Savoy Fare : Or would savoir-faire be a more fitting description for this man and his cuisine?

In 1889 Richard D’Oyly Carte opened a hotel between the Strand and River Thames that was unlike any other that had ever been built in London. Rising over the ruins of the 13th-Century Palace of Savoy, its seven stories were the first in the city to be constructed of concrete and steel with electricity supplied by its own generating station and a private artesian well supplying soft water.

Other extravagances included the 67 bathrooms, elevators panelled in Japanese red lacquer and speaking-tubes that enabled communications between floors. And to eliminate the embarrassment of tipping, an all-in tariff was introduced with no hidden extras.

It took some effort, but D’Oyly Carte persuaded Cesar Ritz, at that time the world’s premier hotelier, to manage his new hotel. When Ritz moved to London, he brought a support team that included the world famous chef Auguste Escoffier. Under the direction of Escoffier (who refused to speak English, lived alone in the hotel and worked an 18-hour day) the Savoy became world renowned for its cuisine.

“The Savoy Food and Drink Book” (Salem House Publishers, 1988: $29.95) marks the centenary of this distinguished hotel, still famous for its fine dining. Today the hotel’s 88 chefs are headed by Anton Edelmann, who speaks almost flawless English, lives with his family an hour’s drive from the hotel and has cut his work day down to 16 hours.

Edelmann first came to the Savoy from his native Germany in 1971. After a year of training, he left to work in hotels and restaurants on the continent for a decade, then returned as maitre chef des cuisines in 1982 at the unprecedented age of 29.

The surprisingly informal Edelmann, with his Don Johnson-”Miami Vice” image, absolutely exudes energy. On a recent visit to The Times Test Kitchen he talked about his first project after returning to the Savoy--the redesign and rebuilding of the hotel’s kitchens.

A temporary kitchen had to be built, literally overnight, so there would be no interruption in service. Then the original Escoffier ovens were mothballed after 90 years of service and replaced by French custom-made gas stoves, Swiss boilers,

American air-conditioning and Welsh floor tiles. The total cost was about $5 million.

What the new kitchens did not include, however, were any freezers. “Freezers are so often used as dustbins,” says Edelmann. “There are also very few machines because I believe everything in a kitchen should be done by hand.”

With the kitchen in place, Edelmann set about revamping the menus. However, when one regular patron became so enraged that he marched right into the kitchen and gave Edelmann a piece of his mind, the pace was slowed and traditional favorites were retained. That same patron still comes to the Savoy for lunch every weekday and the two

are now friends.

A surprising 90% of the Savoy’s dining clientele are English and many of them, like the patron just described, arrive daily and expect to be seated at the same table. “Sometimes one of them forgets to tell us he or she is going on vacation, and the table stands empty. If they return a week or two later and someone else is seated there, they get very upset,” said Edelmann.

Between the restaurants, seven private dining rooms and three banquet rooms, the Savoy serves 1,400 meals each day. Edelmann has a penchant for quality and freshness and uses local English produce whenever possible, Scotch beef and Welsh lamb. Butter and eggs are imported from France, veal from the Netherlands.

Experienced cooks who enjoy spending time in the kitchen will enjoy preparing recipes from “The Savoy Food and Drink Book.” They come directly from the hotel’s kitchens, and although the conversion from metric sometimes results in less than standard measurements, those we tested worked well and the finished products were well worth the effort.

It should be noted that because these are restaurant recipes, a sub-recipe for pastry or sauce often yields more than is needed for the main recipe. These supplemental recipes are found in the helpful section on basic recipes and preparation techniques. There is also an informative section on vegetable accompaniments and garnishes.

The outstanding photography throughout the book and historical information drawn from the hotel archives make this as much a book for the coffeetable as for the kitchen.

GATEAU DE CAROTTES ET GRUYERE

(Carrot Gateau With Gruyere)

1 3/4 cups packed grated carrots

2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2/3 cup chopped, peeled potato

1/2 cup finely shredded Gruyere

1 1/2 eggs, beaten

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

Flour

4 1/2 teaspoons sugar

12 baby carrots, peeled and trimmed

12 baby turnips, peeled and trimmed

7 tablespoons Vegetable Stock

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Tomato Coulis

4 sprigs basil

Saute grated carrots in half of butter about 4 minutes. Boil potato, drain and press through fine strainer. Combine sauteed carrots, potato, Gruyere and eggs. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Dust 4 small buttered ramekins or souffle dishes with flour. Fill with vegetable mixture and cover with plastic wrap. Steam about 20 minutes.

Divide remaining butter and sugar between 2 small pans. Glaze baby carrots in 1 pan and baby turnips in other. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add 1/2 Vegetable Stock to each pan. Cover and cook slowly until vegetables are tender-crisp.

Warm Tomato Coulis. Unmold 1 carrot gateau onto each of 4 plates. Pour small amount Tomato Coulis around gateau and position carrots and turnips in sauce. Garnish each portion with basil sprig. Makes 4 servings.

Vegetable Stock

1/2 cup chopped shallots

1/4 cup unsalted butter

2 cups sliced carrots

3 1/2 cups sliced leeks

2 cups sliced fennel

1 3/4 cups sliced celery

2 cups sliced celery root

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dry white wine

24 white peppercorns, crushed

5 1/2 cups chicken stock

Saute shallots in butter in large stockpot. Add carrots, leeks, fennel, celery and celery root. Cover and cook over low heat about 6 minutes.

