Page:Mary Ronald - Luncheons.djvu/24

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8
LUNCHEONS

le goût"; and another, in giving advice to beginners, says: "A cook should have that artistic feeling which imparts to everything, great and small, that harmony of style which captivates the eye."

This necessity is well recognized by every good cook, and such a one tries to give dishes the inviting appearance justly demanded by epicures. It is not necessary that the dish belong to the category which in cooking parlance is termed "high class," for the simplest one comes under the same rule and is capable of being raised to a higher rank by careful dishing and tasteful garnishing. The greatest cooks are renowned for such specialties.

It is said of Soyer, "for dishing up he was entitled to celebrity"; and of Carême, "he excelled in everything requiring perfect taste, and dealt in a new and very effective manner with the ornamentation of large cold dishes."

There is nothing which so quickly indicates the grade of the cook as the manner in which she serves her dishes. One who has no pride in her work seldom takes time for ornamentation, though garnishing is the simplest part of her duty. When, however, attention is given to this branch, even though the result may not be perfect, it gives promise of better things, and one may confidently predict for the cook who thus shows desire to do well that she will attain a higher degree of excellence in her profession. There is no class of dishes, from breads to desserts, which are not more appetizing when made attractive in appearance. It has been said that "eyes do half the eating," and as no expense need be incurred in the indulgence of tasteful arrangement of the dishes, there seems to be no reason why the simplest table