More Quotes from the Legendary Escoffier

I kept reading through Escoffier's book about French Technique.  I thought I would share with you a few highlights....

“Indeed it is safe to say that one lb. of meat coming from an animal of eight years will yield much better consommé than two lbs. would, coming from a fattened animal of about three or four years.  The consommé will be stronger, mellower, and certainly more tasty, as the flesh of young animals has absolutely no richness in flavor.” (page 5)

Who knew the age of the animal mattered?  This may not surprise you hunters out there.  My husband hunts and the younger animals are almost always more tender and less "gamey."

“Furthermore, sauces must, through the perfection of their preparation, obey the general laws of a rational hygiene, wherefore they should be served and combined in such a way as to allow for easy digestion be the frequently disordered stomachs of their consumers.” (page 15)

Obviously, we always strive for easy digestion... haha.

“It too often happens that the insipidness of a badly-made sauce is corrected be excessive seasoning; this is an absolutely deplorable practice.” (page 16)

Aka hiding your mistakes with extra seasoning, isn't fooling anyone!


So much knowledge, which exceptional language and writing.  I love reading cookbooks, especially old cookbooks.

What's your favorite cookbook?