Customs of dining abounded during this period. Everything from dressing for the meal to leaving the dining room.
Upper-class women could spend over an hour dressing for dinner because it was customary for women to
change their entire outfit for the evening meal. Men also would spend time preparing for dinner. However, it
would not take men as long because, in most cases, they only repowdered their hair. Dress for dinner was important because
young men and women looking for a companion used dinner parties as a way to meet and court potential mates.
After preparing for dinner, guests would proceed into the dining room. Following an elaborate ritual, the host of the dinner
would enter first with the most senior lady. The host would seat himself at the foot of the table and, late, when the hostess entered
the room as part of the procession, she sat at the head. The senior lady was first to choose her seat. After the she was seated, the
remaining guests were free to choose their places at the table. Most likely, the senior lady would sit near the hostess because the seats
near the hostess were places of honour and reserved for the most important guests. The same number of make and female guests rarely
were invited to dinner, and each person could choose where they wanted to sit. This arrangement was favorable to courting because the
guests could choose their seat mates.
Every meal consisted of two courses and a dessert. However, a course in 18th c. upper-class society consisted of between five and
twenty-five dishes. In one course, soups or reams, main dishes, side dishes and pastries would be placed on the table at once. Unfortunately,
this type of presentation meant that by the time the guests finished eating soup, the other foods had to eaten cold. The dishes were placed
on the table with a certain balance. In the center of the table meat dishes were placed, while accompaniments were placed on the sides and corners.
On one end, the soup was placed and on the other, the fish would be placed. Vegetable, fish, or custard dishes were never placed at the center
of the dinner table. Dinner was so elaborate that it customarily took approximately two hours to complete.
As a final thought, the Colonial or Georgian era also brought another important development in dining: George Washington reportedly fell in love
with ice cream at a dinner party hosted by Mrs. Alexander Hamilton, who served the creamy frozen dessert for the first time.
Apple Tansey
–from The Compleat Housewife: or, Accomplished Gentlewoman's Companion by E. Smith, published in London, 1754.
To make an Apple Tansey
Take three pippins, slice them round in thin slices, and fry them with butter; then beat four eggs, with six spoonfuls of cream, a little rosewater, nutmeg, and sugar; stir them together, and pour it over the apples; let it fry a little, and turn it with a pye-plate. Garnish with lemon and sugar strew'd over it.
Welsh Rabbit
Chowning's Tavern
Colonial Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Virginia
Serves 4 to 6
1 cup beer
2 teaspoons mustard powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1½ cups grated Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt to taste
4 to 6 tomato slices
8 to 12 slices (½inch thick), toasted French or Italian bread
1. Preheat a broiler. Place the beer, mustard, cayenne and Worcestershire sauce in a saucepan, and heat over medium heat until boiling. Slowly whisk in the cheese, making sure each addition is melted before adding the next. Add the butter, and whisk until smooth. Season with salt to taste, and set aside.
2. Place the tomato slices on the rack of a broiler pan, and broil for 1 minute, or until lightly browned.
3. To serve, place the toast slices on the bottom of an ovenproof gratin dish or in individual gratin dishes. Pour the cheese over the toast, and then top with the tomato slices. Place under the broiler and broil until the cheese is bubbly and brown. Serve immediately.
Note: The components of the dish can be prepared up to a few hours in advance and kept at room temperature. Reheat the cheese until hot, whisking until it is smooth, before the final broiling.
Veal Chop With Celery, Mushrooms,
Thyme And Port Wine
King's Arms Tavern
Colonial Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Virginia
Serves 4
4 loin veal chops (10 ounces each
Salt and fleshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup sliced mushrooms (leave very small mushrooms whole)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
¼ cup Port
½ cup veal or beef stock
1. Season the veal chops with salt and pepper to taste. Heat the butter and oil in a large saute pan or skillet over medium high heat. When hot, add the veal chops, being careful not to crowd the pan, and sear the chops on both sides until brown. Remove the chops from the pan and set aside.
2. Add the celery to the pan, and saute over medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the mushrooms and thyme to the pan, and saute for 3 additional minutes. Deglaze the pan with the Port and stock. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Return the veal chops to the pan, and braise uncovered, turning once, for a total of 5 to 8 minutes, or until the chops reach desired color. Serve immediately, with the vegetables on top of the chops.
|
