BOILED EGGS

Soft-boiled eggs should have the albumen creamy, not hard. To obtain this, slow heat is required. Hence receipt No. 1 is recommended. No. 2 gives a soft egg, but the time is difficult to determine exactly. No. 3 gives satisfactory results. To have eggs hard boil them for twenty-five minutes. The yolks will then be dry and mealy. When done, place them in cold water for fifteen minutes. Then roll them lightly on the table to crush the shells, which can then be peeled off easily, leaving the surface smooth and white. Use a sharp, thin knife for cutting them so the pieces will be clean and smooth.

No. 1

Place the eggs in warm water to heat the shells so they will not crack when put into boiling water. Let the water in the saucepan boil violently; put in the eggs carefully, and when the water again bubbles, remove it from the fire; cover and let the eggs remain in it for five minutes.

No. 2

Put the eggs into boiling water and cook for three minutes, the water boiling all the time.

Place the eggs in cold water on the fire, and remove as soon as the water boils.

POACHED EGGS, No. 1

The white of a poached egg should be a white, translucent, jelly-like mass. To obtain this result, which makes it an easily digested food, it must cook very slowly, the water never reaching the boiling-point. Place in a shallow pan as many muffin-rings as you have eggs to poach. Turn in enough boiling water to just cover the rings; add a little salt. When the water boils, draw the pan to the side of the range, and break an egg into each ring. It should take at least ten to fifteen minutes to cook the eggs to the translucent state desired. Have ready even pieces of toast one half inch thick, cut into rounds a trifle larger than the muffin-rings. Moisten them with hot water, and spread with a little butter. Remove the eggs carefully on a skimmer or pancake turner, and place one on each round of toast; then lift off carefully the rings, and place a spot of pepper in the center of each yolk. Arrange them symmetrically on a dish, and garnish with parsley.

FRENCH POACHED EGGS, No. 2

These eggs, when properly cooked, are in the shape of balls, and are used for fancy egg-dishes. Have in a deep saucepan a generous amount of water; add a little salt and vinegar; the salt to raise the heat of the water, the vinegar to harden the white of the egg. When the water is violently boiling, crack the shell of the egg, and holding it close to the water, drop the contents quickly on the point of greatest ebullition. The egg should drop all at once, not drain into the water. The mass will then be whole, and the violently agitated water will toss it about, giving it a round form. When sufficiently firm to hold, remove with a skimmer and place carefully on the bottom of an inverted tin to drain. Poach but one egg at a time, and remove it before the yolk hardens.

POACHED EGG, No. 3

Add a dash of salt to the white of an egg and whip it to a froth. Place this in a deep saucer or cup, and place in the center the whole unbroken yolk. Set the dish in a pan of boiling water; cover and let cook for two minutes. This is a good way to serve an egg to an invalid.

FRIED EGGS

Place a little butter in a very clean frying-pan. When it bubbles, turn in the eggs, one at a time, and keep the pan where the heat is not sufficient to blacken the butter. If the eggs are wanted hard, turn and fry them on both sides like a pancake.

SCRAMBLED EGGS

Beat the eggs lightly with a fork, just enough to break them. To four eggs add two tablespoonfuls of milk, one half teaspoonful of salt, and a dash of pepper. Put into a very clean frying-pan one half tablespoonful of butter. When it begins to bubble, turn in the eggs, and stir them constantly over a slow fire until they begin to set; then remove them from the fire and continue to stir until they are of the right consistency. The heat of the pan will be sufficient to finish the cooking, and there will not be danger of their being overcooked. They should be firm only, not hard. If the pan is perfectly clean, and the butter is not allowed to burn, they will have a bright clean color. Scrambled eggs may be varied the same as omelets, by mixing with them any other thing desired. The extra material should be added when the pan is taken from the fire, and stirred with the egg until it has finished cooking. A teaspoonful of parsley, chopped fine, gives a good flavor and simple change. A little purÉe of tomatoes added makes a good combination. With minced chicken, veal, ham, fried bacon, mushrooms, or sweetbreads, it makes a good luncheon dish. Any pieces left over will serve the purpose, as very little is required. Garnish the dish with croÛtons and parsley.

PLAIN FRENCH OMELET

An omelet is the most difficult to prepare of any egg dish. It requires some practice to give it the right shape (which is high in the center and pointed at the ends), to have it soft inside, to give it a smooth, slightly browned surface, a texture like scrambled eggs, and to have everything perfect. The first essential is to have a perfectly clean and smooth pan. It is difficult to make a smooth omelet in a pan used for other purposes; so it is well to have one kept for this use alone. The French do not wash the omelet-pan, but scour it smooth with salt and vinegar when it sticks, and at other times rub it clean with a dry cloth. Before using the pan scour it well with dry salt to give it extra smoothness.

