Poached and Soft-boiled Eggs

All the recipes given hereafter apply equally to poached and soft-boiled eggs, wherefore I shall only mention “poached” in the titles, leaving soft-boiled to be understood.

411—PROCEDURE FOR POACHED EGGS

The one and only essential condition in this case is the use of perfectly fresh eggs, for it is quite impossible to expect an even poaching if this condition is not fulfilled.

(1) Have ready a sauté-pan containing boiling salted water (one-third oz. of salt per quart of water), slightly acidulated with vinegar. Break the eggs over that part of the water which is actually boiling.

(2) In order that the eggs may poach freely, do not put more than eight or ten at a time into the same sauté-pan; better even poach them six at a time, for then the poaching will be effected more equally.

(3) As soon as the eggs are in the water, let the latter simmer. The egg is poached when the white has enveloped the yolk, reassuming, as it were, the form of a raw egg, and when it may be touched without breaking. The usual time allowed for poaching is three minutes.

(4) Withdraw the eggs by means of a slice; dip them into cold water, trim their whites, and put them back into moderately warm water until ready to serve.

412—THE COOKING OF SOFT-BOILED EGGS

These ought to be very fresh, as in the case of poached eggs. With a view to equalising their cooking, it is a good plan to put them in a colander perforated with large holes, whereby they may be plunged into and withdrawn from the water together. Keep the water boiling; plunge the eggs therein as directed; leave them to cook for six minutes from the time the water has regained the boiling-point; drain, steep for a moment in a bowl of cold water, and shell the eggs carefully. Keep them in moderately-salted hot water until ready to serve.

413—THE DISHING OF POACHED AND SOFT-BOILED EGGS

There are many ways of doing this, viz.:—

(1) On rusks of bread-crumb, slightly hollowed, ornamented according to taste (_i.e._, indented by means of the point of a small knife) and fried in clarified butter. Their shape is oval for poached eggs, and round for soft-boiled eggs, the latter being generally dished upright.

(2) On little, oval _feuilletés_ for poached eggs, on _feuilletés_ in the shape of indented crowns, or in small patties for soft-boiled eggs.

(3) In borders of forcemeat or other preparations, the kind of which is indicated by the name of the particular egg-preparation. These borders are laid on the dish by means of a piping-bag or by hand; they are either oval or round, plain or indented, poached or oven-browned, according to the nature of the preparation used.

(4) On tartlet-crusts which are garnished so as to be in keeping with the method of dressing the eggs.

_Remarks._—(1) Poached or soft-boiled eggs, when dished upon fried rusks, _feuilletés_, or tartlets, should, before being placed on the latter, be covered with sauce. Also before being treated with sauce they should be well drained.

(2) Having given the general outlines of the procedure, I shall now pass on to the particular recipes, stating them briefly, and reminding the reader that all of them apply equally to poached and soft-boiled eggs. Thus “Poached Eggs Mireille” stands for “Poached or Soft-boiled Eggs Mireille.”

414—POACHED EGGS ARGENTEUIL

Garnish the bottom of some tartlet-crusts with asparagus cut into pieces and cooked, and six green asparagus-heads, about one and one-half inches in length, arranged like a star. Place an egg, coated with cream sauce mixed with half its volume of asparagus purée, upon each tartlet.

415—POACHED EGGS A L’AURORE

Coat the eggs with Aurora sauce, and dish them on oval _feuilletés_ if poached, or upright on _feuilletés_ in the shape of rings if soft-boiled.

416—POACHED EGGS EN BERCEAU

Bake some fine Dutch potatoes in the oven. Cut each potato in half, lengthwise, with the point of a small knife, and remove the pulp. Emptied in this way, the halved potatoes resemble little cradles. Coat the interior of each cradle with a fine chicken mincemeat mixed with cream, and place an egg coated with Aurora sauce in each.

417—POACHED EGGS A LA BOHÉMIENNE

Garnish the bottom of some tartlet-crusts with a _salpicon_ of foie-gras and truffles cohered with a few tablespoonfuls of the following sauce:—For six eggs, dissolve one teaspoonful of white-meat glaze; add thereto half a teaspoonful of truffle essence, and finish with a lump of butter about the size of a pigeon’s egg. Take enough of this sauce to effect the cohering of the _salpicon_; coat the eggs with Hungarian sauce, and place one upon each garnished tartlet.

