I just finished reading Burlington Bulletin No. 77 which was a culinary time
machine of Dining Car menus. Interesting to see the early items on the menus.
Like Ox Tongue sandwich 20 cents, or the drink Kaffee Hag 20 cent, Kaffee Hag
being
rebranded as Sanka. Pie with cheese 25 cent. Now I've heard of pie served with
cheese, but I've never seen it on a current menu. The list of cereals were
common but they were all served with cream not milk. Not a bad idea if it
wouldn't turn my arteries into cement. Early menus had a tomato and lettuce
sandwich while in the last menus this evolved into a bacon, lettuce, and tomato
sandwich. The word BLT was never used.
Their use of French to make their menu sound Hoity Toity was impressive. I kept
Google busy looking up definitions.
I complied a list of some of them.
au Naturel = no seasoning, plain
Maitre d'Hotel = compound butter made from softened butter, finely chopped
parsley, lemon juice, salt, and pepper
du Jour = dish specially prepared for a particular day, like Salad du Jour or
Vegetable du Jour
franconia potatoes = basically American Fries
Delmonico potatoes = sliced potatoes, heavy cream, cheese, and breadcrumbs
baked in a pan
potatoes persillade = French bistro-style potatoes, tossed in a fragrant mix of
butter, garlic, and fresh parsley
Chicken a la Maryland = pan-fried chicken served with a cream gravy and fried
banana
a la Carte = French phrase meaning individual dishes are ordered and priced
separately
Demi Glace = brown sauce from classic French cuisine, made by reducing equal
parts veal or beef stock
Table D'Hote = restaurant menu featuring a complete, multi-course meal
a la Mode = served with ice cream (most restaurants today will not know that
you are talking about if you order pie this way)
a la King = meat served with creamy sauce containing mushrooms, pimientos (or
red peppers), and green peppers
Consomme = crystal-clear soup made from a clarified stock or broth
Fricassee = French dish of meat that is first sautéed and then simmered in a
creamy, white sauce
Meuniere = French sauce made from brown butter, lemon juice, and parsley
Tureen = a soup bowl with a lid (I've never had soup served this way)
Anglaise = (boiled/steamed), breaded dishes, or a light custard sauce
Sauce Robert = French brown sauce made from a demi-glace base, flavored with
sautéed onions, white wine, and Dijon mustard
Seems to me to be a cook on a Burlington train you would have to attend the Le
Cordon Bleu school in France.
In the later menus you will see a soup called Puree Mongole. There was a menu
in one of older Burlington bulletins that showed this soup and upon seeing and
never hearing of it I had to make it. It is basically a tomato soup and a green
pea soup. Served correctly you ladle out some tomato soup then ladle into the
middle of the tomato soup an equal part green pea soup. You do not stir the
soups together. Then you try and get some of both soups on your spoon. It's got
quite a unique favor.
David
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