_Ingredients._—1 egg, 1 tablespoonful and ½ glass of cold water,
1 glass of sherry, sugar and grated nutmeg to taste. _Mode._—Beat
the egg, mixing with it a tablespoonful of cold water; make the
wine-and-water hot, but not boiling; pour it on the egg, stirring all
the time. Add sufficient lump sugar to sweeten the mixture, and a
little grated nutmeg; put all into a very clean saucepan, set it on a
gentle fire, and stir the contents one way until they thicken, but
_do not allow them to boil_. Serve in a glass with sippets of toasted
bread or plain crisp biscuits. When the egg is not warmed, the mixture
will be found easier of digestion, but it is not so pleasant a drink.
_Sufficient_ for 1 person.
EGGS, to Boil for Breakfast, Salads, &c.
Eggs for boiling cannot be too fresh, or boiled too soon after they are
laid; but rather a longer time should be allowed for boiling a new-laid
egg than for one that is three or four days old. Have ready a saucepan
of boiling water; put the eggs into it gently with a spoon, letting the
spoon touch the bottom of the saucepan before it is withdrawn, that
the egg may not fall, and consequently crack. For those who like eggs
lightly boiled, 3 minutes will be found sufficient; 3¾ to 4 minutes
will be ample time to set the white nicely; and, if liked hard, 6 to
7 minutes will not be found too long. Should the eggs be unusually
large, as those of black Spanish fowls sometimes are, allow an extra ½
minute for them. Eggs for salads should be boiled from 10 minutes to ¼
hour, and should be placed in a basin of cold water for a few minutes;
they should then be rolled on the table with the hand, and the shell
will peel off easily. _Time._—To boil eggs lightly, for invalids or
children, 3 minutes; to boil eggs to suit the generality of tastes, 3¾
to 4 minutes; to boil eggs hard, 6 to 7 minutes; for salads, 10 to 15
minutes.
[Illustration: EGG-STAND FOR THE BREAKFAST-TABLE.]
EGGS, Buttered.
_Ingredients._—4 new-laid eggs, 2 oz. of butter. _Mode._—Procure the
eggs new-laid if possible; break them into a basin, and beat them well;
put the butter into another basin, which place in boiling water, and
stir till the butter is melted. Pour that and the eggs into a lined
saucepan; hold it over a gentle fire, and, as the mixture begins to
warm, pour it two or three times into the basin, and back again, that
the two ingredients may be well incorporated. Keep stirring the eggs
and butter one way until they are hot, _without boiling_, and serve on
hot buttered toast. If the mixture is allowed to boil, it will curdle,
and so be entirely spoiled. _Time._—About 5 minutes to make the eggs
hot. _Average cost_, 7_d._ _Sufficient._—Allow a slice to each person.
_Seasonable_ at any time.
EGGS, to Choose.
In choosing eggs, apply the tongue to the large end of the egg, and,
if it feels warm, it is new, and may be relied on as a fresh egg.
Another mode of ascertaining their freshness is to hold them before a
lighted candle or to the light, and, if the egg looks clear, it will
be tolerably good; if thick, it is stale; and if there is a black spot
attached to the shell, it is worthless. No egg should be used for
culinary purposes with the slightest taint in it, as it will render
perfectly useless those with which it has been mixed. Eggs that are
purchased, and that cannot be relied on, should always be broken in a
cup, and then put into a basin: by this means stale or bad eggs may be
easily rejected, without wasting the others.
EGGS, Ducks’.
Ducks’ eggs are usually so strongly flavoured that, plainly boiled,
they are not good for eating; they answer, however, very well for
various culinary preparations where eggs are required; such as
custards, &c. &c. Being so large and highly-flavoured, 1 duck’s egg
will go as far as 2 small hen’s eggs, besides making whatever they
are mixed with exceedingly rich. They also are admirable when used in
puddings.
EGGS, Fried.
_Ingredients._—4 eggs, ¼ lb. of lard, butter or clarified dripping.
_Mode._—Place a delicately-clean frying-pan over a gentle fire; put in
the fat, and allow it to come to the boiling-point. Break the eggs
into cups, slip them into the boiling fat, and let them remain until
the whites are delicately set; and, whilst they are frying, ladle a
little of the fat over them. Take them up with a slice, drain them for
a minute from their greasy moisture, trim them neatly, and serve on
slices of fried bacon or ham; or the eggs may be placed in the middle
of the dish, with the bacon put round as a garnish. _Time._—2 to 3
minutes. _Average cost_, 1_d._ each; 2_d._ when scarce. _Sufficient_
for 2 persons. _Seasonable_ at any time.
[Illustration: FRIED EGGS ON BACON.]
EGGS à la Maître d’Hôtel.
