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Les Frères Provencaux
Dugléré was a chef de cuisine to the Rothschild family until 1848,1and was manager at the restaurant Les Frères Provencaux at the Palais-Royal from 1848 to 1866 which was owned by three men from Provence named Barthélémy, Maneille and Simonas (who were, in reality, not brothers).2
Café Anglais
In 1866 he became the head chef of the Café Anglais which was the most famous Paris restaurant of the 19th century and where he is believed to have created the dish Pommes Anna. The Café Anglais was named in honour of the peace treaty which had recently been signed between Britain and France. The restaurant opened in 1802 at the corner of the Rue Grammont and the Boulevard des Italiens. At first it had a clientèle of coachmen and domestic servants but later it was frequented by popular actresses. In 1822, the new proprietor, Paul Chevreuil, turned it into a fashionable restaurant with a reputation for its roasted and grilled meats. But it was with the arrival of Dugléré that the Café Anglais achieved its highest gastronomic reputation and it was from that time on that it was frequented by customers from the world of finance and the most elegant and well-off section of Paris society.3
Dinner of the Three Emperors
It was here in 1867 that Dugléré served a famous meal that became known as the Dîner des trois empereurs, ('Dinner of the Three Emperors') for Tsar Alexander II of Russia, his son the tsarevitch (who later became Tsar Alexander III) and King William I of Prussia, as well as Prince Otto von Bismarck who were in Paris for L'Exposition Universelle. The table service used for this meal is on display to this day at the oldest existing restaurant in Paris, La Tour d'Argent which is owned by the descendants of Claudius Burdet, the last owner of Café Anglais which was demolished in 1913.
The evening of 7 June, 1867 is reputed to have been the most magnificent ever to have occurred in any restaurant in the world. The mahogany and walnut paneling of the Grand Seize, a chambre separée (private room) where the greatest celebrities of the world dined, gleamed in the candle-light reflected in huge gilt mirrors. Plush red velvet seats and canopies greeted the illustrious guests. The three emperors and Prince Bismarck had requested of Dugléré a meal that would live in their memories and the maître de cave, Claudius Burdel, was instructed to accompany the dishes with the greatest wines in the world. They were indeed magnificent - a madère de retour des Indes ('Madeira of the Return from the Indies'), a fortified wine to survive the long journey from the Indies, a Xérès 1821, a Château d'Yquem 1847, a Roederer champagne which Alexandre II all but eulogized as he drained the last drop, next a Chambertin 1846, a Margaux 1847, a Château Latour of the same year, and to finish a Château Lafite 1848. This unique selection from the greatest vintages of France, permitted Claudius Burdel to become, as a result of this repast, official wine buyer to three European courts.3
As a result of this experience, the Tsar, who fell in love with Roederer champagne, made an arrangement with Roederer to produce a special selection dedicated to the grandeur of this great wine. He requested of Roederer and his oenologues, a champagne in a bottle of clear crystal in which one could see the bubbles and the golden colour of this magnificent beverage. To guard against the possibility that some would-be assassin might conceal explosives in the depression, he insisted that the bottles be flat-bottomed.3
During the eight hours that this dinner of the century was served, chamber music played and cigars were smoked between courses. (Dugléré would not permit smoking while any guest was eating.) The big blow to the occasion occurred at one in the morning when Tsar Alexander II complained that he had not had any foie gras. A quick-witted Burdel responded with, "Sire, it is not the custom, in French gastronomy, to serve foie gras in the month of June." Alexander II is said to have been satisfied with this explanation. The following October, the three emperors received a gift of a terrine of foie gras specially prepared for them by the restaurant.3 This terrine became known as Foie Gras des Trois Empereurs. It is served to this day at the sister restaurant of Café Anglais, Restaurant de la Tour d'Argent, a magnificent truffled foie gras, served with two scoops of aspic, one of Port and the other of Sauternes, and brioche.4
Dishes
The most famous dish attributed to Dugléré is almost certainly Pommes Anna. Other dishes created by Dugléré include Potage Germiny, a sorrel soup created for the Count of Germiny, governor of the Bank of France, Poularde Albufera, dedicated to Maréchal Suchet, Duke of Albufera, Soufflé à l'Anglaise, Sole Dugléré2 and Culotte de bœuf Salomon, (dedicated to Salomon de Rothschild).5
He is also credited with inventing Tournedos Rossini, but this dish has also been credited to both Escoffier as well as Carême (although not the title itself). It was composer Gioachino Rossini who dubbed Dugléré Le Mozart de la cuisine (The Mozart of the Kitchen). Legend has it that on one occasion Rossini was in the restaurant and asked that Dugléré prepare his filet at his table in a chafing dish. Dugléré made some excuse and Rossini is reported to have said, "Eh bien, faites-le tourné de l'autre coté, tournez-moi le dos!" ("Alright, do it somewhere else. Turn your back on me!")6 However, the OED gives a number of different claims for the origin of the term tournedos.
