Chef Bill Mitchell






















 

Imagine yourself back in the 1890’s during Christmas. There were no Christmas tree farms, Wal Marts, or the Internet. Signs marking this month didn’t say “Happy Holidays” but “Merry Christmas”.  It was a simpler time then when neighbors said “hello” to one another. When the women made their dresses and the men brought in the fresh kill for dinner. Yes, indeed it was a time for family, friends and a time to be thankful for living in a free society. Times were changing because of the industrial revolution, but the one thing that didn’t change was the Christmas dinner tradition.

During the Victorian period, in the 1890’s, dinner was one of the most important social aspects of that time. Christmas dinner probably went like this; Raw Oysters served with a slice of lemon; Bouillon, which we call soup, with beef, veal, carrots, onions, turnips, and celery; Fried Smelts Sauce Tartare, dip smelts in milk and roll them in cracker dust, put them into a frying pan with lard and fry until light brown top with Sauce Tartare, stir eggs yolks with salt and pepper, dry mustard, lemon juice, vinegar and oil. Add chopped pickles, capers, green onions and tarragon leaves; Potatoes a la Maitre d’Hotel, boiled thin cut round potatoes with lemon juice and parsley; Sweetbread Pates, broil sweetbread and then chop them very fine add mushrooms, butter, milk, flour and nutmeg. Cook until it starts to thicken then put in a puff pastry and bake until golden brown; Cooked Peas with butter; Roast Turkey, stuff it with onions, butter, bread crumbs and thyme; Cranberry Sauce, cook with water until they break up, strain add sugar; Roman Punch, put sugar in a sauce pan with water and boil, put in freezer and then add it to a glass of rum and juice of lemons; Rice Croquettes, boil rice than add egg, sugar, butter and nutmeg. Make into oblong rolls, coat with flour, fry in hot lard until brown; Parisian Salad, cold boiled potatoes, beets, broiled celery, eggs yolks, anchovy sauce, oil, mustard, vinegar, and tarragon mix well and serve; Crackers and Cheese; Nesselrode Pudding, French chestnuts with sugar and bring them to a boil, add cream, eggs, raisins, currants, sherry wine, and freeze it like ice cream. Then mix with apricots, candied green gages, citron, candied cherries, put in a mould with a piece of paper on top, then with cracked ice add rock salt on top covering it entirely, set for 2 hours and take out of mould; Macaroons, pound almonds into a paste, add egg white, powered sugar, spread on a sheet pan making little round mounds, bake in oven, let cool and serve; Fruit; Coffee. This all sound like a two-day affair with the entire family helping out.
If you would like to a have a private dinner party at your home (but not like this) drop me a line for more information; chefbillmitchell@yahoo.com or 209-852-2728 Thanx Chef Bill!

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Thanx, Chef Bill!