EGGS AND OMELETS
POACHED EGGS
Use a skillet, or muffin rings placed in a pan of water, not too deep. The water should barely cover the eggs. Bring the water to the boiling point, drop in the eggs carefully, one at a time, and remove from the fire immediately. Cover the pan and let stand until cooked. A teaspoonful of lemon-juice or vinegar in the water will keep the whites firm and preserve the shape of the egg. Serve on thin slices of buttered toast.
SCRAMBLED EGGS
Put two heaping tablespoonfuls of butter into a frying-pan. When it sizzles, break into it quickly six fresh eggs, and mix thoroughly with a silver spoon for two minutes without stopping. Season with salt and pepper, and a slight grating of nutmeg, if desired. Scrambled eggs should be thick and creamy.
SCRAMBLED EGGS—II
Beat the eggs thoroughly, add one teaspoonful of cold water or milk for each egg and beat again. Cook as above.
SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH ASPARAGUS TIPS
Have one cupful of cold, cooked asparagus tips ready. Add to six eggs, well beaten, and cook as above.
SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH DRIED BEEF
Soak one cupful of minced dried beef in boiling water for five minutes. Put it into melted butter, stir over the fire until the butter sizzles, then pour over six or seven well-beaten eggs. Stir until the eggs are smooth and creamy.
FRIED EGGS
Put three tablespoonfuls of butter into a hot frying-pan. When it sizzles, slip in the broken eggs carefully, one at a time. Tip the pan and baste with melted butter while cooking. If wanted crisp on both sides, turn the eggs over when the underside is done. Wet in cold water the saucer on which an egg is broken and the egg will not stick to it, but will slip easily into the pan. Olive-oil may be used instead of butter, but the pan must be covered during the cooking, as the oil spatters.
FRIED EGGS WITH BLACK BUTTER
Fry eggs as above, using butter or oil. When done, skim out, add more butter or oil to that in the pan, season with salt, pepper, vinegar, or lemon-juice, and let brown. When the butter is brown, pour it over the fried eggs, and serve.
CREAMED EGGS
Make a cream sauce, using one tablespoonful of butter, two of flour, two cupfuls of milk, and pepper and salt to season. When the sauce is thick and creamy, add hard-boiled eggs, coarsely chopped, and serve at once on toast. Sprinkle with minced parsley.
EGGS À LA TRIPE
Fry two sliced onions in butter, but do not brown. Stir in one cupful of milk or cream, and enough flour to thicken, rub smooth in a little of the cream or milk. Season with salt, white pepper, and a bit of grated nutmeg. Stir until thick, then add eight hard-boiled eggs, sliced crosswise. Heat thoroughly and serve.
EGGS AU MIROIR
Butter a stone platter that will stand the heat of the oven. Break into it carefully enough fresh eggs to cover it, taking care not to break the yolks. Place in the oven until the eggs are set. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and minced parsley, and serve at once.
CREAMED CELERY WITH POACHED EGGS
Prepare creamed celery according to directions given in the previous chapter. Spread on buttered toast, and put a poached egg on each slice.
CHICKEN LIVER SCRAMBLE
Use one cupful of chopped, cooked chicken livers and six or seven well-beaten eggs. Prepare like other scrambles.
CHEESE SCRAMBLE
One half cupful of grated American cheese and six well-beaten eggs. Mix the cheese with the eggs before cooking.
EGGS À LA PAYSANNE
Put one half cupful of cream or rich milk into a baking-dish, break into it six fresh eggs, and place in a hot oven until the eggs are set. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, minced parsley, and sweet green pepper.
EGGS À L'AURORE
Make the cream sauce and add it to the shredded whites of six or eight hard-boiled eggs. Spread on buttered toast, and rub the yolks through a sieve, sprinkling each slice of toast with the powdered yolk.
OYSTER SCRAMBLE
One cupful of oysters, cut fine. Pour boiling water over, drain on a fine sieve, and add six or seven well-beaten eggs. Prepare like other scrambles.
