Harvard Business School

9-175-266
Rev. November 16, 1988

La Grande Alliance: Restaurant Francais

In April 1976, one week before La Grande Alliance was opened to the public, M. Pierre
Jacquard, maitre d'hotel and manager of the new restaurant faced the problem of determining final
prices for the menu. M. Jacquard did not believe he could relinquish the task of setting prices to a
subordinate or an accountant, for it required the delicate balancing of factors of profitability, volume
and restaurant image. Because the prices were printed on a large, artistic menu which was both
difficult and expensive to reprint, the prices M. Jacquard determined in April would have to stand,
except for extremely minor alterations, for at least six months. The initial six months of a restaurant's
operation were known to be crucial in determining its reputation and the size of its clientele for
months and years to come.
La Grande Alliance was the major "showpiece" restaurant of the Hotel Lafayette, a brandnew luxury hotel in downtown Boston, which opened its doors in April 1976. The Lafayette was
owned by a consortium of European investors, mainly French, and was managed by L'Union des
Grands Hotels a highly respected French hotel chain which had a substantial equity investment in the
enterprise.
In honor of the United States Bicentennial celebration (perceived by most hoteliers as a major
stimulus to tourism within the United States), the hotel was named after the Marquis de Lafayette,
renowned French hero of the American Revolution. Names within the hotel were also chosen to
commemorate the United States' revolution against Great Britain and the assistance rendered the
early Republic by the French. The restaurants name "La Grande Alliance" referred to the first FrancoAmerican treaty of friendship and alliance concluded in 1778. The restaurants two dining rooms
(salles) were named "Vergennes" and "Franklin" respectively after the French and American
diplomats responsible for the success of the pact.
M. Pierre Jacquard, 33, was a long-time employee of UGH with 10 years of experience in
European restaurants of the first rank. He was generally recognized as having a bright future in
restaurant and hotel management with a flair for atmosphere and presentation as well as the ability
to work within a budget and make profits. La Grande Alliance was M. Jacquard's second experience
of restaurant management and his first assignment outside the continent. He had made one previous
journey to the United States in the fall of 1974 when he had been enrolled (for UGH) in the PMD
program at a well known eastern business school. M. Jacquard wondered if he would be able to
apply the accounting and marketing techniques learned at school to the management of La Grande
Alliance.

This case was prepared by Research Assistant Carliss Y. Baldwin under the direction of Assistant Professor Claudine B.
Malone as a basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of an administrative
situation.
Copyright 1975 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. Distributed by HBS Case Services, Harvard
Business School, Boston, Mass. 02163. All rights reserved to the contributors. Printed in the USA.
1

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To facilitate the pricing of individual items on the menu, M. Jacquard prepared (with the cooperation of M. Florentine Lestrade, the chef, as well as Gilles and Roger, the sous-chefs) the menu
fact sheet* shown in Exhibit 1. The fact sheet held for each dish on the menu an estimate of: 1) cost of
raw materials, 2) preparation time (time for a moderately experienced chef to prepare a "batch" of the
dish in question) (3) minimum number of servings per preparation (the nature of some dishes made
it impossible to prepare a single serving although there was usually no problem in stretching the
number of servings per batch), and (4) difficulty - rated from least difficult to most different on a scale
from 1 to 5.
In conversation with M. Jacquard, on the subject of the fact sheet, Chef Lestrade emphasized
two points. First, the cost of raw materials shown was a normalized estimate of the target cost of an
individual dish, as of April 1976. In general, the cost of food varies greatly from week to week and
month to month. Some fluctuations are seasonally determined and predictable, others are random:
Lestrade's estimates took into account foreseeable fluctuations from April to November, i.e., they
were normalized over the six months starting April 1976. Lestrade's normalized estimates were further
idealized in that they reflected the theoretical cost of the food content of an individual serving. In
practice, raw food usage, and therefore cost, would be increased by waste in preparation,
imperfections in measurement, "fix-ups" (usually necessitating the addition of butter or cream to a
recipe), and simple mistakes. Even after adjustment for such considerations, the total cost of food
served would understate the restaurant's total expenditure on food, since provision would have to be
made for feeding the kitchen and dining staffs, spoilage and pilfering. Chef Lestrade had indicated
with extreme vehemence that management of food, including forecasts, purchasing, utilization of
leftovers, and food control, was a major responsibility of the chef and an extremely important
dimension of his skill.
Chef Lestrade's second point with regard to the fact sheet was that preparation time as
shown represented time spent on an individual dish, and did not take into account time spent on
prior preparations. In any well-managed restaurant, in order to minimize final preparation time, the
kitchen keeps on hand many intermedicate preparations - stocks, sauces, dough, etc. These
preparations are made in large quantities at times when the kitchen is relatively free, and are used in
numerous dishes. Chef Lestrade felt it almost impossible to include time spent on prior preparations
in the estimates of preparation time for individual dishes. When pressed by M. Jacquard, the chef
indicated that as much as 30% of his staff's time would be spent on prior preparations.
La Grande Alliance could seat 100 people at one time in the Salle Franklin and Salle
Vergennes combined. Given its location near the center of the shopping and financial districts of
downtown Boston, M. Jacquard and executives of the Hotel Lafayette felt they could expect to serve
11/2 seatings (150 people) at lunch on every working day. For dinner (including Sunday dinner at
noon) they expected to accommodate, on average 700 people per week, but expected that the pattern
of weekly usage would on average be as follows:
Day
Sunday (noon)
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday

