The Playboy Larder

A Bachelor's Pantry tends to be the most undernourished part of his kitchen. Shelves seem to have a way of filling themselves up with miscellaneous foodstuffs so haphazardly that the busy bachelor prepping for a party or just taking care of a few unexpected drop-ins too often finds himself with a tin of anchovy paste and four bottles of champagne. Not a bad start, but nothing he can do much with. So our man finds himself out shopping when he should be home sipping with his guests. Ideally, a larder should be like a gastronomic computer--ready to come up with the answer to any cuisine problem no matter how sudden or complicated. To help get your culinary collection properly started, we've separated into seven categories the basic foodstuffs with which an epicurean-minded bachelor should begin--hors d'oeuvres, cocktail snacks, soups, fish and seafood, meats and poultry, gourmet vegetables, cheeses and desserts.

Your larder should be filled with two basic types of foods. The first is the day-to-day sustenance you replace more or less automatically--bottled sauces, eggs, bacon, pasta, vegetables, coffee, etc., to which a man goes primarily when feeding himself. The second is really the stuff to give to your special guests, particularly when they appreciate the finest in food. For the most part, the second category requires more care in buying.

Before going on a shopping spree, be aware of the size of the shelves and freezer that you'll be filling. A larder should utilize every cubic inch. If space is at a premium, don't store bulky biscuit tins when thin Danish black bread works just as well. Buy your brandied peaches in quarts or pints rather than in kegs with Falstaffian circumferences. The staple part of your larder should be chock-full of spices and sauces that are fresh--not just cabinet clutterings that have long since lost their punch. Look over your bottled sauces and herbs several times a year just as you'd assess your wardrobe or tie collection. Discard and replace old or unused items with fresh or different seasonings. Build your larder around the kinds of cuisines you like best. If you're gung ho for Chinese dishes, then stock up on hoi sin and soy sauces, sesame oil and water chestnuts. If French cookery is your forte, pâté de foie gras, canned chestnuts, tarragon vinegar, beef extract and champagne biscuits are all premier pantry candidates.

There is still a small but lingering prejudice against some foods in bottles, cans and jars. This is left over from the days when chefs stuffed their own sausages, cut their own noodles and were afraid that baking powder would cause men to blow up like balloons. (Continued on page 220) Playboy Larder (Continued from page 157) Prejudice aside, there are certain canned foods that come off even more taste-temptingly than their green-grocery counterparts: mackerel in white wine, for instance, or plum tomatoes, silver onions, tiny beets, red cabbage and tropical fruits such as papayas or mangoes in heavy syrup. Of course, you can debate the virtues of such delicious fare as imported quenelles of fish from France versus the fresh varieties. But when you heat the canned quenelles with sweet cream and sherry, and take them piping hot to the table, debates cease and both sides plunge into foodstuffs at hand.

The following seven-layer larder, with approximate quantities of each item, is planned to keep the busy bachelor ready for any gastronomic delight.

[recipe_title]Hors D'Oeuvres[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]6 ozs. beluga caviar[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]4 ozs. pâté de foie gras[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]4 ozs. purée de fois with truffles[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]5 ozs. sliced prosciutto[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]8 ozs. baby eggplant with dill[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]6 ozs. tiny artichoke hearts in olive oil, in jar[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]6 ozs. canned mackerel fillets in white wine[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]4 ozs. canned French or Portuguese boneless and skinless sardines[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]4 ozs. canned Reymersholm marinated fillets of smoked herring[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]4 ozs. canned Abba banquet herring in madeira[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]8 ozs. canned Nova Scotia sliced salmon, frozen[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3 ozs. canned English pâté of smoked kipper[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 ozs. flat anchovies in olive oil[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2-oz. tube anchovy paste[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]4 ozs. canned smoked oysters[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]6 ozs. canned cocktail pork sausages[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]8 ozs. canned Dutch cocktail meatballs[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 pkgs. assorted frozen hors d'oeuvres for baking[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 pkgs. frozen miniature quiche lorraine[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 8-oz. can colossal green ripe olives[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 10-oz. jar triple stuffed olives[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 pkgs. cocktail crackers or thin bread for canapés[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3 pkgs. tartlet shells for hors d'oeuvres[/drinkRecipe]