MUSHROOM SCRAMBLE
One cupful of cooked mushrooms, cut fine, and six or eight well-beaten eggs. Serve on toast.
LOBSTER SCRAMBLE
One cupful of cold, cooked lobster, six or eight well-beaten eggs. Mix before putting into the hot butter.
TOMATO SCRAMBLE
One cupful of stewed and strained tomato, or of fresh tomatoes peeled and rubbed through a sieve, six or eight well-beaten eggs. Mix before putting into the hot butter.
GREEN PEA SCRAMBLE
One cupful of cold, cooked green peas, six or seven well-beaten eggs. Mix before beginning to cook.
HAM SCRAMBLE
One cupful of cold, boiled ham, minced, mixed with eight well-beaten eggs. Season with a little grated onion.
BACON SCRAMBLE
Fry one cupful of shredded bacon until partially cooked, drain off part of the fat, add six or seven well-beaten eggs, and finish cooking, stirring constantly. A little grated onion may be added with the eggs.
CRAB SCRAMBLE
One cupful of cooked, shredded crab meat, six or seven well-beaten eggs. Shredded green peppers may be added. The canned crab meat is nearly as good as the fresh.
SHRIMP SCRAMBLE
One cupful of finely cut, cooked shrimps, six or seven well-beaten eggs. Green peppers may be added. Canned shrimps may be used.
KIDNEY SCRAMBLE
One cupful of cold, cooked kidneys, cut fine, and six or seven well-beaten eggs. Prepare like other scrambles.
SAUSAGE SCRAMBLE
One cupful of cooked sausages, finely minced, mixed with six or seven well-beaten eggs before cooking. Or, use uncooked sausages and prepare like bacon scramble.
SARDINE SCRAMBLE
Add the juice of half a lemon to one cupful of finely cut sardines. Use the oil from the can instead of butter. Beat six or seven eggs thoroughly and mix with the sardines before cooking.
TONGUE SCRAMBLE
One cupful of finely minced, cooked tongue, six or eight well-beaten eggs. Season with grated onion, shredded green pepper, or minced parsley.
EGGS WITH FINE HERBS
Use a heaping tablespoonful of minced parsley, chives, and tarragon, to eight well-beaten eggs, mixing before putting into the hot butter.
MEXICAN EGGS
Split three sweet green peppers lengthwise, and take out the seeds. Fry two minutes in very hot butter. Fry six very thin slices of ham and place on slices of toast, lay the peppers over the ham, and put a fried or poached egg on each slice.
EGGS IN CRUSTS
Cut stale bread into slices an inch thick. Scoop out the centres of each slice and remove the crust. Rub with butter, drop an egg into each cavity, and put in a hot oven until the eggs are set.
BAKED EGGS WITH CHEESE
Make toast and hollow the slices slightly in the centre. Mix grated cheese to a paste with milk, and spread over the toast. Arrange on a stoneware platter or in a baking-dish, break an egg over each slice, sprinkle with more cheese, and place in a hot oven until the eggs are set.
BAKED EGGS WITH HAM
Make the cream sauce and add to it one cupful of cold, cooked ham, finely minced. Butter custard cups, break an egg into each, and stand in a pan of hot water in the oven until the eggs are firm. Spread the minced ham on a platter or on slices of toast, and turn the eggs onto it. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and minced parsley.
CODDLED EGGS
Allow four tablespoonfuls of milk for each egg. Beat together thoroughly, cook in a double boiler until creamy, and serve on toast.
EGGS IN AMBUSH
Scoop out the crumb from stale rolls, first cutting an even slice off the top. Toast or fry the shells thus made, or rub freely with butter and set into a piping hot oven until crisp and brown. Drop a fresh egg into each shell, add a little minced parsley or a teaspoonful of cream if desired, or any preferred seasoning of minced fish, or meat, or vegetable. Bake in a hot oven until the eggs set. Put on the covers, and serve.
