Snark in cookbooks

[fish_echo]

Down the way from where I live there's a bookstore I really like-- it carries new books, used books, old books, sheet music, CDs, and records. They were having another cookbook sale today (they seem to do those fairly frequently or maybe I'm just really good at noticing it when they do) and I picked up 'French Cooking in Ten Minutes' by Edouard de Pomiane, written in French in 1930, first translated into English in 1977. Just flipping through it I've already found two recipes which amused me, so I though I'd share:


Lobster with Mayonnaise
Buy half a cooked lobster. Serve it with a homemade mayonnaise. That won't take very long to make, so spend the extra time decorating the serving platter with a few lettuce leaves, some black and green olives, capers, or anything else that comes to mind. You will feel yourself becoming an artist.


Fried Mackerel
Have your fish seller clean a mackerel. Wash it and wipe it off when you get home. Make 2 or 3 slits in each side with a knife, and roll the fish in flour. Cook it for 10 minutes in a frying pan containing smoking hot oil or very hot butter. Sprinkle the mackerel with salt and chopped parsley before serving.

I forgot to tell you to open the window. I'll bet you did, anyway.


crossposted to fish_echo and omnomnom