It is better to make several small omelets than one large one, using not more than three or four eggs for each one. Beat the eggs just enough to break them. The rule is twelve beats. To three eggs add a half teaspoonful of salt, a dash of pepper, and a half teaspoonful of butter broken into small bits. A teaspoonful of milk may be used or not. Have the pan evenly heated and hot, but not scorching. Put in a half teaspoonful of butter and let it run evenly over the pan, but not brown; turn in the eggs. With a knife or fork break the cooked surface in several places quickly, so the egg from the top may run to the bottom and cook, or press the egg away from the sides, letting the uncooked part run under. This must be done in the beginning so as not to make the surface uneven. When the egg is cooked, but yet quite soft on the top, lift the pan on one side, slip the knife under, and carefully roll the omelet to the center. Let it cook a moment to set any egg that has run out, and if the color is not right add a little butter, and let it run under and slightly color the omelet. Place a hot dish over the pan and turn them together so the omelet will fall in the right place; press it into good shape, doubling it under on the ends if necessary. Garnish with parsley and serve at once. Have everything ready before beginning to cook an omelet, as it will not bear being kept while the dish is heated, and the garnishing found.

VARIATIONS OF THE OMELET

BEATEN OMELET

Beat very light the yolks and whites of three eggs separately. Season the yolks with salt and pepper and one tablespoonful of milk; then fold in lightly the whipped whites. Put a half teaspoonful of butter in a hot frying or omelet pan. Let it run over the bottom and sides of the pan, but do not let it brown. Turn in the egg mixture, spread it lightly and evenly over the pan, and let it cook until it forms a very light crust on the bottom; then place it in the oven about three minutes, or until the egg is cooked through, but not hard; fold it once, and turn it onto a hot dish. This omelet may be used the same as the French omelet in combination with other things. Spread anything so used on the omelet before turning it. For a sweet omelet add sugar to the yolks, and omit the pepper. Serve at once.

SHIRRED EGGS

(SUR LE PLAT ... AU MIROIR ... COCOTTE.)For this dish (sur le plat) individual china dishes are generally used, although a dish holding several eggs will do. Butter the dishes; break into each one an egg; sprinkle a little salt on the whites, but not on the yolks. Place them on the shelf of the oven so the heat will be greatest on top; baste the yolks several times while baking with a little hot butter. This will give them a glaze. As soon as the glaze appears remove them from the oven, and if not sufficiently cooked, stand them for a minute on the top of the range. Care must be used not to dry the eggs.Several eggs cooked together in this way in a large dish, then cut into circles with a biscuit cutter, and placed on broiled ham, stewed kidneys, minced meat, tomato purÉe, or other things, are called eggs au miroir. When baked in individual dishes, they may be varied by sprinkling in the dish before the egg is added a little chopped ham, chicken, mushrooms, or tomato purÉe, etc. When baked in little pot-shaped dishes in the same way they are called cocottes. These may be varied by lining the dishes with a thin layer of forcemeat or minced meat, the eggs then dropped in and poached by standing the dishes in a pan of water in the oven. When done, a little cream or BÉchamel sauce or tomato purÉe is turned over the top, and sprinkled with parsley. Serve eggs sur le plat and cocotte in the dishes in which they are baked.

MOLDED EGGS

(À LA POLIGNAC)

Butter well some individual timbale molds; chop some parsley very fine, and powder the inside of the buttered molds with it. To do this, place a teaspoonful of the parsley in a buttered mold, cover it with the hand and shake it well; then invert the mold, and strike it on the table to free it of all that is loose. Break into each mold an egg, letting it go in slowly from the side so no air bubbles will be held, as they make holes and uneven surface in the cooked egg. Sprinkle the top with salt and butter. Place the molds in a pan of hot water, half covering them, and poach in a moderate oven eight to ten minutes, or until firm enough to stand, but not very hard. Serve them on a flat dish with a spoonful of white, BÉchamel, or tomato sauce under each form. This is a very simple way of preparing eggs, and makes a good luncheon dish.

MOLDED HAM AND EGGS

Mince some boiled ham very fine. Moisten it with white sauce and raw egg, just enough to make a consistent paste. Line individual buttered timbale molds with a thin layer of the ham paste. Break an egg in the center of each one, and poach them in the oven eight to ten minutes, as directed for eggs À la Polignac. Place a little white or BÉchamel sauce on the serving dish; turn the eggs onto it, and put a spoonful of sauce on the top of each one, letting it run over, and partly mask them, as the color of the ham is not attractive. Garnish with parsley. Another receipt for ham and eggs is given on page 178. Any other meat may be used in the same way.

