Strange Hobby, but still FOOD RELATED!

[firechef]

I have an odd hobby...I like collecting the menus and recipes of "famous last meals" for example...John F. Kennedy's last meal was prepared by, Otto Druhe, Executive Chef at the Hotel Texas in downtown Fort Worth who prepared "coffee, orange juice, two eggs boiled five minutes, some toast and marmalade on the side."

Don't know what kind of toast or marmalade but would love to find out.

I recently came across my "dream project" the menu of the final night on the Titanic...

The First-Class Menu

As served in the first-class dining saloon of the R.M.S. Titanic on April 14, 1912

First Course:
Hors D'Oeuvres Varies Oysters

Second Course:
Consommé Olga
Cream of Barley

Third Course:
Poached Salmon with Mousseline Sauce, Cucumbers

Fourth Course:
Filet Mignons Lili
Saute of Chicken, Lyonnaise
Vegetable Marrow Farci

Fifth Course:
Lamb, Mint Sauce
Roast Duckling, Apple Sauce
Sirloin of Beef, Chateau Potatoes
Green Pea
Creamed Carrots
Boiled Rice
Parmentier & Boiled New Potatoes

Sixth Course:
Punch Romaine
Seventh Course
Roast Squab & Cress

Eighth Course:
Cold Asparagus Vinaigrette

Ninth Course:
Pate de Foie Gras
Celery

Tenth Course:
Waldorf Pudding
Peaches in Chartreuse Jelly
Chocolate & Vanilla Eclairs
French Ice Cream

The repast was served with a different wine for each course. Following the tenth course fresh fruits and cheeses were available followed by coffee and cigars accompanied by port and, if desired, distilled spirits. If you have to have a last dinner, you could do a lot worse!

All I need to do now is gather the recipes and I will be having this meal for close friends and family...and those equally as morbid as I am at times.

Anyone else have any "odd" hobbies?

[firechef]

I have the Second Class menu as well. For those with "issues" or curious let me know and I will pass it on.

[Old Bay]

We are serving "The Last Dinner on the Titanic" to our "21" Club for dinner in May. We are working on the menu--will keep it to 6-7 courses. I have created a little game to go with the theme. I will let you know the final menu and would appreciate your (all of your) input. We may "bastardize" it for the sake of ---well, ---modern taste.(Vegetable Marrow Farci???) We are using Archbold & McCauley's book as a resource.

[DFen911]

Ok I have to admit...that would be a fun project! I would actually really enjoy preparing this meal and serving it to guests. Tali about a neat dinner party, it could be a way to honor those that passed that night.

As for odd hobbies....well I'm just odd

I do collect menu's from the most odd of places. Most are sent to me. I just got one from a friend of my folks in Scotland for a dinner party.

Starters - Scotch Broth
Smoked Haddock Croquettes
Marinated Mushrooms

Mains - Pot Roasted Chicken w/Root Vegetables
Marrow Stuffed w/Curried Rice and Vegetables (I gather these are a type of mushroom based on the recipe)
Invergary Crab Cakes

Desserts - Frozen Honeys and Whisky Creams
Clootie Dumplings (it says..and I quote "Now this is something ye must be guid at. There's a lot o'ingredients here but this is the daddy o'dumplins. Be prepared for a lot o' work and a mess on the scullery flair") I so have to try this just because of that!

[cjs]

I love collecting menus from fun places we've been. It would be fun to recreate the menu from Titanic for a dinner party - anxious to see what you come up with Bill.

[firechef]

Hi Bill, I have found a place in CT that is doing a Titanic Dinner on my birthday. Here is her website... www.cuisinewithjill.com. I hope some of there ideas help out your group. It does look like they are only useing one or two dishes per course and some are only one of the dishes from the course.

From the trusty rusty Food Lover's Companion...Farce; Farci [FAHRS, farh-SEE] French for "stuffing." Farci means "stuffed."

Vegetable Marrow Cultivated in England, this green, oval summer squash can grow to the size of a watermelon. It's closely related to the ZUCCHINI and can be cooked in any manner suitable for that vegetable. Because of its bland flavor, vegetable marrow (also called marrow squash) is often stuffed with a meat mixture. It's available in limited supplies in some specialty produce markets during the summer months. It says to...see also SQUASH, but we all know what a squash is.

So basically Vegetable Marrow Farci is nothing more than a stuffed squash similar to a stuffed zucchini. Now if you found out what the stuffing was you could give the history lesson of the dish and its components as you served a similar stuffed zucchini. Just an idea for you Bill.

[cjs]

sounds like the stuffing is marrow - pretty expensive and time consuming idea there.

[Roxanne 21]

Jean---marrow here is zucchini----how 'bout that????

[firechef]

I not only have the list of menu items but at my Dad's house back home in NH I have the ACTUAL paper menu from a survivors luggage...some distant relative of my Dad's birth family (we're BOTH adopted) was on the Titanic and was rescued along with her hand bag which had the menu and some other papers including her travel papers from Greece to England and some other stuff. It was in rough shape the last time I saw it but it was neat just the same.

I am still trying to find out what President Lincoln had for dinner before attending "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theater. We all know what happened that night???

[Corinne]

What an interesting hobby! I really think it's very cool.