April Menu ~1884

April Menu 1884.

Welcome April!

This month’s menu again comes from the Franc-American Cookery B ook; Or, how to live well and eat wisely every day of the year.

The puree of asparagus looks fantastic! Let us take a moment to appreciate the food processor and blender. Mashing asparagus through a sieve would so not be worth it. Hats off to our ancestral cooks of yore for seeing a job through. It also uses nutmeg – the ever-popular spice of the day not typically associated with our modern soups. I’ve gotten into the habit of adding it to sweet/savory dishes alike and find it a wonderful spice.

The shad recipe looks very familiar to contemporary recipes. Meh. Uninteresting.

And more asparagus – with lamb.

The steaks alternated with bread and drenched in gravy sound wonderful for a hearty dinner!

Beans, nice addition.

and…

Feuillete with preserves for dessert. Feuilletage paste is pastry puff, which you can make from scratch or get from the frozen section of the grocery store.

Again, love the fact that this menu is entirely seasonal. Other than the lemon (which could have been grown in a conservatory), there are no fresh fruits.

Here’s to spring!