These curtain raisers sometimes take over the whole show at today's informal drinking sessions. Two classics, caviar and pâté de foie gras, are still the most popular, although a special word of praise must be given to the Louis Henry purée de foie truffée--a delicious gooseliver spread from Strasbourg. The old custom of serving hors d'oeuvres in their original tins is simply an excuse for the host to prove to his guests that his caviar is the genuine stuff and that his sardines were packed in Norway and not in Maine. And we like to see French pâté de foie gras served in the original crock--it has a certain charm. But, in most other cases, conspicuous consumption is neither smart nor sophisticated. The most inviting way of offering up chilled hors d'oeuvres is to empty them into a sectional hors d'oeuvre platter. (Chill the contents of cans or jars by placing them, opened, in the freezer for 30 to 45 minutes.) Hot hors d'oeuvres should be preheated in the kitchen and then kept simmering in a chafing dish or on an electric hot tray. Cocktail crackers or tartlet shells should always be tasted for freshness and recrisped in a moderate oven if necessary.

[recipe_title]Cocktail Snacks[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]8-oz. jar maraschino cherries with stems[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 5-oz. jars pitted martini olives[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 3-oz. jar pearl onions[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 5-oz. jar cocktail orange slices in syrup[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 7-oz. can salted cocktail almonds[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 7-oz. jars Macadamia nuts[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 2-oz. jars mushroom nibbles[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 6-oz. can cheesecuits[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 pkg. shrimp chips, uncooked[/drinkRecipe]

For delicious hot shrimp, fry the chips in deep fat, then salt them generously. All unused bar fruits and olives should be stored tightly covered in the refrigerator.

[recipe_title]Soups[/recipe_title]

(in standard-sized cans)

[drinkRecipe]4 cans black bean[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]4 cans Maine lobster bisque[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]4 cans Scotch broth[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]4 cans cream of cucumber[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]4 cans pheasant consommé with sherry[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3 cans clear green turtle[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]4 cans consommé madrilene[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]4 cans petite marmite[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]4 cans chicken broth with rice[/drinkRecipe]

Almost any soup served in the evening--excluding the chicken broth--will be doubly delightful if you add 1 tablespoon (no more) dry sherry per serving. Garnish black bean soup with a slice of lemon, a chopped hard-boiled egg or frankfurter slices. Serve all thick soups bubbling hot in a tureen. Soup is best when served in bowls or cups that have been preheated by rinsing in hot water. Sprinkle chopped chives or chopped parsley over thin soups.

[recipe_title]Fish and Seafood[/recipe_title]

(in standard-sized cans)

[drinkRecipe]2 10-oz. cans frozen fresh jumbo lump crab meat or 7-oz. cans fancy Japanese crab meat[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 cans Swedish fish balls[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 cans quenelles of pike in shrimp sauce[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3 cans Norwegian sardines[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3 pairs shad roe, frozen, or 3 cans shad roe[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3 cans rainbow trout grilled in butter[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]6 cans tuna fish in olive oil[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3 pkgs. frozen rock lobster tails[/drinkRecipe]

In 1837, Thomas Walker, an English gourmet, writing on the art of dining, penned, "The rule generally followed is to think what the guests are accustomed to, whereas it should be reversed, and what they are not accustomed to should rather be set before them." For following Walker's advice, try fish balls from Sweden; they're given the flour, egg and bread-crumb treatment and fried in deep fat. Serve with a tomato sauce made sweet and sour with sugar and vinegar, and spiced with dill weed. Serve shad roe with a lemon-butter sauce and crisp bacon.

