Fricandeau, hot stuffed eggs, and apple snow balls are probably things you’ve never eaten. Or heard of. But the Gilded Table: Recipes and History from the Campbell House sheds light on not only the recipes of these obscure dishes, but delves even deeper into the culinary lifestyle of St. Louis in the mid-to-late 19th century, with glimpses into the era’s dining etiquette, serving ware, grocery staples, and high-society parties.
Robert Campbell was a wealthy fur trader and local philanthropist who lived with his wife, Virginia, and their children in their Locust Street home beginning in 1854. They threw lavish parties, hosting high-profile guests like James B. Eads, General Grant, and William Tecumseh Sherman, and the 224-page book, full of illustrations and photographs, highlights 178 of Virginia’s own recipes, as well as those of the city’s luxurious Southern Hotel, which the Campbells owned. The Campbell House is now a museum (has been since 1943), and remains one of the most historically significant 19th-century buildings in St. Louis.
Gilded Table author Suzanne Corbett (right), a local freelance food and travel journalist, sees this book as a way to “inspire a return to a day when dining was the main event, something to savor.”
Corbett spent three years writing the book, researching cookbooks from as far back as the 18th century in order to figure out modern-day translations of ingredients.
“Some searches proved more a of challenge,” says Corbett, “such as notations for the herb ‘estrogen,’ which turned out to be tarragon.”
“Updating them [the recipes] for continued use today along with inclusion on menus does more than preserve a dish, its preparation, and flavor,” says Corbett, “it preserves an era that can be enjoyed today and tomorrow.”
The era’s gastronomic relics can also be enjoyed on October 6th when the Campbell House Museum and River City Casino and Hotel’s 1904 Steakhouse host a Gilded Table Release and Tasting, which will serve some of the preserved recipes, including Beef Chasseur, lamb chops, hot stuffed eggs, Queen of Sheba Cake, and Campbell pound cake, plus a signature libation from Virginia Campbell’s notes. River City Exec Chef Chef John Johnson will also serve up his own interpretations of dishes inspired by the book.
“It’s a concept any 21st-century foodie will embrace,” says Corbett.
But hold the estrogen.
Gilded Table Release Dinner
Tuesday, October 6th
6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
1904 Steakhouse at River City Casino and Hotel
$50–75 per person (the latter price includes a copy of the book)
Visit HERE for tickets and more information.
Proceeds benefit the Campbell House Museum.