Number of Meals Served

60
85
85
85
85
150
150
700

Detailed recipes for the LaGrande Alliance menu are found in the supplement, (pp. 7-14).

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Thus plans and budgets for La Grande Alliance were based on volume projections of 750 lunches and
700 dinners served per week, 4.3 weeks per month. A rough rule of thumb which M. Jacquard felt
could be applied in Boston, said that in the customers' eyes, lunch is half of dinner, in other words,
that people generally spend one-half as much on lunch as they would in the same restaurant on a full
course dinner. M. Jacquard was of the opinion, that, as a fine restaurant in a sophisticated urban
setting, La Grande Alliance could aim for an "average check" of $15.00 for dinner and $7.50 for lunch
(not including liquor). (N.B. Lunch and dinner menus were separate and substantially different at La
Grande Alliance; the dinner menu alone is the subject of this case.)
When making the menu price decision in April 1976, M. Jacquard had already received from
the hotel's accounting department, the restaurants projected expense budget for May 1976 (Exhibit 2).
The budget which had been drawn up by the accounting department in consultation with M.
Jacquard reflected the restaurant's present staffing (as of the day it opened) and projected raw foods
costs based on forecast number of meals served. The budget also included charges for breakage and
supply replacement, depreciation of kitchen equipment (brand-new) and an assessment for
advertising and for general overhead. As part of a large hotel establishment La Grande Alliance did
not pay directly for a number of services shared with other hotel areas (e.g., laundry, cleaning), thus
the overhead assessment was naturally quite large.
The budget did not provide for the cost of sommeliers (wine waiters), nor for the cost of wine
and liquor served in the restaurant. It was standard UGH practice for the wine cellar to be managed
by the beverage department, which also managed all liquor inventories and the hotel bars. Although
La Grande Alliance would receive a partial credit for wine and whiskey sold through the restaurant,
it was not within M. Jacquard's power (except as a consultant) to determine either the wine list or
wine prices. It was Jacquard's goal, therefore, that La Grande Alliance be sustained (financially, that
is) by food alone - that the restaurant would not use food as a loss leader in the purveyance of liquor.
Although La Grande Alliance was a new restaurant in a new hotel, the internal accounting
staff of UGH had considerable experience in budgeting for restaurants within hotels. M. Jacquard had
been consulted in detail on the preparation of the budget and believed it to be fair. Jacquard was
willing that the profitability of La Grande Alliance as well as his own success as maitre d'hotel and
manager of the restaurant be measured according to the budgeted format.
In reviewing his pricing strategy, M. Jacquard was aware of two not-mutually-exclusive
goals. First, he was ambitious to run a profitable center within the UGH establishment. Second, he
was eager that La Grande Alliance be known as the finest restaurant in the city of Boston.

