Exploring The Cook’s Guide

Can a book published in 1861 by a Victorian-era Italian Chef, educated in France, and employed as the "Chief Cook to Her Majesty the Queen" be of any value to a household today? Well, that depends upon your definition of value.

In my opinion it's harder to find a better look into the workings of the well-to-do Victorian household than the one afforded us by Chef Charles Elme Francatelli. But don' mistake this book as a curiosity or a history text because many of the recipes, tips and ideas that Francatelli penned then are still very much worth knowing today.

Like any good cook, Francatelli leads off with the basic stocks, soups, sauces and gravies. Don't look for the word "instant" or "open a package" when you're following along because his "Brown Gravy Recipe" requires that you...

"First, place some flattened pieces of beef-suet at the bottom of a stewpan capable of holding the intended quantity of gravy to be produced (calculating at the rate of one and a half pound of meat to a quart of water), cover the suet with thick slices of onions, and over all put thick slices of beef, or any trimmings of meat or bones you may happen to have by you."

This is forty chapters of genuine Victorian-era recipes written in the words of a famous Victorian chef, and covering everything from Soup to Entrees, Pastries to Libations. If you love Victorian-era collectables, or you simply want to cook a meal that no one in your family has ever tasted, then the "Cook's Guide and Butler's Assistant" will definitely be of value in your household.