Serving cloche

A serving cloche is a domed cover, frequently in silver plate, placed over the plate to retain the heat of a dish while it travels from the kitchen to the table. In palace plated service it allows a simultaneous reveal: the commis lift the cloches from every guest's plate in a single coordinated gesture. This synchronised lift, staged before the whole table at once, adds a measured theatricality to the presentation of the course as it is set down.