[recipe_title]Meats and Poultry[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]6 frozen strip sirloin steaks[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 frozen whole sirloin[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]6 frozen lamb steaks[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]12 frozen rib or loin lamb chops[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]12 frozen slices veal for scaloppine[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]6 12-oz. frozen pork tenderloins[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 3-lb. can imported ham[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 1-lb. cans Danish bacon[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 1/2 lbs. frozen chicken livers[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]6 frozen Rock Cornish game hens[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]6 whole frozen squabs[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 12-oz. jars breast of chicken[/drinkRecipe]

When buying meat, go to a butcher who will slice cuts to your specifications. Select only those that can be taken directly from your freezer to the fire. Shun frozen meats cooked in a sauce. We've tasted store-bought freezings of beef Bourguignon, beef Stroganoff and coq au vin, and most of them are poor imitations. If you want to include these dishes in your basic larder, make an extra supply when you're cooking them and then store it in your freezer. If you want wild game, find a butcher who knows something about it (many of the better men's clubs offer special services on preparing game). Canned ham, bacon and chicken in jars are particularly right at latesupper fetes and brunches.

[recipe_title]Gourmet Vegetables[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]2 10-oz. cans cooked wild rice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 7/8-oz. cans black truffles[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 7-oz. cans sliced German celery knobs[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 7-oz. cans French artichoke bottoms[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 7-oz. jars Belgian whole baby carrots[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3 4 3/4-oz. cans mushrooms broiled in butter[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 5-oz. cans French chanterelles[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 5-oz. cans French whole natural chestnuts[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 7-oz. cans Brazilian hearts of palm[/drinkRecipe]

Most trenchermen stock their larders with various frozen vegetables, such as peas or green string beans, as they're easier to store and often match the fresh variety in taste, which is all right, as far as it goes; but canned vegetables from abroad often have no domestic equals. As garnishes, they add a luscious halo to many an otherwise pedestrian dish.

[recipe_title]Cheeses[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]1 lb. gourmandise with kirsch[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 lb. gorgonzola or roquefort[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 lb. caerphilly[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 lb. brie or camembert[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]Swiss emmentaler or gruyère (natural)--1 lb. for dessert or 1 1/2 lbs. for fondue[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 lb. bel paese[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 8-oz. crock cheddar in sherry[/drinkRecipe]

The cheese section of your pantry calls for a wise eye and nose. Buy cocktail and dessert cheeses only when they're ripe, being sure to guard against overripeness, particularly with brie or camembert. Store your selections in the refrigerator in their own humidor. Be sure to wrap chunks cut from a cheese wheel in polyethylene paper. To liberate the full aroma, cheese should stand at room temperature for at least one hour before it appears on the buffet table.

[recipe_title]Desserts[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]2 15-oz. cans black pitted cherries[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 10-oz. jars pears in crème de menthe[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 19-oz. jars brandied peaches[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3 6-oz. cans mangoes in syrup[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3 6-oz. cans papayas in syrup[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 5-oz. jars whole marrons in vanilla syrup[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 pkgs. Baba de Paris[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 5-oz. pkgs. Gâteau (Belin) au Grand Marnier[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 7-oz. jars crepes suzette[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 1-lb. pkg. petit beurre cookies[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 pkg. of 40 petits fours[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 6-oz. bottles melba sauce[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 9-oz. jars Nesselrode sauce[/drinkRecipe]

Visit the nearest bakery and store an armload of their freshest baking in your frozen larder. Both bread and cake can be thawed or reheated to recapture their natural freshness. In many bachelors' quarters, a generous serving of ice cream is the proper topper to the meal. It can be garnished with fruit, fruit sauces or fruit flambeau.

Keep your larder in top shape by replenishing supplies as they diminish. A well-stocked bachelor buttery not only opens the door to a wealth of comestibles but also gives party-minded gourmets plenty of tasty excuses for keeping the fun and frolic rolling along.