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Exhibit 1

La Grande Alliance

Selected Menu Costs Dinner

*Up to three or four mutiple recipes of these items may be prepared with no additional preparation time.
**These items require prior preparation.

La Grande Alliance

Exhibit 2

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Monthly Expense Budget

Sales
700 Dinners (1)
750 Lunches (2)

$45,150
24,187

$69,337

Cost of Food
700 dinners (3)
750 lunches (3)

$13,545
7,256

$20,801

Salaries
1 Chef $2,500
2 Sous-chefs $1,500
2 Apprentice chefs $833
1 Maitre d'Hotel $2,333
2 Captains $1,250
8 Waiters $667 (4)
2.5 Busboys $582 (5)
2 Dishwashers $500

$ 2,500
3,000
1,666
2,333
2,500
5,336
1,455
1,000

19,790

Materials, Breakage and Supplies

Depreciation Kitchen Equipment
Advertising and Promotion (1st 6 months) (6)
Allocation for General Overhead:
Includes charges for laundry, cleaning, heat,
electricity, maintenance, depreciation (on
building) & general administration

$ 1,500
1,000
5,000

Total Expenses

$58,625

Profit Before Taxes

$10,712

Net Investment in Restaurant

10,571

$500,000

Notes:

(1) Assumes 4.3 weeks per month, average dinner check $15.00.
(2) Assumes 4.3 weeks per month, average lunch check $7.50.
(3) Assumes raw food cost to average 30% of sales.
(4) Fine restaurants average 1 waiter to every 10 or 15 customers.
(5) Busboys are hired on a parttime basis. Their schedules may be made to coincide with the restaurant's busiest
hours.
(6) For the first 6 months of its operation, The Lafayette Hotel was committed to a nationwide advertising and
promotion campaign, a portion of which expense was allocated to LaGrande Alliance. The restaurant had
also been given discretionary funds for local advertising. As the hotel became well established, both national
and local advertising would decrease (M. Jacquard believed) to an average $2,000 per month.

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SUPPLEMENT
APPETIZERS
ARTICHOKE HEARTS BIARRITZ
MOISTEN 1 cup flaked cooked crab meat with a little mayonnaise. Arrange large artichoke hearts on
slices of ripe tomato, top with the crab meat mixture, and garnish with equal parts of mayonnaise and
whipped cream (to which a little caviar may be added) forced through a pastry bag fitted with a starshaped tube. Sprinkle with capers and serve the artichokes very cold on crisp lettuce.
QUICHE LORRAINE
LINE a 9-inch pie plate with unsweetened tart pastry rolled out 1/8 inch thick. Prick the dough with
the tines of a fork and chill it for 30 minutes. Cover the inside of the shell with wax paper and fill it
with dry rice or beans. Bake the shell in a hot oven (400 F.) for 10 minutes, or until the pastry is set
but not browned. Remove the paper and rice and cool the shell.
Broil 6 rather thick slices of bacon and drain them on absorbent paper. Cut 12 thin slices of
Swiss cheese about the same size as the bacon slices. Cut the bacon slices in half and cover the
piecrust with overlapping layers of cheese and bacon. Beat 4 eggs with 1/2 teaspoon salt, a generous
grating of nutmeg, and a few grains of cayenne. Add 2 cups heavy cream and stir in 11/2 tablespoons
melted butter. Strain the custard over the bacon and cheese and bake the quiche in a moderately hot
oven (375 F.) for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the custard is set and the top is nicely browned. Serve
warm.
ESCARGOTS A LA BOURGUIGNONNE
FOR 36 snails prepare butter as follows: Cream 11/4 cups butter and blendin thoroughly 2 teaspoons
finely chopped shallot, 2 garlic cloves, crushed, 1 teaspoon each of finely chopped parsley and chives,
and salt and pepper to taste. Put a little of the butter in each of 36 shells, put a snail in each shell, and
cover the snails with the remaining butter. Pour 2 tablespoons white wine into a flat baking dish or
individual snail plates. Arrange the shells in the dish and sprinkle them with fine bread crumbs. Bake
the snailsin a very hot oven (450 F.) or put the dish under the broiler until the crumbs are golden
brown. Serve the snails immediately with French bread.
Reprinted by permission from the Gourmet Cookbook, Vols. I & II.