EGGS À LA MAÎTRE D'HÔTEL
Make a sauce of half a cupful of melted butter, the juice of half a lemon, and a teaspoonful of minced parsley. Cut hard-boiled eggs in slices lengthwise, arrange on toast, and pour the sauce over the eggs, or, pour over poached eggs on toast just before serving.
POACHED EGGS ON ANCHOVY TOAST
Work a teaspoonful of anchovy paste, or more, if desired, into one third of a cupful of butter. Spread on thin slices of crisp toast, and lay a poached egg on each slice.
EGGS SUR LE PLAT
Beat the white of eggs to a stiff froth, spread on a buttered platter, and make hollows in the froth with a spoon . In these hollows drop carefully the unbroken yolks. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place in a hot oven until the eggs are set.
BIRD'S NEST
Prepare as above, arranging on slices of buttered toast instead of on a platter.
SWISS EGGS
Rub a stoneware platter thickly with butter, cover it with very thin slices of cheese, sprinkle with grated nutmeg, pepper, and salt, pour half a cupful of cream over the eggs, sprinkle with the cheese, grated, and bake about fifteen minutes in a hot oven. Serve on the same platter.
CHICKEN SCRAMBLE
Use one cupful of cold, cooked chicken, shredded or chopped, to seven well-beaten eggs, and prepare like other scrambles. Season with green pepper or pimento, chopped fine.
EGGS À LA BONNE FEMME
Fry two sliced onions brown in butter, then add a tablespoonful of vinegar. Butter a platter, spread the fried onions over it, break upon it six fresh eggs, sprinkle with crumbs, dot with butter, and bake in a hot oven until the eggs are set.
EGGS À LA BOURGEOISE
Cut slices of bread half an inch thick and trim off the crust, lay on a buttered platter, and sprinkle with grated cheese. Beat eggs enough to cover the bread, season with salt and pepper, and grated nutmeg, pour over the bread, and bake in a moderate oven until the eggs are set.
EGGS À LA ST. CATHERINE
Cut cold, baked potatoes in halves lengthwise and scoop out a part of the pulp. Break an egg into half, sprinkle with salt and pepper, add a teaspoonful of cream to each egg, and bake in a moderate oven until the eggs are set. In the meantime, beat the white of an egg to a stiff froth, and work into it gradually the potato pulp which has been scooped out. Heap roughly over the baked eggs, and keep in the oven until well puffed and brown.
EGGS À LA WASHINGTON
Lay a slice of fresh, fried tomato on each slice of buttered toast. On each slice of tomato, arrange some shredded sweet pepper, fried. Lay a poached egg on each slice.
PIMENTO SCRAMBLE
Use the scarlet pimentos which come in cans. Chop rather coarsely and use half a cupful to each four eggs. Prepare like other scrambles.
EGGS À LA ESPAGNOLE
Make a cream sauce and add to it half a cupful of shredded pimentos. Spread over buttered toast and put a poached egg on each slice.
CODFISH SCRAMBLE
Use one cupful of shredded salt cod which has been freshened, and seven well-beaten eggs.
Salt mackerel, finnan haddie, smoked salmon, or other salt fish may be used. Clams, caviare, herring, sturgeon, and many other left-overs are also acceptable.
STEAMED EGGS
Break fresh eggs into buttered custard cups and steam until set.
BAKED EGGS ON RASHERS OF BACON
Have ready some thin slices of bacon fried until transparent, but not crisp. Lay two strips of bacon on each slice of toast, arrange in a baking-pan, break an egg over each slice of toast, and bake until the egg is set.
SCRAMBLED EGGS IN CUPS
Prepare stale rolls as for eggs in ambush, but bake the buttered rolls until crisp and brown, fill with scrambled eggs and serve immediately.
JAPANESE EGGS
Spread hot, boiled rice on a platter, or cold, boiled rice reheated, season with melted butter, lemon-juice, and minced parsley. Poach six eggs and arrange them on the rice.
