Dictionary of Cuisine

Alexandre Dumas was known for such literally classics as The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo however he was a connoisseur of good food. His book Dictionary of Cuisine: A literary & practical guide to the pleasures of the table, proves just that. One of Dumas' contemporaries stated "Assuredly it is a great accomplishment to be a novelist, but it is no mediocre glory to be a cook. Novelist or cook, Dumas is a master, and the two vocations appear to go hand in hand, or, rather, to be joined in one." 

This book reads as a dictionary of culinary terms from A to Z. With suggested matter of fact  "recipes" thrown in for good measure; they appear simplified and off the cuff. Just a bit of this and just a bit of that. No set recipes. However after reading this book it does give you an indication... or inspiration to use ingredients to create a flavourful dish. This is a helpful guide for the home cook and chef. It is one part history, one part information, and one part passion. It just about covers every culinary item or ingredient imaginable. Certainly a light read for the adventurous cook and the home chef. Brief detailing of history, culinary culture, descriptions, definitions, and anecdotal diversions. 

Here is an interesting recipe from the book...

Kirsch Omelet

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Beat 6 eggs in a bowl with a pinch of salt, 3 tablespoonfuls of sugar and 1 of kirsch. Make an omelette of this. Roll. Set on a long platter. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Make whatever pattern your fancy dictates on the omelet with a hot poker. Heat 1/4 glass of kirsch, mix with 3 tablespoonfuls of apricot jam, and pour into around the omelet. 

Notes: Under this recipe a Rum Omelet was suggested by substituting the kirsch for rum. 

Here is a recipe for macaroni...


Macaroni Home Style
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Boil for 3/4 hour in salted water with 1 onion with a clove stuck in it and a piece of butter. Drain well. Put into a pan with butter, equal quantities of grated Gruyere and Parmesan cheese, a little nutmeg and coarse pepper, and a few tablespoonfuls of cream. Stir and sauté. 

Notes: boil macaroni for 3/4 hour?... I think it would be mushy. Could be a typo however that is how it is written in the book. I would say until tender. 



"Man does not live on what he eats but on what he digests." (an unmarked quote from the book; one can assume Dumas said it himself.) The snow is falling here in E-town. Have a great weekend everyone! - JD 

Dining with Sherlock Holmes

It has been a while since I posted a book and I have been itching to review this cookbook. Dining with Sherlock Holmes: A Baker Street Cookbook by Julia Carlson Rosenblatt and Frederic H. Sonnenschmidt; pp.239; first printing, 1976 is concentrating on British food with a Sherlock twist. Trying to recreate the Victorian appetite spins a culinary yarn of breakfast, morning tea, luncheon, afternoon tea, high tea and dinner. Factor in Sherlock Holmes and well all the rest becomes quite elementary! 

The idea for the book came about when more than a hundred Holmes enthusiasts participated in "a grande Sherlockian repast". There was a casual remark made about a cookbook. And the two author's took it from there. Gathering from the research, Holmes and Watson probably ate more than three meals a day. Except if Sherlock was deeply involved with a case. When dining there was not to be any talk regarding evidence. Leaving Sherlock Holmes to openly digest. Nothing was to interrupt digestion.    

Apart from the Acknowledgements, "The Gastronomic Holmes and the Cuisine of His England" is a very well researched chapter. Other chapters are as follows: "Elementary, My Dear Watson", "Breakfast at Baker Street", A Singular Set of Recipes, Watson", "The Sideboard", "On the Chase" and "Horrors of a Country Inn" provide some delicacies to satisfy the your inner super sleuth. Each chapter has an introduction and references the stories of Sherlock Holmes. With 6-16 subtitles within each chapter that offer a set 3-5 course meal. Which makes piecing together a satisfying feast from start to finish, chronologically logical. With dinner titles such as Baskerville Breakfast, The Cornish Horror, A Cold Supper for Burglars and The Game Is Afoot one can certainly relish the morsels set about them.   

This cookbook is one I admire. -JW