_Ingredients._—¼ lb. of fresh butter, 1 tablespoonful of flour, ½ pint
of milk, pepper and salt to taste, 1 tablespoonful of minced parsley,
the juice of ½ lemon, 6 eggs. _Mode._—Put the flour and half the butter
into a stewpan; stir them over the fire until the mixture thickens;
pour in the milk, which should be boiling; add a seasoning of pepper
and salt, and simmer the whole for 5 minutes. Put the remainder of the
butter into the sauce, and add the minced parsley; then boil the eggs
hard, strip off the shell, cut the eggs into quarters, and put them
on a dish. Bring the sauce to the boiling-point, add the lemon-juice,
pour over the eggs and serve. _Time._—5 minutes to boil the sauce; the
eggs, 10 to 15 minutes. _Average cost_, 1_s._ _Sufficient_ for 4 or 5
persons. _Seasonable_ at any time.
EGGS, to Pickle.
_Ingredients._—16 eggs, 1 quart of vinegar, ½ oz. of black pepper, ½
oz. of Jamaica pepper, ½ oz. of ginger. _Mode._—Boil the eggs for 12
minutes, then dip them into cold water, and take off the shells. Put
the vinegar, with the pepper and ginger, into a stewpan, and let it
simmer for 10 minutes. Now place the eggs in a jar, pour over them the
vinegar, &c., boiling hot, and, when cold, tie them down with bladder
to exclude the air. This pickle will be ready for use in a month.
_Average cost_, for this quantity, 1_s._ 9_d._ _Seasonable._—This
should be made about Easter, as at this time eggs are plentiful and
cheap. A store of pickled eggs will be found very useful and ornamental
in serving with many first and second course dishes.
EGGS AU PLAT, or AU MIROIR, served on the Dish in which they are Cooked.
_Ingredients._—4 eggs, 1 oz. of butter, pepper and salt to taste.
_Mode._—Butter a dish rather thickly with good fresh butter; melt it,
break the eggs into it the same as for poaching, sprinkle them with
white pepper and fine salt, and put the remainder of the butter, cut
into very small pieces, on the top of them. Put the dish on a hot
plate, or in the oven, or before the fire, and let it remain until the
whites become set, but not hard, when serve immediately, placing the
dish they were cooked in on another. To hasten the cooking of the eggs,
a salamander may be held over them for a minute; but great care must
be taken that they are not too much done. This is an exceedingly nice
dish, and one very easily prepared for breakfast. _Time._—3 minutes.
_Average cost_, 5_d._ _Sufficient_ for 2 persons. _Seasonable_ at any
time.
EGGS, Plovers’.
Plovers’ eggs are usually served boiled hard, and sent to table in
a napkin, either hot or cold; they may also be shelled, and served
the same as eggs à la Tripe, with a good Béchamel sauce, or brown
gravy, poured over them. They are also used for decorating salads, the
beautiful colour of the white being generally so much admired.
EGGS, Poached.
_Ingredients._—Eggs, water. To every pint of water allow 1
tablespoonful of vinegar. _Mode._—Eggs for poaching should be perfectly
fresh, but not quite new-laid; those that are about 36 hours old are
the best for the purpose. If quite new-laid, the white is so milky it
is almost impossible to set it; and, on the other hand, if the egg be
at all stale, it is equally difficult to poach it nicely. Strain some
boiling water into a deep clean frying-pan; break the egg into a cup
without damaging the yolk, and, when the water boils, remove the pan to
the side of the fire, and gently slip the egg into it. Place the pan
over a gentle fire, and keep the water simmering until the white looks
nicely set, when the egg is ready. Take it up gently with a slice, cut
away the ragged edges of the white, and serve either on toasted bread
or on slices of ham or bacon, or on spinach, &c. A poached egg should
not be overdone, as its appearance and taste will be quite spoiled if
the yolk be allowed to harden. When the egg is slipped into the water,
the white should be gathered together, to keep it a little in form,
or the cup should be turned over it for ½ minute. To poach an egg to
perfection is rather a difficult operation; so, for inexperienced
cooks, a tin egg-poacher may be purchased, which greatly facilitates
this manner of dressing eggs. Our illustration clearly shows what
it is: it consists of a tin plate with a handle, with a space for
three perforated cups. An egg should be broken into each cup, and the
machine then placed in a stewpan of boiling water, which has been
previously strained. When the whites of the eggs appear set, they are
done, and should then be carefully slipped on to the toast or spinach,
or with whatever they are served. In poaching eggs in a frying-pan,
never do more than four at a time; and, when a little vinegar is
liked mixed with the water in which the eggs are done, use the above
proportion. _Time._—2½ to 3½ minutes, according to the size of the egg.
_Sufficient._—Allow 2 eggs to each person. _Seasonable_ at any time,
but less plentiful in winter.
[Illustration: EGGS POACHED ON TOAST.]
[Illustration: TIN EGG-POACHER.]
EGGS, Poached, with Cream.
_Ingredients._—1 pint of water, 1 teaspoonful of salt, 4 teaspoonfuls
of vinegar, 4 fresh eggs, ½ gill of cream, salt, pepper, and pounded
sugar to taste, 1 oz. of butter. _Mode._—Put the water, vinegar, and
salt into a frying-pan, and break each egg into a separate cup; bring
the water, &c., to boil, and slip the eggs gently into it without
breaking the yolks. Simmer them from 3 to 4 minutes, but not longer,
and, with a slice, lift them out on to a hot dish, and trim the edges.