Season vegetables to taste with salt and pepper. Add wine, peppercorns and chicken stock. Simmer about 30 minutes. Pour through fine strainer or cheesecloth. Makes about 1 quart stock.

Tomato Coulis

1/3 cup minced onion

1 clove garlic, chopped

4 1/3 tablespoons unsalted butter

14 ounces plum tomatoes, quartered

1/4 cup tomato paste

6 basil leaves with stems

7 tablespoons Vegetable Stock

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

Saute onion and garlic in 1 1/3 tablespoons butter until transparent. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, basil stems and Vegetable Stock and simmer gently about 30 minutes, until tomatoes are thoroughly cooked.

Press mixture through fine strainer. Return to heat and reduce to desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add chopped basil leaves and stir in remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

TARTE BOURDALOUE

7 ounces Sweet Pastry Dough

2/3 cup blanched almonds, ground

3 2/3 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup superfine sugar

7 tablespoons egg whites

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup pear brandy

4 small pears, peeled and cored

4 cups Sugar Syrup

2 1/2 tablespoons apricot jam

Powdered sugar

Vanilla Sauce

Roll out Sweet Pastry Dough 1/8-inch thick and use to line 9-inch flan ring or springform pan. Trim edges carefully.

Combine ground almonds, flour, sugar and egg whites to smooth consistency. Melt butter over high heat until nut brown in color, then quickly stir into almond mixture. Stir in pear brandy.

Lightly poach pears in Sugar Syrup until just tender. Allow to cool, then drain well and cut in half.

Spread almond mixture over bottom of dough and arrange pear halves on top, curved side up. Bake at 325 degrees about 45 minutes, until golden brown and just firm.

Remove flan ring or pan and lightly glaze surface with apricot jam that has been warmed and pressed through fine strainer. Dust tart edge with powdered sugar. Serve warm, accompanied by warm Vanilla Sauce. Makes 8 servings.

Sweet Pastry Dough

1 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup superfine sugar

1 egg, beaten

2 3/4 cups plus 3 tablespoons flour

Salt

Cream butter and sugar together until very pale. Slowly beat in egg. Slowly add flour with dash of salt and mix to smooth dough. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Sugar Syrup

2 1/2 cups superfine sugar

4 cups water

1/4 cup lemon juice

Dissolve sugar in water over moderate heat. Add lemon juice and bring to boil. Allow to cool, then strain.

Vanilla Sauce

2 1/4 cups milk

1 vanilla pod

6 egg yolks

7 tablespoons sugar

Heat milk with vanilla pod about 10 minutes to infuse. Whisk egg yolks and sugar together. Bring milk to boil and pour into egg yolk mixture, mixing thoroughly.

Place mixture in clean saucepan and stir gently with wooden spoon over low heat until sauce thickens and coats back of spoon. Allow to cool, then pour through fine strainer. Makes about 2 1/3 cups.

PETIT SOUFFLE D’ASPERGES VERTES AU BEURRE DE CERFEUIL

(Asparagus Souffle With Chervil Butter)

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup flour

1 1/4 cups milk

5 egg yolks

4 teaspoons shredded Gruyere

Dijon mustard

8 thin asparagus spears, peeled

Salt

Cayenne pepper

1/4 pound Savory Pie Crust Dough

3 egg whites

12 plum tomato fillets

Fresh ground pepper

1 1/4 cups Beurre Blanc

8 sprigs chervil

Melt 1/4 cup butter in saucepan. Add flour and stir into roux. Bring milk to boil and slowly add to roux, stirring constantly, to form smooth sauce.

Beat egg yolks, add to sauce mixture and cook over low heat 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Add Gruyere and mustard to taste.

Cook asparagus in boiling salted water 3 to 5 minutes until tender-crisp, then plunge into ice water. Cut off tips about 1 1/2 inches down spear. Chop remaining stems very finely and add to sauce. Season to taste with salt and cayenne.

Roll out Savory Pie Crust Dough very thinly and use to line 4 buttered ramekins or souffle dishes about 3 1/2-inches in diameter. Whisk egg whites until very stiff and fold into warm asparagus sauce with metal spoon. Use to fill lined ramekins. Bake at 400 degrees 25 minutes.

Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter and warm asparagus tips and plum tomato fillets. season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pour small amount of Beurre Blanc onto each of 4 plates. Unmold souffles and place 1 on each plate. Garnish with asparagus tips, tomato fillets and chervil sprigs. Makes 4 servings.

Note: To prepare plum tomato fillets, cut plum tomatoes in quarters, cut out seeds and carefully cut as close as possible to skin to remove flesh.

Savory Pie Crust

1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut in small dice

1/4 cup lard, cut in small dice

1 1/2 cups plus 2 2/3 tablespoons flour

Salt

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon water

Cut butter and lard into flour with dash salt until mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Add water and quickly mix to smooth dough. Avoid over-mixing or pastry will be tough. Cover and place in refrigerator. Makes 3/4 pound dough.

Beurre Blanc

1 tablespoon chopped shallot

6 white peppercorns, crushed

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons white wine

2 tablespoons whipping cream

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and diced

Cayenne pepper

Salt

Place shallot, peppercorns, vinegar and wine in saucepan and reduce by half. Add cream and reduce until mixture thickens.

Remove from heat and work in butter. Season to taste with cayenne and salt. Pour through fine strainer. Keep warm over hot water.