On 19 February, 1857, the banker Moïse Polydore Millaud, owner of the newspaper La Presse (which he had bought from Émile de Girardin in 1856) gave a feast at his town mansion in rue Saint-Georges, Paris. The Goncourt brothers were both invited, and the menu which they preserved is eloquent testimony for the elaborate nature of Second Empire cuisine.
MENU
TWO POTAGES
Le Potage Reine
Le Potage Royal
FISH
Salmon Mayonnaise
Turbot à la Portugaise
RELEVÉS
Jellied stew
Truffled foie gras tartlets
Hamburg beef à la Tyrolienne
Truffled turkey à la Périgourdine
ENTRÉES
Red partridge in a game sauce
Chicken breasts à la Coligny
Truffled foie gras
Snipes à la Conti
Beef filet à la Provençale
Lark chaudfroid
Sole filet mayonnaise
ROASTS
Roast pheasant on piecrust
Roast Ardennes woodcock
ENTREMETS
Asparagus
Peas à la Française
Cèpe mushrooms à la Bordelaise
Lettuce à la Vénitienne
Assorted hors d'oeuvres
Chartreuses d'Orange
Jelly à la Pompadour
Formal sculpted cakes
Sorbets au Kirsch
DESSERT
Ice cream bombs
Baskets of fruit crowned with grapes
Vanilla biscuits and small cakes
Small waffles
Iced cheeses
Iced fruits
Bonbons
Dry cheese
Caramel
Coffee. – fine wines. – Liqueurs
POTEL ET CHABOT
Source: the website “Les frères Goncourt”