OYSTER COCKTAIL
OPEN oysters by forcing an oyster knife between the shells and cutting the large muscle close to the
flat upper shell. Cut the lower muscle attached to the deep bottom half of the shell and leave the
oyster loose in the bottom half. Serve 6 opened oysters on each chilled plate. Sprinkle with freshly
ground black pepper and garnish with a lemon wedge. Put a small dish of horseradish or cocktail
sauce in the middle of the plate, if desired.
PATE DE FOIE EN BRIOCHE
LINE a loaf pan with pate dough and bake it in a hot oven (400 F.) for 10 minutes.
Grind coarsely 2 pounds each of pork liver and lean fresh pork. Add salt and freshly ground
black pepper to taste, 2 garlic cloves, minced, 1tablespoon chopped parsley, and 1 egg, lightly beaten.
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Mix thoroughly. Line the bottom and sides of the prepared shell with tiny slices of fresh larding pork.
Divide the liver pt into 4 parts and fill the mold with alternate layers of the pt and thin slices of
fresh larding pork, finishing with a layer of the larding pork and 1 bay leaf. Cover the pt with the
remaining dough and bake it in a very hot oven (450 F.) for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to
slow (300 F.) and bake the pt for 1 hour and 20 minutes longer. Just before the end of the baking
time, pour through the pastry-tube funnel 1/2 cup hot consomm and 1 tablespoon brandy. May be
served hot or cold.

SOUPS
CONSOMME A LA ROYALE
COMBINE 3 quarts beef stock with 11/2 pounds lean beef, coarsely chopped, 3 leeks, 2 medium-sized
onions, and 1 stalk of celery, all chopped, 1 medium-sized carrot, sliced, 6 peppercorns, and, for
clarifying, the whites and shells of 2 eggs. Bring the stock slowly to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer
it for 1 hour. Strain the consomm through several thicknesses of cheesecloth. Chill it and remove the
layer of fat. Pour the consomm carefully into quart jars to prevent any sediment at the bottom from
mixing with the clear liquid. This will make about 3 quarts clear consomm, Add 2 tablespoons
quick-cooking tapioca to 1 quart consomm and bring the consomm to a boil, stirring constantly.
Combine 2 tablespoons chopped string beans, 2 tablespoons green peas, and 8 large asparagus tips,
all cooked, with 2 tablespoons spinach pure. Put a little of the vegetable mixture into each cup and
pour in the hot consomm.
SOUPE L'OIGNON, GRATINE
PEEL and thinly slice 4 large onions, separating the rings. In a large saucepan in 1/4 cup butter saut
the onion rings very, very gently over low heat, stirring almost constantly with a wooden spoon, until
they are an even golden brown. Sprinkle them with 1 tablespoon flour, stirring until the flour is
blended, and gradually pour in 11/2 quarts beef consomm, or a mixture of consomm and water,
stirring constantly until the soup begins to boil. Lower the heat and simmer the soup gently for about
20 minutes.
Adjust the seasoning and serve the soup in individual tureens, each one containing a toasted
round of French bread heaped with grated Gruyre cheese. Serve toasted rounds of French bread and
a bowl of grated cheese on the side.
French onion soup may also be served gratine. When it is ready to serve, half fill a
flameproof soup casserole with thin rounds of toasted French bread covered with grated Gruyre and
pour the onion soup over the toast. Sprinkle the top with grated cheese and put the casserole under
the broiler or in a hot oven (400 F.) until the cheese browns.
CRME VICHYSSOISE GLACE
SLICE very finely 1 medium-sized onion and the white parts of 4 leeks and saut the vegetables in 2
tablespoons butter until they just begin to turn golden. Add 5 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and
sliced, 1 quart chicken broth or water, or a combination of both, and 1 tablespoon salt. Bring the
liquid to a boil and simmer it gently for 35 to 40 minutes. Rub the mixture through a fine sieve, return
it to the heat, and add 2 cups milk and 2 cups medium cream. Season to taste and bring the soup to a
boil. Cool the soup and rub it through a very fine sieve. When it is cold, add 1 cup heavy cream and
chill the soup thoroughly. Serve in cups, and sprinkle with finely chopped chives. Serves eight.