POACHED EGGS ON ANCHOVY TOAST

(A SUPPER DISH)

Cut toasted bread into circles; spread them with anchovy paste, and place on each piece a poached egg prepared as directed in receipt No. 1.

POACHED EGGS WITH ANCHOVY

(AN ENTRÉE FOR LUNCHEON)

Cut bread into circles and toast them; spread them lightly first with anchovy paste, then with a layer of ham or tongue chopped very fine, seasoned well, and a little moistened with stock or white sauce. Cover the top with whipped white of egg; place a raw yolk in the center of each one. Bake them in the oven for one minute, or just long enough to well heat the egg.

POACHED EGG WITH TOMATO

Cut bread into slices three quarters of an inch thick, then into circles. With a smaller cutter cut half way through the bread, and remove the center, leaving a form like a patty case. Fry them in hot fat to an amber color; fill the centers with well seasoned tomato purÉe, and place on the top of each one a French poached egg.

EGGS À LA VILLEROI

This dish is served as an entrÉe for luncheon, and is a particularly good as well as mysterious dish, for having a soft egg inside a croquette seems a difficult thing to get. Poach the eggs French style (page 263), using care to have them round and just firm enough to hold in shape. Lift them carefully on a strainer, and place them on the bottom of an inverted pan, leaving a space between them. When they are cold trim them, carefully removing any ragged ends of white, and wipe them dry. Make a Villeroi sauce as directed (page 280). When it is partly cooled, pour it with a spoon over the eggs. It should form a thick coating. When it is cold and well set, trim each egg neatly again, cutting away any of the sauce that has run over the pan. Have some soft, white crumbs, grated from the loaf or rubbed through a coarse sieve, and mixed with grated cheese. Lift an egg on a broad knife, and place it on the crumbs. Cover it with as many crumbs as will adhere. Lift it again on the knife into a dish containing beaten egg, and with a spoon moisten it well with the egg. Then place it on fresh, white crumbs that are not mixed with cheese, and cover it completely. It can now be handled with care and turned into good shape in the crumbs. Let the breaded eggs stand until just ready to serve, then place three or four at a time in a wire basket, and plunge them in smoking hot fat (see frying, page 72) to take a delicate color. Do not let them become deeper than lemon color. Place a spoonful of Villeroi sauce on each plate, using the sauce left from coating the eggs and thinning it with stock; place an egg on the sauce and serve at once. Chopped truffles mixed with the sauce improves it.

EGGS À LA BOURGUINONNE

Poach eggs in the French style, letting them be as soft as possible. Butter a flat baking-dish; sprinkle it with bread crumbs and grated cheese. Place on them carefully the poached eggs. Cover them with BÉchamel or Allemande sauce (see page 279), and sprinkle over the top grated Parmesan cheese. Place in a hot oven to melt the cheese, and lightly brown the top.

EGGS À L’AURORE

Take six hard-boiled eggs, and press the yolks through a colander. Cut the whites into half-inch dice, mix them with a well-reduced white or BÉchamel sauce, and turn them into a flat baking-dish. Cover the top with the mashed yolks, dot it with small bits of butter, and place in a hot oven for a few minutes to heat, but not brown. This may be served in individual cups or shells if desired. Chopped mushrooms mixed with the sauce makes a good variation of the dish. Another way of serving it is to cut the whites lengthwise into quarters or eighths, and place them in a circle on the dish; pour the sauce in the center, leaving the points of one end uncovered, and sprinkle over the sauce the mashed yolks. In order not to have the dish cold when served in this way, keep the cut whites in hot water until ready to serve. Have the dish hot, and put all together quickly at the moment of serving. (See illustration.)

Cut bread into even pieces; toast and butter the pieces, and moisten them with hot water. Boil six eggs hard. Separate the whites from the yolks; chop the whites, and press the yolks through a colander or sieve. Make a white sauce, using one tablespoonful each of butter and flour cooked together, and then add a cupful of cream or milk. When it is well thickened add the chopped whites, and season with pepper and salt. Spread this mixture on the slices of toast, and cover the top with the mashed yolks. Sprinkle the yolks evenly over the pieces, so they look very yellow. Serve very hot.

