CHAPTER VII

EGGS

A FRESH egg sinks when immersed in water. A stale egg, owing to evaporation which has taken place through the pores of the shell, floats.

Soft-cooked Eggs No. 1

Place eggs in saucepan, cover with boiling water, and let them stand in saucepan on the back of the range three minutes; in this way the white and the yolk are slightly coagulated.

Soft-cooked Eggs No. 2

Fill saucepan one half full of boiling water; when boiling violently, place eggs in gently with a tablespoon; when water bubbles, remove saucepan from fire and let the eggs remain in water five minutes. Eggs cooked in this way have the albumen delicately hardened throughout.

Soft-cooked Eggs No. 3

Place eggs in saucepan, cover with cold water, bring to the boiling point, when they will be soft-cooked.

Hard-cooked Eggs

Cover eggs with boiling water and cook below the boiling point for forty minutes. Remove from pan, cover with cold water, and wipe before serving.

Baked Eggs

Butter baking dish or platter, or individual ramekin dishes. Break each egg into a cup and drop into baking dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake in a moderate oven—five minutes for soft-cooked and ten for hard-cooked. Eggs are more delicately cooked if dish is placed in a pan of hot water in the oven, and water kept below the boiling point during cooking.

Chopped red or green pepper sprinkled over top of baked eggs is delicious.

Poached Eggs

Break eggs in cup; butter muffin rings. Place in shallow pan and cover with boiling water. Allow two teaspoons of salt to each pint of water. Drop eggs into rings, and cook from five to eight minutes, keeping water below the boiling point during cooking.

Remove the eggs on a buttered skimmer or pancake turner, and place on a round of buttered toast, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and garnish with parsley.

Fluffed Eggs

Beat the white until stiff; add a few grains of salt; place in a buttered ramekin dish or saucer; put a piece of butter in center of white, and place unbroken yolk on top. Set the egg dish in pan of boiling water; cover and cook three minutes. Serve immediately.

Poached Eggs à la Française

Fill a saucepan three fourths full of boiling water; add salt and vinegar, stir the boiling water vigorously with a spoon. Break egg in cup and drop deftly into eddy formed by swift stirring of water. When white is firm, remove with buttered skimmer, trim, and serve.

Poached Egg in Tomato

Cut a piece from the stem end of a tomato; remove pulp; set in ramekin dish; sprinkle with salt and pepper, drop egg into tomato cup; cover with buttered paper. Set in a pan of water and bake in a moderate oven until firm.

Scrambled Eggs No. 1

4 eggs 4 tablespoons milk or cream ¼ teaspoon salt ⅛ teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon chopped parsley 2 tablespoons butter

Beat egg slightly, enough to blend yolks and whites; add seasonings, parsley and milk. Melt butter in frying pan, add egg mixture, and cook slowly, lifting carefully with a spoon to keep mixture uniformly delicate.

Scrambled Eggs No. 2

Prepare the same as Scrambled Eggs No. 1, beating yolks and whites separately. Many persons have better success scrambling eggs in a double boiler instead of in a frying pan.

Scrambled eggs can be varied in appearance and flavor by adding various chopped meats, condiments, vegetables, cheese, or mushrooms.

Fried Eggs

Melt butter, bacon fat or pork fat in frying pan; when it bubbles, turn in egg, which has been previously broken into a cup; when white is set, baste with liquid fat. If desired hard, turn and cook on both sides.

Omelet

2 eggs 2 tablespoons hot water or hot milk ¼ teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon butter

Beat eggs well; add salt and milk. Melt butter in frying pan; add egg mixture; shake pan vigorously until egg begins to brown on under side; then let it stand until golden brown, on part of range where it will not burn. If moist on top, place in oven to dry. Separate omelet from sides of pan with knife, and beginning at side near the handle, roll omelet slowly and carefully into the shape of a jelly roll; turn on to a hot platter, garnish, and serve.

Omelets may be varied in the following ways:—

_Bacon Omelet_, by adding finely chopped cooked bacon before folding.

_Cheese Omelet_, by adding grated cheese before folding.

_Creamed Salt Fish Omelet_, by combining creamed salt fish and finely chopped red pepper, and adding to omelet before folding.

_Kidney Omelet_, by adding stewed kidneys, highly seasoned.

_Mushroom Omelet_, by adding mushrooms.

And continuing through a multiplicity of combinations.

Foamy Omelet

Same ingredients as for first omelet, beating yolks and whites separately and combining ingredients in a way to produce a foamy appearance before pouring into omelet pan.

Creamy Omelet

4 eggs ¼ teaspoon salt ½ cup milk ⅛ teaspoon pepper 2 tablespoons flour 1 tablespoon butter

Melt butter; add flour, milk, and yolks of eggs, beaten until lemon-colored and thick. Beat whites until stiff, cut, and fold into first mixture; add seasonings; pour into buttered pan, and cook as first omelet. Turn on to a hot platter; garnish with White Sauce, and parsley.

NOTE.—For a sweet omelet add one fourth cup sugar to the yolks of eggs of above omelet.

Goldenrod Eggs

6 slices butter toast 6 hard-cooked eggs 2 cups White Sauce ¼ teaspoon salt few grains cayenne ⅛ teaspoon pepper

Remove shell from eggs; chop whites finely; add to White Sauce. Press yolks through sieve and add seasonings. Pour White Sauce over toast arranged on a platter, and garnish with yolks of eggs and parsley.

This dish may be very attractively arranged by placing spoonfuls of finely chopped ham around the toast.

Stuffed Eggs

6 eggs hard-cooked l cup White Sauce 1 tablespoon chopped red pepper ½ cup finely minced chicken or other meat salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce

Cut eggs in halves lengthwise, remove yolks, and mash. Add meat and seasonings; moisten with White Sauce; press in shape of ball and return to white. These eggs may be placed in a dish, covered with White Sauce and buttered crumbs, and baked; or covered with a small square of paraffine paper daintily twisted at the ends, for a picnic dish.

French Omelet

2 eggs 2 tablespoons hot water ¼ teaspoon salt few grains cayenne 1 tablespoon butter

Melt butter in frying pan, add well-beaten eggs, to which seasonings and hot water have been added. Cook on cool portion of range, lifting mixture as for Scrambled Eggs. When creamy, pour into a hot buttered frying pan, brown delicately, fold, and serve. Garnish with parsley.

German Omelet

2 eggs 1 yolk ¼ cup cream 2 tablespoons flour salt, pepper, nutmeg ¼ cup finely chopped chives 2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon finely chopped red pepper

Mix eggs, flour, seasonings; add cream, and beat all five minutes. Melt butter, pour in egg mixture, and cook until delicately browned underneath. Turn, fold, and serve.

Spanish Omelet

Use receipt for French Omelet, and garnish with Spanish Sauce.

Spanish Sauce

Sauté two tablespoons each of chopped onion, green pepper, a clove of garlic, in four tablespoons butter until yellow; add one cup of tomato.

Season with salt, pepper and cayenne, and cook until thick. One half cup mushrooms sautéd with onions is an improvement.