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ENTREES
FILET OF SOLE DUGLR
MELT 2 tablespoons butter in a large shallow pan and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon finely chopped
shallot or onion. Season 6 filets of sole with salt and arrange them side by side in the pan. Peel, seed,
and chop coarsely 4 tomatoes and spread them over the fish. Add 1/2 cup tomato juice, 1 garlic clove,
and 1 tablespoon chopped parsley. Cover the fish with a circle of buttered paper with a 'tiny hole in
the center, bring the liquid to a boil, cover the pan, and simmer the fish for 10 to 12 minutes,
depending upon the thickness of the filets. Discard the garlic and transfer the filets to a heated
serving dish. Reduce the sauce rapidly over high heat by one-third. Thicken it with beurre mani made
by kneading together 2 tablespoons butter and 1 teaspoon flour. Stir the sauce until it is well blended,
correct the seasoning with salt and pepper, and finish by swirling in 1 tablespoon sweet butter. Pour
the sauce over the filets and sprinkle the fish with chopped parsley. Other filets may also be prepared
by this recipe.
CRAB CROLE IN CASSEROLE
CHOP finely 1 medium-sized onion and saut it in 1 tablespoon butter for 2 minutes, stirring
constantly. Stir in 2 tablespoons flour and brown it lightly. Add 4 medium-sized tomatoes, peeled
and cut in small pieces, 1 cup fish stock, 1/4 cup green olives, 1 small green pepper, and 2 tablespoons
parsley, all finely chopped. Combine the mixture thoroughly, season to taste with salt, pepper, and a
tiny pinch each of thyme leaves and mace, and simmer it gently for 10 minutes. Stir in 2 teaspoons
Worcestershire sauce and 2 cups flaked cooked crab meat. Turn the mixture into an oiled
earthenware casserole and sprinkle the top with buttered bread crumbs. Bake the casserole in a
moderate oven (350 F.) for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crumbs are delicately browned. Serve in the
casserole.
COQUILLES ST. JACQUES FLORENTINE
WASH and drain 2 pounds scallops and put them in a saucepan with 1 cup white wine, 1/2 cup fish
stock or water, 1 onion, sliced, 4 peppercorns, 1/2 bay leaf, 2 sprigs of parsley, and salt to taste. Bring
the mixture to a boil and simmer it gently for 3 minutes. Strain it, reserving the broth, and slice the
scallops. Keep the broth hot.
In a skillet in 1/4 cup butter saut 1/2 pound mushrooms, cleaned and sliced, and 3 ripe
tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, and add the scallops.
Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a saucepan, add 4 tablespoons flour, and stir the roux until it is
well blended. Stir in gradually the reserved broth. Cook the sauce, stirring constantly, until it is
smooth and thickened. Stir in 2 tablespoons heavy cream and mix the sauce with the scallops,
mushrooms, and tomatoes. Fill scallop shells or ramekins with the mixture, sprinkle with bread
crumbs, and dot with butter. Brown the filling in a hot oven (400 F.) or under the broiler and
sprinkle with a little paprika and chopped parsley.
POULET POCH A L'ESTRAGON
PUT 3 prepared chicken breasts in a saucepan with 1 small carrot and 1 onion, both thinly sliced, 3
sprigs of tarragon, and 1/2 cup white wine. Add enough water or chicken stock barely to cover, bring
the liquid to a boil, and simmer the breasts, covered, for 25 minutes. Arrange them on a warm serving
platter. Strain the liquid and reduce it over high heat to 2 cups. In a saucepan melt 3 tablespoons
butter, stir in 3 tablespoons flour, and add gradually the hot reduced liquid. Cook the sauce, stirring,
until it is smooth and thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper, stir in bit by bit 2 tablespoons
butter, and simmer the sauce for 6 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon chopped tarragon leaves and stir in 1
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egg yolk lightly beaten with 3 tablespoons heavy cream and a little of the hot sauce. Pour the sauce
over the chicken and garnish with blanched tarragon leaves.
DUCKLING, SAUCE BIGARDE
TRIM the wing tips and cut off the neck of a 4- to 5-pound duckling. Wash it thoroughly, inside and
out, with cold water and dry it carefully. Rub the cavity with lemon juice and in it put a few celery
leaves and 1 onion, sliced. Place the duckling, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow baking pan. Cook
the bird in a moderately slow oven (325 F.) for 30 minutes. Drain the fat from the pan and add 11/2
cups dry white wine. Baste the duckling and continue cooking it for 11/2 hours, basting it with the
pan juices every 20 minutes. If a very crisp skin is desired, brush the duckling with 1 tablespoon
honey about 15 minutes before taking it from the oven and do not baste it again.
DRAIN the liquid from a large can of pitted cherries into a saucepan. Add the unstrained juice of 1
lemon, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 tablespoon maraschino. Cook the mixture until it begins to thicken,
stirring constantly. Add the cherries.
ESCALOPE DE VEAU PARISIEN
IN a skillet saut 6 prepared veal cutlets cut 1/4 inch thick from the top sirloin over high heat until
they are golden, turning them several times.
