MENUS FOR GOURMETS

It is almost impossible to imagine what useful purpose could be found for this book. Included are menus with recipes for 15 luncheons and an equal number of dinners. Three-quarters of the recipes have French names (untranslated) and call for ingredients such as sorrel, tournedos, cepes, a partridge, or a ""young hare, hung for a week, weather permitting"". Oven temperatures are never given, and many of the required ingredients do not specify the desired quantity or amount. The only detailed information given for any of these menus is the lengthy paragraph naming the possible wines suggested to accompany each course, specifying type, name, and brand. The real ""gourmet cook"" will know most of these recipes already; the ""less-than-gourmet-cook"" could not follow the vague instructions nor would she spend the time required to search for the extremely expensive ingredients. And if this is really just a ""suggested menu"" book, why include the recipes at all?