A la mode A la mode is a French term meaning, "in the current style or fashion". It describes a dish of beef marinated in red wine and herbs, browned and then slowly braised with onions and carrots. It is served with a sauce made from the marinade. A dish he called ‘boeuf a la mode’ was served by the famous 18th century chef Marin in 1732, and there was also a restaurant named 'Boeuf a la mode' founded in 1792 in Paris, and in 1850 a restauranteur named Duval served his customers ‘boeuf a la mode’ and claims to have created it. All are similar but not quite the same as the dish as served today.
The term can also be combined with the name of a town or region, denoting a specialty of that area. (i.e. tripe a la mode de Caen, chicken a la mode de Sorges). In the U.S., pie a la mode appeared sometime in the 1920s and refers to pie (usually apple pie) served with a scoop of ice cream (usually vanilla) on top. |