Arrange the meat on a warm serving dish and place on each piece 5 cooked asparagus tips.
On top of the asparagus place 5 or 6 crabs' legs, cooked in butter.
To the juices remaining in the skillet add 3 tablespoons water, reduce this a little, and pour it
over the meat. Put the platter in the oven to keep warm and, when ready to serve, pour barnaise
sauce over the meat, asparagus, and crabs' legs.
LAMB RAGOUT PRINTANIRE
IN a large skillet in 1/4 cup clarified butter cook 1 onion, thinly sliced, until it is lightly browned,
stirring constantly. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon paprika and blend well. Add 2 pounds neck or shoulder
of lamb, cut into small serving pieces, and cook the meat over low heat, stirring constantly, until
itbegins to brown. Transfer the meat to a large pot and mix into the fat remaining in the skillet 1 cup
each of tomato pure and meat stock. Pour the mixture over the meat and add 5 medium-sized
potatoes, quartered, 1 cup mushrooms, a bouquet garni, 1 whole clove, and salt and pepper to taste.
Bring the liquid to a boil, and boil it for 2 minutes. Lower the heat and simmer the meat very gently,
covered, for 1 hour. Taste for seasoning, thicken the sauce, if necessary, with a little flour mixed with
cold water, and stir in 3/4 cup cooked peas Add 1 cup sour cream and heat the sauce without letting it
boil. Serve very hot, sprinkled with chopped parsley.
TOURNEDOS ROSSINI
ARRANGE 6 tournedos on croutons on a platter and garnish each one with a slice of pt de foie gras
and 3 slices of truffle heated in the skillet in which the tournedos were cooked. Deglaze the skillet
with 1/2 cup demiglace sauce or brown sauce and a little Madeira, stirring in all the brown bits. Taste
for seasoning and pour the sauce around the tournedos. Garnish with small bunches of watercress
and serve with chteau potatoes.
BROWN SAUCE
MELT 1/2 cup fat in a heavy saucepan, using fresh, unsalted beef, veal, or pork drippings but not
chicken fat. Add 1 small carrot and 2 onions, coarsely chopped, and cook them until they just start to
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turn golden, shaking the pan to insure even cooking. Add 1/2 cup flour and cook the vegetables,
stirring,until they are a rich brown. Add 3 cups boiling brown stock, 3 sprigs of parsley, 1 stalk of
celery, 1 small bay leaf, 1 garlic clove, and a pinch of thyme and cook the mixture, stirring frequently,
until it thickens. Add 3 more cups stock and simmer the sauce slowly, stirring occasionally, for 1 to
11/2 hours, or until it is reduced to about 3 cups. Skim off the fat as it accumulates on the surface. Add
1
/4 cup tomato sauce or 1/2 cup tomato pure, cook the sauce for a few minutes longer, and strain it
through a fine sieve. Add 2 more cups stock and continue to cook the sauce slowly for about 1 hour,
skimming from time to time, until it is reduced to about 4 cups. Cool the sauce, stirring occasionally,
seal it with a layer of melted fat, and store it, covered, in the refrigerator. If the sauce is not used
within a week, bring it again to a boil, cool it, and reseal it. Return the jar to the refrigerator.
For a richer sauce, cook 1/2 cup diced fat salt pork with the carrot and onion and add before
the final reduction 1/2 cup beef gravy or juice from roast beef.
ROAST FILET OF BEEF
SIRLOIN or rib roast, like all large pieces of meat, should stand for at least an hour at room
temperature before roasting. Time schedules for roasting can be only approximate, since the size and
shape of the roast, the amount of bone, and the proportions of lean and fat all affect cooking time. A
meat thermometer, inserted in the fleshy part of the roast, insures accuracy. The thermometer must
never rest in fat or on bone. A temperature of 140 F. indicates arare roast, 160 F. a medium roast,
and 170 F. a well-done roast. Since largeroasts continue cooking for some time after they are
removed from the oven, they should be removed when the thermometer is several degrees below the
desired finished temperature. All roasts should rest for 20 minutes out of the oven to allow the juices
to settle.
RUB a trimmed filet of beef with butter and with pepper to taste. Roast it in a moderately hot oven
(375 F.) for 25 to 35 minutes, depending on the size of the filet. Baste frequently with hot beef stock
for the first 15 minutes, then with the juices from the pan for the remaining roasting time, being
careful not to let the juices burn.
BARNAISE SAUCE
COMBINE 1 cup white wine with 1 tablespoon each of tarragon vinegar and finely chopped shallots,
2 small stalks of tarragon, coarsely chopped, 1 small sprig of parsley, 1 small sprig of chervil, finely
chopped, and 2 bruised peppercorns. Cook the mixture over high heat until it is reduced by one third
and strain it. Cool it slightly. Stirring constantly and vigorously, add 3 egg yolks, lightly beaten,
alternately with 1 cup butter, melted, or enough butter to make the sauce the consistency of heavy
cream. Blend the sauce thoroughly over low heat, strain it through a fine sieve, and finish with a dash
of cayenne and 1 teaspoon each of finely chopped tarragon and chervil. For meats or fish.

