pleasures of the Table in 1902 that Francatelli's Modern Cook was "still a superior treatise, and although little adapted to the average household, it will well repay careful study on the part of the expert amateur. 'The palate is as capable and nearly as worthy of education as the eye and the ear,' says Francatelli — a statement which his volume abundantly bears out." He added that "one sees, accordingly, an ornate observance of decoration in his grand army of side-dishes. These are excellent throughout, but generally very elaborate, while his sauces and recipes for pastry are especially good. The same may be said of his quenelles and timbales. A competent hand will find his work a valuable guide from which to obtain ideas; it is not a practical book for the majority." The New Zealand Herald of 1912 commented that Francatelli was "an earnest and gifted worker in the cause of gastronomy" and that The Modern Cook faithfully reflected Victorian dining habits. "Everything was good and solid of its kind, even if tending towards complication rather than simplicity." The review opined that the great joints of meat "decorated with their silver hatelet skewers bearing cock's combs and trufflets, were attended by the most appetizing ragouts and garnishes." Despite the gloss, there was "nothing meretricious or deceptive in the savoury promises held out by Victorian comestibles." The reviewer notes, however, that even while Francatelli was describing this elaborate fare, the "excessive meat-eating" was being replaced by a diet richer in vegetables, and meals were becoming simpler, so that "now, in the 20th century, much that Francatelli wrote about ... is no longer needed." Modern M. F. K. Fisher, writing in The New York Times, stated that millions of American women in the 19th century organised "every aspect of their lives .. as much as possible in imitation of the Queen", and that The Modern Cook sold almost as well in America as it did in England. Admitting that few American kitchens could "follow all its directions for the light Gallic dainties Francatelli introduced to counteract the basic heaviness of royal dining habits", she argued that all the same his two-course approach eventually shaped the way Americans now eat both lunch and dinner. She observed that at Windsor Castle, Francatelli and other royal chefs were assisted by 24 assistant chefs and two "Yeomen of the Kitchen", not to mention a multitude of "servers and lackeys". This did not deter American housewives "as far west as Iowa and then beyond" from doing their best to follow his instructions. The Historic Food website notes that Francatelli provides two recipes for mincemeat, one with roast beef, the other containing lemons but no meat. C. Anne Wilson, introducing Women and Victorian Values, 1837–1910. Advice Books, Manuals and Journals for Women, states that Francatelli was writing for the "upper middle-class housewife" in The Modern Cook, explaining to her how to serve the "socially important" dinner in English, French and "à la Russe" styles. In contrast, his 1861 ''Cook's Guide'' is for "more ordinary" households, advocating "traditional two-course dinners". Nick Baines writes on LoveFood that Francatelli included "a whole collection of lavish pies" in the book. Panikos Panayi, in his book Spicing Up Britain, writes that Francatelli's book for the middle classes definitely recognised differences between British and foreign foods, even in its full title which ran "...Comprising, in Addition to English Cookery, the Most Advanced and Recherché Systems of French, Italian and German Cookery". Panayi notes that Francatelli's preface to the first edition was scathing about ignorant "English writers on gastronomy", comparing them unfavourably to the "great Professors" of cuisine in France. Panayi observes further that while most of Francatelli's chapters are not grouped by national origin, he does distinguish English, Foreign, and Italian soups. He notes that it would have taken years to eat all the dishes listed, and that it is impossible to tell how often middle-class families may have eaten "fillets of haddocks, à la royale". He considers it likely that only the wealthiest could have aspired to eat the sort of food described by Francatelli, but concedes that his bills of fare for dinners for six persons (by month) do indicate that the middle classes could afford the best meat and vegetables, and indeed that they had domestic staff able to prepare dinners of that complexity described in Francatelli's French terminology. Panayi concludes that Francatelli represents "perhaps the most extreme example" of the nineteenth-century British habit of giving dishes French descriptions. ==Notes==