Genoise -- 1834

Sat Apr 16 10:33:52 UTC 2011

I promised a completion of the post on "Genoise". Below is the complete account.

There is an integrated usage of Genoise in 1830 (in a cooking
encyclopedia) and 1834 (pastry book). References to the French name of
a Genoese sauce for fish go back to 1815 (English, to 1834).

In addition, in passing, I also managed to antedate (or
interdate--depending on your perspective) "ravioli" to 1827 (from
1839--not counting the "odd" 1760 citation).

Here's the 1834 citation.

http://goo.gl/6Vml1

The Royal parisian pastrycook and confectioner from the original of M.
A. Carême. London: 1834
Pearled genoises. p. 81
> When the /genoises/ are baked, cut them out with a round paste-cutter of two inches and a half in diameter; then take a piece out of the middle, and cover the top lightly with the white of two eggs, beat up very stiff, mixed with three ounces of pounded sugar. Take afterwards some white of egg, and form it into small pearls, which you place round the edge of each /genoise/: strew some very fine sugar over them, and then put them for a few minutes in the mouth of the oven, so as to dry the white of egg without colouring it; but if you wish to brown them, put them a little further in the oven. When cold, place between each pearl a smaller one, made of some transparent preserves; such as jelly of apples, quinces, red and white currants, &c.

The reality is that this is just one recipe out of dozens (pp. 14,
78-82, 165, 194-222). It also solves a dilemma.

One of the dictionaries that pops up under OneLook search for
"genoise" is under WhatsCookingAmerica.net. The recipe for Genoise is
fairly standard--in classic baking texts of the 20th century, it's
simply assumed that bakers know how to make one, as it serves as a
base for most layer cakes (not the American or "German chocolate"
variety, though). But this site has a distinct definition:

> genoise (zhayn-WAHZ) - An almond powder based sponge. It is usually about a 1/4-inch and wrapped around a cake.

Everyone else describes it as "a light Italian sponge cake",
occasionally adding more specific notes about the role of eggs in it.
But the 1834 book is closer to the WCA definition in one aspect--the
recipe contains ground almonds. But it's not actually identical to the
WCA definition--the latter refers to a thin Genoise layer pre-baked in
a jelly-roll pan and used to wrap around the basic layer cake as a
foundation for buttercream frosting. It is used to smooth out any
unevenness that may exist between the different layers, so that the
layers would not cause cracking and sliding in the frosting. This is a
fairly standard commercial pastry-chef trick that is rarely used by
home-bakers.

This, however, is not all. It's easy to recognize that most standard
sauce names originate in French (mayonnaise, bernaise, hollandaise,
bechamel, etc.). I said "standard sauces" because there is a standard
taxonomy of classic sauces on which all other sauces are based.
Genoise is not among them, but there was a Genoise sauce for the
better part of the 19th century (up to WWI, in fact). It disappeared
from cookbooks when sauce taxonomy was reorganized for new techniques
and new tastes. Best I can tell, however, it was always referred to as
"Genoise sauce" or "Sauce Genoise" and not just "Genoise" as is the
case with the basic pastry. Furthermore, occasional reference appeared
(in French name of dishes) to the Genovese origin of a particular
dish, similarly to how we refer to many entrees containing spinach as
"Florentine" (although, in such cases in /modern/ cooking, "Genovese"
would be more common, as is the case with pesto). In particular, one
could find fish with Genoise sauce on the iconic Delmonico's menu (and
in its cookbook-- http://goo.gl/XteHj ) both in the French and
integrated English versions.

In fact, the 1836 reference I mentioned earlier (Young Cook's Guide)
applies to Genoise/Genoese sauce, not pastry. My mistake! The "Genoise
sauce" is a wine-flavored sauce for poached fish that is based on
sauce tournee or espagnole (basic brown sauce), if you must have the
taxonomy. The 1846 Modern Cook (Francatelli) does something very
similar, although it is less specific about the choice of wine.

