Image: Ann Cook · Public domain
The Professed Cook
- Year
- 1776
- Era
- 18th century
- Origin
- England · Europe
- Language
- English
- Category
- French foundational
The Professed Cook is B. Clermont's English rendering of Menon, one of the most influential French culinary writers of the eighteenth century. Issued in London in 1776, it transmitted the principles and repertoire of contemporary French haute cuisine to British kitchens, offering ragouts, made dishes, and elaborate service alongside Clermont's own remarks. The translation stands as a principal conduit through which Parisian practice shaped Anglophone professional cookery.
Cooking from this book
Poularde à la Royale
Signature dishA signature of this volume is the Poularde à la Royale, a richly garnished fattened pullet dressed in the grand French manner with a velvety cream sauce, truffles and a delicate forcemeat. It stands as an emblem of the work because it captures precisely the kind of refined court cookery that Clermont was determined to introduce to British kitchens, embodying the elegance, technique and sauce craft that distinguished Menon's haute cuisine from the plainer English tradition.
An editorial note on a dish associated with this book, written for The Coquinist. It is not a reproduction of the book's recipe.
