How many Escoffiers are there?

[Anneke]

I'm reading Soul of a Chef. Ruhlman refers to the book Escoffier: The Complete Guide to the Art of Modern Cookery.

Some of the recipes and recipe numbers that he refers to do not match up with my book, which is The Escoffier Cookbook: A Guide to the Fine Art of French Cuisine.

In fact a lot of recipe names he mentions aren't in my book at all, like Poulet Sauté à la Catalane for example.

What gives? Was he making this up or is my book crap?

For example:

Ruhlman refers to recipes:
589 - Consommé à l'orge perlée
1996 - Fillets de sole à la d'Orléans
3195 - Poulet Sauté à la Catalane

In my book, these numbers refer to the following:

589 - Consommé à la Moscovite
1996 - Salades Composées
3195 - my book doesn't go that high, but there is no mention of Poulet sauté à la Catalane


Anyone has The Guide to Modern Cookery?

[Suzanne]

Maybe yours is a condensed version. Mine matches the Ruhlman citations. Here's what mine says on the cover page:

A. ESCOFFIER
The Complete Guide to the Art of Modern Cookery
the first translation into English in its entirety of
LE GUIDE CULINAIRE
Translated by H. L. Cracknell and R. J. Kaufmann
Superseding A GUIDE TO MODERN COOKERY, first published in 1907


and then on the next page:

Published in the United States of America by
Van Nostrand Reinhold
115 Fifth Avenue
New York, New York 10003
First published 1979
Reprinted 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996
C Flammarion 1921
C English translation 1979
ISBN 0-831-75478-8
Printed in Great Britain by Clays Ltd. St Ives plc
------------------------

Hmmm, maybe Escoffier's Memories of My Life will be my next reading project!

[Anneke]

Bummer. I got the wrong book I guess. You would think they would have at least kept the same recipe numbers. Hard to imagine that a 923 page book is the "condensed" version of the real thing...

How interesting that in the Certified Master Chef exam, they would pick recipes that are NOT in the condensed version. I guess the administrators of the test went out of their way to pick obscure recipes for the classical module.

Anyway, thanks Suzanne!

[Anneke]

...Just curious: does Escoffier explain how to achieve a crystal clear consommé despite the addition of barley in recipe 589?

[Suzanne]

2 litres (3 1/2 pt or 9 U.S. cups) Ordinary Consomme.
Garnish: Wash 90 g (3 oz) pearl barley in lukewarm water, blanch, drain well, cover with White Bouillon, add a small piece of celer and simmer gently until cooked; time approximately 2 1/2 hours.
To serve: Drain the pearl barley well and add to the Consomme.

I guess he just assumes that you're starting off with crystal clear, and that the washing, blanching, and draining (twice!) will remove enough of the surface starch from the barley.

[thebighat]

I've got three, Ma Cuisine being the last one.

[Anneke]

TBH,
Which one's the best (most complete and thorough)?


.. now I have to try the barley consommé...

[animaspasilla]

I just picked up this book too, at a used bookstore. So far, I've really been enjoying it, though I don't think I'll be roasting larks anytime soon. This book is the American version of his work, which probably means stuff was altered/left out to more suit American kitchens at the time it came out. I can see this guy fussing over his sauces and getting into a tizzy if someone he was instructing didn't follow his instructions. In his discussion on soups, he says that puree is a vulgar term.

[stosh65]

Originally posted by Anneke
...Just curious: does Escoffier explain how to achieve a crystal clear consommé despite the addition of barley in recipe 589?

We had an instructor from Cordon Bleu with us for week a few years back and I asked him why so many of Escoffier's recipes call for consomme when we would use stock. His answer was that in many cases consomme was the stock and there wasn't the intent that it would stay perfectly clear. If you look inn Le Repertoire de la Cuisine there is a recipe for consomme that is basically a stock and then there is a recipe for clear consomme.

[arnochef.com]

August Escoffier has written a number of cook books, the best known is Le Guide Culinaire, Aide memoire de cuisine pratique. His books have been translated into many languages, updated and edited in consquent editions. It cannot be expected that the recipe numbers match in every edition.

[cape chef]

Arnochef,

I am very familar with you and very,very excited you have come to cheftalk.

Can you please share with this community a bit of your background?
BTW
Nice dinner at the W in Febuary
Brad
Prudential