Métier
He was described as a taciturn and serious person who demanded ingredients of the highest quality and abhorred drunkenness and smoking. He forbade his employees to smoke even outside of the workplace. Neither were customers allowed to smoke until dinner was over, at which time the maître d’hôtel went from table to table lighting cigars.5 He was a cultivated man and Alexandre Dumas consulted him several times for his Le Grand dictionnaire de cuisine (1871).
Little more is known about him because he left no publications but he did leave some notebooks which are on permanent loan to the National Library in Paris.7 On his death in 1884, the French press was unanimous in eulogizing him.8
Recipes and Garnishes
Sole à la Dugléré consists of fish poached in a fish fumet with white wine on a bed of tomates concassées, minced onion and shallots and chopped parsley. It is served with a beurre blanc consisting of the cooking liquid mounted with butter.
À la Dugléré indicates a garnish of shallots, onions and tomatoes.9
Menu from the 'Dinner of the Three Emperors' 3
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Impératrice Relevés Soufflé à la Reine Entrées Poulet à la Portugaise Rôts Canetons à la Rouennaise Entremets Aubergines à l'Espagnole Dessert Bombe glacée VINS Madère retour de l'Inde 1810 |
Potage Impératrice consists of a chicken stock thickened with tapioca and finished with egg-yolks and cream to which poached rounds of chicken forcemeat, cockscombs, cocks' kidneys and green peas are added.10
Potage Fontanges is a purée of fresh peas diluted with consommé with the addition of a chiffonade of sorrel and sprigs of chervil.11
Soufflé à la Reine is a chicken soufflé with truffles11
Sauce vénitienne is a sauce of white wine, tarragon vinegar, shallots and chervil, mounted with butter and finished with chopped chervil and tarragon.10
Selle de mouton purée Bretonne is saddle of mutton with a purée of broad beans bound with Breton sauce.11
Poulet à la Portugaise is whole chicken roasted with a covering of adobo paste consisting of tomato, red bell pepper, garlic, origanum, paprika, cayenne, brown sugar, lemon juice, white wine, chicken stock and olive oil, stuffed with tomato flavoured rice.10
Pâté chaud de cailles is warm pâté of quail.
Homard à la Parisienne is lobster cooked in court bouillon, cut into slices and glazed with aspic, with a garnish of tomatoes stuffed with a macédoine of vegetables, dressed with a mixture of mayonnaise and aspic and garnished with sliced truffle.
Canetons à la Rouennaise is a dish of roast duckling stuffed with forcemeat. The legs and breasts are removed, the legs are grilled and the breasts are thinly sliced and arranged around the stuffing. The remaining carcass is pressed in a poultry press to extract all the juices and this is added to a Rouennaise sauce which is poured over the sliced duck.10 ( This dish is today the speciality of the house at Le Tour d'argent restaurant. )[1]
Ortolans sur canapés, Ortolans (now a protected species of small finch-like bird) on toast.
Aubergines à l'Espagnole is a dish of aubergine shells filled with chopped aubergine, tomato and ham, gratinéed with gruyère cheese.
Cassolette Princesse, (a.k.a. Cassolette argenteuil), A cassolette with a border of duchesse potatoes and an asparagus filling in cream sauce.11
Bombe glacée is an ice-cream dessert.11
References
- ^ *Enyclopedia Britannica online
- ^ a b Lycée Bazeilles des Métiers de l'Hôtellerie, de la Restauration et du Tourisme
- ^ a b c d e Menus d'hier
- ^ La Tour d'Argent
- ^ a b Le Guide des connaisseurs be
- ^ Jaime Ariansen Céspedes, Adolphe Dugléré - El Mozart de la cocína
- ^ Daniel Rogov
- ^ *Chef Simon, La Cuisine dans tout ses étasts.
- ^ Practically Edible
- ^ a b c d August Escoffier (1907), Le Guide culinaire
- ^ a b c d e * Larousse Gastronomique (1961), Crown Publishers
(Translated from the French, Librairie Larousse, Paris (1938))
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