The Home of the Last Tsar - Romanov and Russian History

Menu and Receipes for Alexandra's Names Day, 1897

From the Alexander Palace Archives, hand written, in script with drawings of the layout:

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Description of the Imperial Luncheon on the Occasion of the Name-day of Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna which took place in the Semi-circular Hall of the Alexander Palace in Tsarskoye Selo on April 23, 1897.

At 9.25 a.m. the choir of the Finnish Singing Society "Lieder-Taffel" sang below the windows of Alexandra Fyodorovna's apartment; they were succeeded by the musicians of the Court's Choir which sang up to 9:40AM.

At 11 a.m. the Divine Liturgy was celebrated.

At 12.25 the Imperial Luncheon began. The table was laid for 30 persons (28 persons were present).

In the Portrait Hall there was a table with hors d'oeuvres.

In the Semi-circular Hall there were 3 round tables (each laid for 10 persons). In the middle of each table there were baskets with fresh flowers given as gifts and 4 silver bowls with sweets, sponge-cakes, fruit and fresh strawberries. The table was laid with crown silver cutlery, the dessert outfit had an ordinary gilding, china of Tsarskoe Selo with grapes and dessert plates of the same sort, cut crystal glasses of Tsarskoe Selo.

MENU

Wines: Madeira N 3
Rudesheimer Berg-Rizling of 1884
Leoville of 1874
Champagne Monopole Sec

The main courses:
Asparagus Cream Soup
Tarts
Gatchina Trout a Americain
Mutton Chops
Young Pouliards
Fillet of Duck Meat Brigorad
Fresh Peas
Cold Peaches

At the end of the Imperial Luncheon coffee and chocolate were served in the balcony in Gorbievsk cups of Tsarskoye Selo.

to see an example of an actual Imperial Menu go here

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Some of the recipes used for this meal:

Asparagus Cream Soup

Clean asparagus and cut it into small slices; melt butter in a saucepan, put flour and pepper into it. While stirring it pour some chicken broth and wait until it boils. Put asparagus into the broth and leave it on fire for some time, then strain it, run the sediment though a mincing-machine, rub it through a sieve and mix it with the broth, add some cream and warm it on fire.
For 4 persons: 500 grams of fresh, frozen or canned asparagus, 6 table full-spoons of butter, 4 table spoon-fulls of onions cut into small pieces, 2 table spoonfuls of wheat flour, one eighth of freshly ground pepper, 2 small glasses of chicken broth, 2 glasses of 10% cream.

Trout a Americain

Remove the skin and the bones, slice the fish layer by layer and mix it with potatoes. Add some bechamel. Make small balls and roll them in flour and rusk crumbs and then fry them in melted butter. Tomato dressing. Croquets a Americain can be made of different kinds of fish

Mutton Chops

Make the butter soft with a fork, add some parsley and lemon juice. Add some salt and pepper and mix thouroughly. Put some salt and pepper in the chops and grill them in oil. Then put them on a warmed dish and surround it with French fries and cress. To make 16 chops weighing 100 grams each, you'll need 1.5 kilos of potatoes, a bunch of cress, 1 table spoon-full of cut parsley, lemon juice of half a lemon, salt, pepper, oil and butter.

Fresh Peas

Wash 1 pound of fresh sugar peas and then dry them up. Add 23 zolotniks (old Russian measure of weight; 1/66 of a pound) of butter, half a glass of water, 12 zolotniks of onions, 1 pinch of salt, 5 zolotniks of sugar. Put it all on medium fire and keep it there for half an hour in a tightly covered saucepan. As soon as the peas are ready, add 23 zolotniks of butter mixed with 4 zolotniks of flour and take them off the fire. Stir the peas by shaking the saucepan.

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