French Dishes for American Tables by Pierre Caron

Originally published in 1885, the object of this volume is to present to the public a number of attractive receipts in a form so clear and concise as to render their execution practicable and comparatively easy. This is a need which we believe has long been felt; those books of value on the subject of cookery hitherto published generally having been written in French, and those which have appeared in English, while perhaps containing something of merit, usually so abound in the use of technical terms as to harass and puzzle the inexperienced. The general directions also are usually of such vague and incomprehensible a character as to render their meaning quite unintelligible to the reader. In view of these difficulties, we have endeavored to avoid those terms not generally understood, and to condense each receipt as much as possible, compatible with a clear and thorough understanding of the subject. We have also studied simplicity of language, so that our book may come within the comprehension of all classes, and that which we consider of importance, to cooks themselves.[4]