Thursday, January 10, 2013

The Frugal First Course - A Soup Frugal Foods and Stylish Recipes Professional & University Etiquette


Over the Counter Etiquette
by Harold Almon baesoe.com
Be at Ease School of Etiquette Almon


The Frugal First Course - A Soup


As a rule, the first course is to be a soup. Grigory made and taught me to get a “Soup pot” and to enjoy a good soup.

Soup is to be served from

A tureen with a ladle. Informally it can be served from a

Crock Pot

Acquire at least one of each.

In formal service, soup is the only course allowed to be set center a place setting, before the time people come to the table. Formally coup can be a consommé. Informally it can be Gazpacho, Miso, or Vichyssoise, each of which can be served cold.

A rimmed soup plate is to be used for soup served at a truly formal dinner. Soup can be served in a soup plate with or without being placed on an underlying plate. This plate can be set atop a show plate.

In a large group,

a cold first course can be served at each place setting before people come in to the table. This can be an exotic look for a table for two. Formally, this is correctly done only with soup.

A two handled a cream soup bowl and stand, may be used for an informal dinner. This item is omitted at a truly formal dinner.

Soup in a bowl is to be served on an underlying (bread and butter) plate.

A soup cup and saucer could be used for a casual meal. A table or place spoon is to be used for soup served in a rimmed soup plate, or in a soup bowl.

A round spoon is to be used for cream soup, (served in a cream soup bowl or plate.)

A tablespoon can be used for soup served in a soup cup.

A teaspoon may be used when only stirring is required.

Soup can be garnished with bits of almost anything, including with a bit of another soup.

It may be served with oyster cocktail crackers. Informally oyster cocktail crackers can be served in a bowl with a small ice scoop. Soup can be served in a mug, or a bowl with an underline plate. Folks can add as many oyster cocktail crackers as they wish.

It could be served with saltine crackers. Crackers can be placed on a small plate. Crackers may be placed on each underlying plate. Avoid serving soup with a club cracker.

Soup can be served with croutons.

Soup might be served with a relish tray. It can include pickled or marinated carrots, cauliflower, celery, gherkins, mushrooms, olives, or and with radishes.

Informally, it can be preceded or replaced by a plate or tray of crudités: raw vegetables. You can get most items from the salad bar. Each may be placed on each underlying plate. Here I use French dressing as a drizzle or a mini dip.

Sherry has been seen served with a soup course.

Pour the wine. Sherry could be omitted.

Frugal Soup course suggestions are

Amy’s Soup (from HEB $2.00 or less,) a favorite of Janet’s, Hearty Spanish Rice with Red Beans, “So good you can eat it right out of the can.” You may have

Chili,

Chile with Beans,
Clam chowder

or New England clam chowder, (red color)

You could have

Cheese and Broccoli,

Consommé,

Cream of Chicken,

Cream of Cream,

Cream of Mushroom, or

Cream of Tomato. Get Tabatchnick Creamy Tomato Soup when you are entertaining.

Lentil soup can be your best frugal bang for the buck.

Become familiar with pre-made box soups. Keep soups in a box. If you feel hungry, have a bowl as a first course cold or hot. It you are still hungry, add some more food to the fire, why not.

Remove the First Course and serve the Next Course.

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