ESCALLOPED EGGS
Make the cream sauce. Have ready eight hard-boiled eggs and some dry bread-crumbs. Butter ramekins. Put in a layer of crumbs, then sliced eggs, then butter in tiny dots, then sauce, and so on, until the dish is full, having crumbs and butter on top. A little grated cheese may be sprinkled over the top. If too dry, moisten with a little milk or cream. Bake until brown.
PLAIN OMELET
Beat six eggs well, yolks and whites together. Put two tablespoonfuls of butter into a frying-pan. When it is hot, pour in the beaten eggs, which have been seasoned with salt and pepper. With a fork, draw the cooked egg from the outside of the pan to the centre. As soon as it is all thick, lift half of the omelet onto a plate, and turn the other half over it. It should be turned while the centre is still soft, and the fire should not be too hot.
PEA OMELET
Prepare an omelet mixture according to directions given above. As soon as the eggs are in the frying-pan, add a cupful of cooked and drained peas, arranging carefully in the outer-most half, so that the other portion will fold over it. Finish as usual.
OMELET WITH ASPARAGUS TIPS
Have ready one cupful of cooked and drained asparagus tips. Prepare according to directions given for pea omelet.
CHEESE OMELET
Prepare an omelet mixture according to directions given above. Add half a cupful of grated Parmesan cheese, or dried and grated American cheese to the egg mixture.
HAM OMELET
Have ready one cupful of cooked ham, very finely minced. Spread on half of the omelet, and fold the other part over it.
OYSTER OMELET
One cupful of cooked oysters, minced or not, as preferred. Lay on half of the omelet and fry.
CLAM OMELET
One cupful of cooked clams finely minced. The canned minced clams may be used. Prepare according to directions given for oyster omelet.
SHRIMP OMELET
One cupful of cooked and shredded shrimps. Prepare according to directions given for oyster omelet.
CRAB OMELET
One cupful of minced, cooked crab meat. Prepare according to directions given for oyster omelet.
LOBSTER OMELET
One cupful of cooked and shredded lobster. Prepare according to directions given for oyster omelet.
TOMATO OMELET
One half cupful of stewed and strained tomatoes, or fresh tomatoes peeled and rubbed through a sieve. Spread on the outermost half of the omelet, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and fold.
SARDINE OMELET
Rub to a paste with melted butter and lemon-juice enough sardines to make half a cupful. Spread thinly on the outer half of an omelet and fold.
BLAZING OMELET
Make a plain omelet, pour over it rum, kirsch, or brandy, ignite, and send to the table blazing. Serve as soon as the fire has gone out.
BREAD OMELET
Soak half a cupful of bread-crumbs in half a cupful of milk, and mix with six well-beaten eggs before cooking.
OMELET À LA CRÊME
Make the cream sauce, mix half a cupful of it with the omelet before cooking. Spread the rest of it on the outermost half of the omelet, finish and fold as usual.
OTHER OMELETS
Following directions given above, acceptable omelets may be made of dried beef, cold, cooked kidney, chicken liver, sausage meat, bacon, tongue, chicken, cauliflower, or other vegetables, anchovy butter, creamed potatoes, or any salt-fish remnant.
SWEET OMELETS
Sweet omelets are delicious. A teaspoonful of powdered sugar should be added to the eggs before cooking, and the fruit, jam, jelly, or preserves should be very thinly spread, as flavor is desired, and not a dessert. Fresh fruits are cut fine, and sprinkled with powdered sugar, spread on half the omelet, and the other half folded over. In the case of juicy fruits, such as oranges, the juice of the fruit is carefully saved, and poured over the folded omelet just before serving.
Among the fresh fruits suitable for omelets are: apricots, bananas, blackberries, cherries, gooseberries, grapefruit, plums, huckleberries, oranges, pineapples, peaches, raspberries, and strawberries — all crushed very fine and seasoned; the juice, if any, being poured over the omelet.
Among the stewed and preserved fruits are: apples, apricots, cherries, currants, figs, gooseberries, peaches, pears, plums, quinces, rhubarb, and the various fruit jams and jellies. Rum or brandy poured over the omelet and set on fire just before serving is a pleasant addition to many of the fruit omelets.