The Art of German Cooking and Baking/Eggs
CHAPTER 14.
EGGS.
The preparation of eggs. Eggs are a valuable food and indispensable in the kitchen. Some dishes cannot be prepared without eggs.
Eggs can be tested as to their freshness in a basin with ½ pt. of water mixed with a tablespoonful of salt. Fresh eggs sink to the bottom, others float on top.
To preserve eggs for the winter, put them into salt, so that they do not touch and are covered well. Use a stone jar for this purpose and cover it.
No. 1—SOFT BOILED EGGS.
Quantity for 6 Persons.
- 12 eggs
- 3 qts. of water
Preparation: The eggs are washed well, then carefully put into boiling water with a spoon and cooked 3 minutes. Take from the stove and let stand 1 more minute.
No. 2—HARD BOILED EGGS.
Quantity for 6 Persons.
- 12 eggs
- 3 qts. of water
Preparation: The eggs are washed well and carefully put into boiling water to boil 20 minutes. These hard boiled eggs are easily digested.
No. 3—HARD BOILED EGGS FOR GARNISHING.
Quantity for 6 Persons.
- 4–5 eggs
- 2 qts. of water
Preparation: The eggs are boiled 20 minutes in 2 qts. of boiling water, then shelled and either sliced or quartered and used for garnishing spinage and ragout.
No. 4—FRIED EGGS.
Quantity for 6 Persons.
- 12 eggs
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp. of butter
Preparation: The butter is heated in a clean spider and each egg carefully put in and fried until the white around the yolk has become opaque or firm. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and take out with a cake turner, place on platter and garnish with parsley.
No. 5—POACHED EGGS.
Quantity for 6 Persons.
- 12 eggs
- 1½ qts. of water
- 1 tsp. of vinegar
- 6 slices of toast
- Salt to taste
Preparation: Add salt and vinegar to the water, boil it and put each egg in on a ladle, hold it there until the white has become firm, then put it on a skimmer to let the water drip off, place it on the warm buttered toast and put into oven until all eggs are poached.
No. 6—FRIED EGGS IN TOMATO SAUCE.
Quantity for 6 Persons.
- 10–12 eggs
- 1 cup of fine oil
Tomato Sauce or Dressing.
- 6 very ripe tomatoes
- ¼ lb. of raw ham
- Salt to taste
- 1 pinch of pepper
- 1 tsp. of sugar
- 1 tbsp. of butter
- 1 tbsp. of flour
- ¼ medium sized onion
Preparation: The tomatoes are sliced and the ham cut into small pieces. Melt the butter, stew the sliced onion and ham in it for 10 minutes, then stir in the flour, 1 pt. of water, tomatoes, salt, pepper and sugar and cook ½ hour, then strain through a fine sieve. Sprinkle each egg with salt and pepper and fry in the salad oil, which should be very hot. Tip the pan or dish a little so the oil covers the egg. When the white of egg is firm, take it out and put it into the hot tomato dressing which is set where it will remain hot.
No. 7—BOILED EGGS IN BRINE.
Quantity for 6 Persons.
- 6 eggs
- ½ lb. of salt
- 2 qts. of water
Preparation: The eggs are boiled five minutes in boiling water. If you wish them hard, cook them 15 minutes, then crush the points of the egg shells and put the eggs into 2 qts. of salt water.
No. 8—BRINE EGGS IN CREAM SAUCE.
Quantity for 6 Persons.
- 6 eggs
- ¼ lb. of salt
- 2 qts. of water
- 2 tbsps. of butter
- 1½ tbsps. of flour
- 1 pt. cream
- Juice of ½ lemon, or
- 2 tbsps. of vinegar
- Salt to taste
- 1 pinch of pepper
Preparation: The eggs are boiled 15 minutes, the shells crushed and the eggs placed into strong salt water for 4 hours. The butter is heated, flour stirred in, cream, lemon juice, salt and pepper added and this cooked, stirring continually.