There is no doubt that the 1834 book above concerns pastry (it's the
subject matter of the entire volume!). Yet, another 1834 book
"Genoise" only for sauces, but it has an interesting (but
understandable) distinction--it uses "Genoise" for the French names,
but "Genoese" for their English equivalents.

http://goo.gl/riZv9
Simpson's cookery, improved and modernised: the complete modern cook.
By Henderson William Brand. London: 1834
Alphabetical Indexes. List of Sauces. p. vi
> Genoise (sauce Genoise) 83
List of Removes of Fish. p. x
> larded and Genoese sauce (saumon pique a la Genoise) 170
> ...
> slices of, and Genoese sauce (darnes de saumon a la Genoise) 172

Sauces. p. 37
> No. 83. Genoese Sauce.
> Take some good Italian brown sauce (68), to which add some boiling red wine.

Removes of Fish. p. 75
> No. 170. Larded Salmon and Genoese Sauce.
p. 76
> No. 172. Slices of Salmon and Genoese Sauce.

These all involve Sauce a la Genoise, but they are not the only ones.
There is also No. 158, Ravioli Soup a la Genoise. The latter also
appears differently in the index than it does for the actual recipe.

List of Soups. p. viii
> Genoise (soupe a la Genoise) 158
p. ix
> Ravioli (soupe aux ravioles) 158
Soups. p. 70
> Raviolis Soup or a la Genoise

Side note on "ravioli": OED has a definition, with citations from 1760
and 1839. But the 1760 citation refers to ravioli as a "cheese made
into pudding" (presumably some kind of cheese dessert).

> As a mass noun: pasta in the form of square, circular, or semicircular envelopes with a filling of cheese, vegetables, or meat, usually served with a sauce. Also occas. with pl. concord.
> The exact sense in quot. 1760 is unclear.
> Some sources state that ravioli should not be stuffed with meat (cf. quot. 1970), but in English usage this does not seem to be widely observed.

A couple of observations: The recipe for ravioli soup involves
pounding and grinding meat (fowl) before it is mixed with egg yolk and
bechamel and used as a filling, with the ravioli subsequently boiled
in consommé. There is no question that this is the ravioli in the
sense cited above and is, therefore, antedating the 1839 citation, in
light of the first note. The content of the ravioli also discounts the
second note--the 1970 source appears to be simply mistaken as to the
contents of "ravioli". The difference may be in what is available as
dry vs. fresh pasta--it is highly unlikely to find dry pasta that
contains meat, but Italian-made dry ravioli with cheese do exist (I've
bought them on several occasions, complete with a full Italian label).
As various restaurant shows demonstrate, 21st century ravioli can
contain ingredients other than the ones listed in the OED
definition--including fruit, chocolate and even whole, runny egg yolk.
The wrapper also need not be made of pasta--thinly sliced vegetables,
such as eggplant, may also serve the purpose. So the definition is
expanding, retaining only the quality of something being "stuffed"
inside a pouch made from folding a single flat sheet of something
else, or from gluing together two thin sheets of something else. Of
course, such a definition is inconvenient, so it may be better to
simply retain the original and add, "or something resembling it". This
also makes possible, however, that ravioli have gone a full
circle--starting out as not only savory pasta, but also dessert and
now returning to the earliest tradition.

Still, all things "Genoise" show up together in a 1830 publication. GB
finds 8 citations in the volume, but it actually misses a few.

http://goo.gl/t7WRg
The Cook's Dictionary, and House-Keeper's Directory: A New Family
Manual of Cookery and Confectionery, on a Plan of Ready Reference
Never Hitherto Attempted. By Richard Dolby. London: 1830
p. 6
> Almond (bitter) Genoises.

There are four main ingredients--bitter and sweet almonds, flour,
sugar and eggs--plus some flavoring (brandy and salt). This is a
somewhat different combination from contemporary Genoise, but follows
a similar principle (except for the nuts, which are usually absent
from modern preparations).