Empty the pan of its contents, put in the cream, add a seasoning to
taste of pepper, salt, and pounded sugar; bring the whole to the
boiling-point; then add the butter, broken into small pieces; toss the
pan round and round till the butter is melted; pour it over the eggs,
and serve. To insure the eggs not being spoiled whilst the cream, &c.
is preparing, it is a good plan to warm the cream with the butter,
&c. before the eggs are poached, so that it may be poured over them
immediately after they are dished. _Time._—3 to 4 minutes to poach
the eggs, 5 minutes to warm the cream. _Average cost_ for the above
quantity, 9_d._ _Sufficient_ for 2 persons. _Seasonable_ at any time.
EGGS, Scotch.
_Ingredients._—6 eggs, 6 tablespoonfuls of forcemeat, hot lard, ½ pint
of good brown gravy. _Mode._—Boil the eggs for 10 minutes; strip them
from the shells, and cover them with forcemeat, or substitute pounded
anchovies for the ham. Fry the eggs a nice brown in boiling lard, drain
them before the fire from their greasy moisture, dish them, and pour
round from ¼ to ½ pint of good brown gravy. To enhance the appearance
of the eggs, they may be rolled in beaten egg and sprinkled with
bread-crumbs; but this is scarcely necessary if they are carefully
fried. The flavour of the ham or the anchovy in the forcemeat must
preponderate, as it should be very relishing. _Time._—10 minutes to
boil the eggs, 5 to 7 minutes to fry them. _Average cost_, 1_s._ 4_d._
_Sufficient_ for 3 or 4 persons. _Seasonable_ at any time.
EGGS, Snow, or Œufs à la Neige (a very pretty Supper Dish).
_Ingredients._—4 eggs, ¾ pint of milk, pounded sugar to taste,
flavouring of vanilla, lemon-rind, or orange-flower water. _Mode._—Put
the milk into a saucepan with sufficient sugar to sweeten it nicely,
and the rind of ½ lemon. Let this steep by the side of the fire for ½
hour, when take out the peel; separate the whites from the yolks of the
eggs, and whisk the former to a perfectly stiff froth, or until there
is no liquid remaining; bring the milk to the boiling-point, drop in
the snow a tablespoonful at a time, and keep turning the eggs until
sufficiently cooked. Then place them on a glass dish, beat up the yolks
of the eggs, stir to them the milk, add a little more sugar, and strain
this mixture into a jug; place the jug in a saucepan of boiling water,
and stir it one way until the mixture thickens, but do not allow it to
boil, or it will curdle. Pour this custard over the eggs, when they
should rise to the surface. They make an exceedingly pretty addition
to a supper, and should be put in a cold place after being made. When
they are flavoured with vanilla or orange-flowered water, it is not
necessary to steep the milk. A few drops of the essence of either may
be poured into the milk just before the whites are poached. In making
the custard, a little more flavouring and sugar should always be
added. _Time._—About 2 minutes to poach the whites; 8 minutes to stir
the custard. _Average cost_, 8_d._ _Sufficient_ for 4 or 5 persons.
_Seasonable_ at any time.
EGGS, to keep Fresh for several Weeks.
Have ready a large saucepan, capable of holding 3 or 4 quarts, full of
boiling water. Put the eggs into a cabbage-net, say 20 at a time, and
hold them in the water (which must be kept boiling) _for_ 20 _seconds_.
Proceed in this manner till you have done as many eggs as you wish to
preserve; then pack them away in sawdust. We have tried this method of
preserving eggs, and can vouch for its excellence. They will be found,
at the end of 2 or 3 months, quite good enough for culinary purposes;
and although the white may be a little tougher than that of a new-laid
egg, the yolk will be nearly the same. Many persons keep eggs for a
long time by smearing the shells with butter or sweet oil: they should
then be packed in plenty of bran or sawdust, and the eggs not allowed
to touch each other. Eggs for storing should be collected in fine
weather, and should not be more than 24 hours old when they are packed
away, or their flavour, when used, cannot be relied on. Another simple
way of preserving eggs is to immerse them in lime-water soon after they
have been laid, and then to put the vessel containing the lime-water in
a cellar or cool outhouse. _Seasonable._—The best time for preserving
eggs is from April to September.
EGGS, à la Tripe.
_Ingredients._—8 eggs, ¾ pint of Béchamel sauce, dessertspoonful of
finely-minced parsley. _Mode._—Boil the eggs hard; put them into cold
water, peel them, take out the yolks whole, and shred the whites. Make
¾ pint of Béchamel sauce; add the parsley, and, when the sauce is quite
hot, put the yolks of the eggs into the middle of the dish, and the
shred whites round them; pour over the sauce, and garnish with leaves
of puff-paste or fried croûtons. There is no necessity for putting the
eggs into the saucepan with the Béchamel; the sauce, being quite hot,
will warm the eggs sufficiently. _Time._—10 minutes to boil the eggs.
_Average cost_, 1_s._ _Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons. _Seasonable_ at
any time.