DESSERTS
STRAWBERRIES PARISIENNE
Wash and hull sound ripe strawberries. Sprinkle them with sugar to taste. Mix strawberries with
whipped cream and add enough sweetened puree of wild strawberries to give a delicate pink color
and a wild strawberry flavor.
CRME BAVAROISE
Creme a l'Anglaise Collee:

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Scald 1 cup milk with a 1-inch piece of vanilla bean, and let it stand for 10 minutes to absorb the
vanilla flavor. Beat 4 egg yolks with 1/2 cup sugar until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Pour the
scalded milk gradually into the egg mixture, stirring constantly. Cook the mixture over low heat or in
the top of a double boiler over simmering water, stirring constantly, until it is smooth and thick. If the
cream is cooked over direct heat, remove it from the heat the moment it reaches the boiling point.
Remove the vanilla bean, strain the cream into a chilled bowl, and add 1 tablespoon gelatin softened
in 2 tablespoons cold water and dissolved over hot water. Stir the cream briskly, cool it, and chill it
until it just begins to thicken and hold its shape.
Prepare creme a l'anglaise collee, adding 2 ounces bitter chocolate, melted, along with the gelatin.
Whip 1 cup heavy cream until it stands in soft peaks, and fold it into creme a l'anglaise collee when
the creme just begins to thicken and hold its shape. Pour the Bavarian cream into a l-quart mold
rinsed out in cold water. Chill the cream for about 30 minutes. Turn the mold out on a platter and
decorate with whipped cream forced through a pastry bag fitted with a fancy tube.
BANANES FLAMBES
Peel and quarter 6 red or yellow bananas, not quite ripe, sprinkle them with lime or lemon juice, and
saute them lightly in butter. Sprinkle them with salt to taste. Make a syrup of 1 cup each of any sweet
red wine except Port and brown sugar, 11/2 teaspoons grated orange rind, 1/2 teaspoon each of
nutmeg and cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves. Put the bananas in a buttered casserole, pour
over them the spiced syrup, and cover them with a 1/4-inch-thick layer of crusehd macaroons and
very finely chopped almonds. Brown the topping in a moderate over (350 F), and just before serving,
add 1/4 cup heated dark rum. Ignite the spirit and serve flaming.

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