CURRIED EGGS

Boil the eggs hard; remove the shells carefully as directed (page 262), and drop them in hot water to keep warm until ready to use. Mold some boiled rice into a form resembling a nest. Have the rice boiled so each grain is distinct (see page 222). Place it on the hot shelf to keep warm. Place a teaspoonful of chopped onion in a saucepan with a tablespoonful of butter, and cook until the onion is a light yellow, but not brown. Add an even tablespoonful of corn starch, mixed with a half tablespoonful of curry powder and diluted with a little cold milk or stock, then stir in slowly one and a half cupfuls of white stock or milk. Let it cook until the corn starch is clear; add pepper and salt to taste, and strain it. The sauce should be a bright yellow color, perfectly smooth, and not very thick. Wipe the eggs dry, roll them in the sauce to get evenly coated with color, and place them in the nest of rice. Pour in enough sauce to moisten the rice without discoloring the outside or top edge of the rice around the eggs. (See illustration.)

STUFFED EGGS No. 1

Cut hard-boiled eggs in two lengthwise. Take out carefully the yolks, mash them, and mix them with some chicken or other meat minced fine. Season the mixture with pepper and salt. Moisten it with a little of any kind of sauce or gravy, and add a little raw egg. Chopped truffles and mushrooms may be added to the stuffing if convenient. Fill the spaces in the whites of the eggs with the mixture; smooth it even with the top; rub a little raw white of egg over the pieces, and press two halves together. Roll the stuffed eggs in egg and crumbs, and fry in hot fat to a lemon color. Serve the eggs on a napkin, and pass with them a white, BÉchamel, tomato, or any other sauce.

STUFFED EGGS No. 2

Cut hard-boiled eggs in halves. Take out the yolks, leaving two cup-shaped pieces. Mix the yolks with an equal quantity of softened bread; season with salt, pepper, and parsley. Add a little raw egg to bind the mixture, and fill the spaces from which the yolks were taken. Round it on top to give the appearance of a whole yolk. Cut a little slice off the bottom of the egg, so it will stand firm. Place them in the oven just long enough to heat, and serve standing, on a dish covered with white sauce.

EGG CROQUETTES

Cut some hard-boiled eggs into quarter-inch dice. Mix with them some chopped mushrooms. Stir them carefully into a well-reduced BÉchamel or white sauce made as directed for croquettes (page 293). Turn the mixture onto a cold dish to cool and stiffen. Mold into croquettes, and fry in hot fat. See directions for croquettes (page 293).

OTHER WAYS OF SERVING HARD-BOILED EGGS

(LUNCHEON DISHES)

No. 1. Cut hard-boiled eggs in two lengthwise. Arrange them symmetrically on a flat dish, and pour over them a giblet sauce made of chicken or turkey gravy.

No. 2. Cut hard-boiled eggs into quarters. Make a ring form of boiled rice; fill the center with the eggs; pour over them some BÉchamel sauce. Sprinkle the whole with bread-crumbs and grated cheese. Moisten the top with melted butter, and place in the oven to brown. Serve on the dish in which they are browned.

TOMATOES STUFFED WITH EGGS

Select round tomatoes of uniform size; remove the skins. Cut a slice off the tops, and take out the seeds and soft pulp. Drop into each one a raw egg, and replace the cover. Set the tomatoes into a buttered pan or into a baking-dish which can be sent to the table, and place in the oven for about ten minutes, or until the egg has set. Serve on the same dish and with a brown or a BÉchamel sauce.

EGGS À LA REINE

DOWN TOWN CLUB

Make croustades, three inches in diameter and half an inch thick, from stale American bread. Dip them in good melted butter, put them on a pan in the oven until they are a nice light-brown color; then take out the center of each croustade and fill with foie gras. On the top of each put a poached egg; then pour over a cream sauce, sprinkle with truffles chopped fine, and serve immediately.

EGGS LIVINGSTON

DOWN TOWN CLUB. (FOR SIX PERSONS)

Take twelve raw eggs, half a pint of rich cream; beat well together, add salt and pepper. Put the mixture in a flat saucepan well buttered, and scramble; then add three quarters of a pint of well-cooked tomato meat and three truffles hashed (not too fine). Dress on toast covered with pÂtÉ de foie gras. Serve very hot.

EGGS AU BEURRE NOIR

Poach or fry the number of eggs desired and place them on a flat dish. Pour over them enough brown butter sauce to well moisten them. (See page 291.)

SPANISH OMELET

Make a plain French omelet, using four eggs (see page 264). Just before it is done place in the center a veal kidney, which has been well soaked, then cut into half-inch dice and sautÉd until tender in a tablespoonful of butter. Do not cook the kidney too long or it will toughen.

Fold the omelet and turn it onto a dish. Pour around the omelet a tomato sauce (see page 285). Spread over the top of the omelet a sweet green pepper, which has been boiled until tender and then cut into narrow strips.

The sauce, the kidney and the pepper should be prepared first, as the omelet must be served as soon as the eggs are cooked.

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