Shell the eggs, quarter them, heat them in the gravy and serve very hot.
No. 9—SCRAMBLED EGGS.
Quantity for 6 Persons.
- 10 eggs
- ¼ cup of milk
- ½ tsp. of salt
- 1 tbsp. of butter
Preparation: Beat the eggs well into milk and salt for 5 minutes. Heat the butter in a pan, pour in the mixture of egg and milk and slowly stirring them, let them get firm, then serve on a hot platter.
No. 10—SCRAMBLED EGG PANCAKE.
Quantity for 6 Persons.
- 10 eggs
- ¼ tsp. of salt.
- 1 tbsp. of butter
Preparation: Beat the eggs in a dish 5 minutes, adding salt. Heat the butter in a broad pan or spider, pour in the eggs and let them get firm over a slow fire. Lift with a knife once or twice and carefully slip on a hot platter to serve.
No. 11—SCRAMBLED EGGS, ENGLISH STYLE.
Quantity for 6 Persons.
- 10 eggs
- 3 tbsps. of finely chopped champignons
- Salt
- 1 pinch of white pepper
- 1 tbsp. of butter
- ¼ cup of cream
Preparation: The eggs are beaten 5 minutes with cream, salt, pepper, then champignons added. The butter is heated in a pan, the eggs poured in and stirring gently, let them get firm, then serve on a hot platter.
No. 12—SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH RED HERRING.
Quantity for 6 Persons.
- 3 red herrings
- 6 eggs
- 1 pinch of pepper
- 2 tbsps. of butter
- 1 pinch of salt
Preparation: The herrings are skinned and the bones removed from them, then stewed in the hot butter. Eggs, salt and pepper are well beaten and poured over the fish. Let the eggs get firm and serve on a hot platter.
No. 13—SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH CHIVES.
Quantity for 6 Persons.
- 10 eggs
- 2 tbsps. of chives
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 pinch of white pepper
- ¼ cup of milk
Preparation: The preparation is the same as No. 9. The chives are strewn on or mixed in while baking.
No. 14—STUFFED EGGS, (DEVILED EGGS).
Quantity for 6 Persons.
- 6 eggs
- 1 tbsp. of butter
- ½ tsp. finely chopped parsley
- 1 tsp. chopped capers
- 1 tsp. of mustard
- 1 pinch of pepper
- 1 pinch of sugar
- 1 tsp. of lemon juice
- ¼ tsp. of salt
Preparation: The eggs are cooked 15 minutes, cooled, peeled, cut into halves, the yolk taken out and mixed well with butter, parsley, capers, salt, pepper, sugar, lemon juice and mustard and put back into the whites of the eggs. Place lettuce leaves on a platter, garnish with sardines and put the stuffed eggs on.
No. 15—ANOTHER FORM OF STUFFED EGGS.
Quantity for 6 Persons.
- 8 eggs
- ⅛ lb. of caviar
- 12 crab tails
- 2 tbsps. of oil
- ¼ tsp. of salt
- 1 pinch of pepper
- 2 tbsps. of cream or bouillon
- 1½ layers of white gelatine
- 1 tbsp. of lemon juice
Preparation: The eggs are cooked 15 minutes, cooled, the top carefully cut off and the inside carefully scooped out with a small spoon, so the shell is not destroyed or broken. The white of egg is chopped fine, the yolk stirred with oil, which is put in by drops, mixed with lemon juice, salt, pepper, sugar, cream. The gelatine is dissolved in a tablespoonful of warm water, strained and also stirred in with the yolk mixture. The crab tails are cut into small pieces. The caviar is poured into a sieve and cold water poured on plentifully, then drained off. Now fill each egg with a little dressing, then crab meat, then chopped white of egg, dressing and caviar; repeat this until the egg is filled. Re-place the tip of the egg and put the eggs on ice or prepare them the day before serving, then no ice is needed. Garnish with lettuce.