More:
p. 14
> Aniseed Genoise.
p. 128
> Cedrat (Preserved) Genoises
p. 154
> Chickens a la Genoise
p. 132
> Make a small entremet of rum Genoises, cut in pieces, like spoon-biscuits...
p. 165
> Chocolate Genoises
p. 208
> Currant (Dry) Genoise
p. 239
> Filbert Genoise
p. 264
> Genoises
> ...
> Genoises Glacee Italienne
p. 470
> Trout a la Genoise

Although the main recipe (p. 264) involves almonds, the recipe that
immediately follows does not:

p. 264/2
> Genoises, Paste for.*—Take a pound of flour, three quarters of a pound of sugar,and half a pound of butter; rub the rinds of two or three lemons upon a part of the sugar, crush it with the rolling pin, and then roll it to a very fine powder; make a hole in the middle of the flour, and put into it a little salt, four yolks and four whole eggs, the butter and sugar; work them togetherwell, and having made your paste, roll it out, and cut it into bands, which roll the size of your little finger; cut them of equal lengths, and form them into S's or horse-shoes; slit the sides and ends, lay them on buttered tins, /dorez/, and bake them in an oven, rather hotter than for baking biscuits.

Aside from making odd shapes, this recipe is rather similar to the modern one.

http://goo.gl/130lU
> Classic Genoise
> Ingredients
> 8 large eggs
> 3 large egg yolks
> 1 cup granulated sugar
> 2 1/2 tablespoons honey
> 2 cups unbleached, unbromated pastry flour, sifted

Aside from the substitution of honey for some of the sugar, and a
rather more involved preparation, this is an ingredient list that is
virtually indistinguishable from the 1830 one.

An non-integrated (French) recipe name appears slightly earlier.
[Diacritics not included]

http://goo.gl/qewu9
The Monthly Review. Volume 6. London: October 1827
Art. VIII. Memoires Anecdotiques sur I'Interieur du Palais, et sur
quelques Evenemens de l'Empire, depuis 1805 jusqu' au ler Mai, 1814,
pour servir a l'Historie de Napoleon. Par L. F. J. De Bansset, Ancien
Prefet du Palais Imperial. 2 vols. 8vo. Paris : Baudouin Freres.
London : Treuttel & Wurtz. 1827. p. 215
> Entremets:
> Gelee d'orange moulee
> Creme a la Francaise au cafe
> Genoise decoree
> Gauffres a l'allemand

http://goo.gl/Rua23
The art of French cookery By Antoine B. Beauvilliers. London: 1827
p. 10
> Genoa Soup.--Potage a la Genois, ou aux Raviolis.

The recipe is very similar to the one above, although, in addition to
"breast of young cock", it includes "veal udder", "spinage" and
"rasped parmesan". The recipe follows on p. 11, where we get another
antedating of "raviolis" (integrated):

> ... wet with the yolks of eggs this paste, and put about half the size of a nut of this /farce/ from distance to distance upon it, and fold the paste over it, and unite it well in forming the /raviolis ;/ then cut them with a paste cutter, taking care that the farce is in the middle, and that the /raviolis/ have the form of a little star; ...

The volume also includes "Troutes a la Genoise".

Another slightly earlier non-integrated reference. [1st edition of
1825 apparently is not available in GB for confirmation.]

http://goo.gl/JhTSm
http://goo.gl/dL1bM
The Last Days of Napoleon. Memoirs of the Last Two Years of Napoleon's
Exile. By F. Antommarchi. Vol. 1.
1st edition. London: 1825
2nd edition. London: 1826
p. 91
> A good etouffe a la Genoise, a pilau a la Milanaise, and taillerans a la Corse, are preferable, in my opinion, to all the wonders of the art of Beauvilliers.

Another French cookbook with another non-integrated usage. [Sauce for fish.]

http://goo.gl/sOW7V
The French cook, or, The art of cookery: developed in all its
branches. By Louis Eustache Ude. 3rd edition. London: 1815
p. 18 [also in the Index]
> No. 36--La Genoise

There are additional occasional references, both in French texts and
integrated in English, to Genoise fleet, ship, grenadier, privateer,
etc., going back to 1740s.

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