Etiquetteer will admit to feeling a little down this morning, looking at an empty inbox bereft of queries. But then a glance at the calendar brought the sunshine, because October 14 is National Dessert Day, and talking about dessert is the next best thing to eating it.
Sweets have always been with us, but dessert as a course in a dinner menu really got established only at the end of the 18th century. The French, who have given us so much that is Perfectly Proper, also gave us the word. Dessert comes from the French verb desservir, which means “to clear the table.” (Saveur has a wonderful piece on the history of dessert.) This article suggests that individual-sized desserts, like small tarts, etc., developed with the rise of the salon, that mythical gathering of intelligent people for purposes of stimulating conversation. That sounds perfectly logical to Etiquetteer, who would probably commandeer an entire platter and retreat to a corner.
We all have favorite desserts from childhood, from Dear Grandmother’s lemon-glazed bundt pound cake to Dear Mother’s chocolate-frosted birthday cake to [Insert Your Favorite Here]. It would be something to look forward to as a reward after all those awful vegetables! So much became clear to Etiquetteer after learning that a child’s sweet tastebuds develop much more quickly than those for salty, sour, and bitter . . .*
Etiquetteer’s favorite dessert story is how Auguste Escoffier, the legendary French chef, created Peach Melba in honor of his idol, the great Australian soprano Dame Nellie Melba. There are more than a few versions of the story, but suffice it to say that Escoffier created it to honor a singer he already greatly admired (and could rarely hear perform because most operas were performed during the dinner hour, when he was in the kitchen) after seeing her perform in Lohengrin at Covent Garden. The original creation called for half a dozen peaches to be served over vanilla ice cream in an ice swan (because of the swan boat in Lohengrin). But ice swans are so complicated, and Escoffier simplified it to be served in a silver dish, and topped with raspberry purée. (You’ll find a good account here on PBS, but you’ll have to read through reams of info on the life of Dame Nellie first.)
About 20 years ago Etiquetteer was introduced to the mignardise, which is a bite-sized dessert served at the very end of a meal. Sometimes they are brought out on tiny tiered trays, other times just on a dessert plate. They take many forms and can be absolutely exquisite.
Café gourmand at the Musée d’Orsay, 2008.
Add coffee and you get café gourmand. Now a gourmand is different from a gourmet. A gourmet needs a meal to be exquisite. A gourmand needs a meal to be good, but plentiful. In other words, a gourmand is a greedy eater. So it would follow that a café gourmand would be a cup of coffee with something extra**. Etiquetteer’s first encounter with this delightful situation was in 2008 in the restaurant of the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. Coffee with little ramekins of chocolate mousse, creme brulée, and fruit with custard! Imagine Etiquetteer’s disappointment a few days later at Versailles, when their café gourmand turned out to be three little Amaretto cookies. Not as spectacular as the location demanded.
Since that first, wonderful encounter, Etiquetteer has always associated the café gourmand with the expansive male waistlines of the 19th century. But it turns out to have been a Parisian restaurant trend that started only in 1985 and just kept going. Dangerous to assume!
A final word of warning***: huddling on the sofa under a blanket with a pint of ice cream is not dessert. That’s therapy. Dessert is enjoyed with Perfect Propriety at one’s place at the dinner table. And with that, Etiquetteer wishes you a happy National Dessert Day and bon appétit!
Dessert after dinner aboard the Orient Express, 2013.
*Young Etiquetteer once hid Lima beans in the sugar bowl. But the ruse was detected and Etiquetteer was made to eat them anyway. The sugar didn’t actually improve the situation.
**Lagniappe, as they say in Louisana.