robm on June 15, 2021

Amazing! The Epicurean is a true encyclopedia of the elite cooking of America's Gilded Age. Ranhofer was the Master Chef of the legendary Delmonico's of New York and this is his magnum opus. Written in 1896, this edition is a reprint of the original, with thousands of recipes, detailed instructions for the forms of service, and hundreds of magnificent etched illustrations of dishes garnished and presented in the highest Victorian style. There are also endless sample menus. The recipes, in narrative style, are understandable by most people with some cooking knowledge, and usable today (minus the pounds of truffles that were apparently extremely abundant in the 19th century). The recipe for Eggs Benedick [sic], for example, is identical to the way they are made today! It's surprising this masterpiece isn't still in print and required reading in American culinary schools -- we may not eat in this style any longer, but the cooking of Delmonico's influenced American cooking to this day!