418—POACHED EGGS BOÏELDIEU

Garnish the tartlets with a white-chicken-meat, foie-gras, and truffle _salpicon_ cohered with poultry velouté. Coat the eggs with a reduced and thickened poultry gravy.

419—POACHED EGGS A LA BRUXELLOISE

Garnish some tartlet-crusts with braised, minced endives thickened with cream. Place an egg, coated with cream sauce, upon each; sprinkle moderately with _biscotte_ raspings, and set to glaze quickly in a fierce oven.

420—POACHED EGGS A LA CLAMART

Garnish some tartlet-crusts with small, green peas, cooked à la française (No. 2193), and mixed with finely _ciseled_ lettuce which should have cooked with them. Place an egg, coated with cream sauce which has been finished with fresh-pea butter, upon each.

421—POACHED EGGS COLBERT

Garnish some tartlet-crusts with a _macédoine_ cohered with Béchamel. Place a plainly-poached egg upon each, and send Colbert butter, separately, to the table with the tartlets.

422—POACHED EGGS A LA COMTESSE

Garnish some tartlet-crusts with white asparagus purée. Place an egg coated with Allemande sauce upon each, and sprinkle with very black chopped truffles.

423—POACHED EGGS GRAND DUC

There are two modes of procedure:—(_a_) Place the eggs on fried rusks, with a nice slice of truffle on each; arrange them in a circle round the dish, coat with Mornay sauce, and set to glaze in a fierce oven. On withdrawing the dish from the oven, put in the centre a garnish composed of asparagus-heads and a small faggot of the latter, very green and cooked. (_b_) Prepare a _croustade_, moulded in a flawn ring, the size of which must be in proportion to the number of eggs to be served. Arrange the eggs in a circle in the _croustade_, coat them with Mornay sauce, and set to glaze in a fierce oven. On withdrawing the _croustade_ from the oven, garnish its centre with asparagus-heads and a small faggot as above.

424—POACHED EGGS MAINTENON

Garnish some tartlet-crusts with a Soubise à la Béchamel, slightly thickened by reduction. Coat the eggs with Mornay sauce, besprinkle with grated cheese, and place them in the crusts by means of a slice.

Set to glaze in a fierce oven, and, on withdrawing the dish from the oven, surround the crusts with a thread of melted meat-glaze.

425—POACHED EGGS MASSÉNA

Heat some medium-sized artichoke-bottoms in butter. Slightly hollow them, if necessary, and garnish each with a tablespoonful of Béarnaise sauce. Place an egg, coated with tomato sauce, upon each artichoke-bottom; then place a slice of poached marrow upon each egg, and a little chopped parsley upon each slice of marrow.

426—POACHED EGGS MIREILLE

Slightly press some saffroned pilaff rice in buttered tartlet moulds.

Prepare as many pieces of toast of the same size as the tartlets, and fry them in oil. Place an egg, coated with cream sauce, finished with saffron, upon each. Turn the rice-tartlets out of the moulds, and arrange them in a circle on a dish, alternating them with the eggs on toast; put a coffeespoonful of _concassed_ tomatoes, stewed in butter and kept rather thick, upon each rice-tartlet.

427—POACHED EGGS MORNAY

Coat the eggs with Mornay sauce, and besprinkle with grated Gruyère and Parmesan cheese mixed with fine raspings. Then, by means of a slice, carefully transfer the eggs to pieces of toast fried in oil. Arrange them in a circle on a dish, sprinkle each egg with a few drops of melted butter, and set to glaze quickly in a fierce oven.

428—POACHED EGGS D’ORSAY

Place the eggs upon toast fried in butter. Arrange them in a circle on a dish, and coat them with Châteaubriand sauce.

429—POACHED EGGS ROSSINI

Garnish some tartlet-crusts, each with a slice of foie gras (raw if possible) seasoned, dredged with flour, and fried in butter. Place an egg, coated with thickened veal gravy with Madeira, on each tartlet, and complete by means of a large slice of very black truffle on each egg.

430—POACHED EGGS SÉVIGNÉ

Prepare some thin rusks; fry them in clarified butter, and stuff them with a mince of braised lettuce. Place an egg on each stuffed rusk; coat with velouté mixed with poultry essence; arrange in a circle on a dish, and complete by means of a ring of very black truffle on each egg.

431—POACHED EGGS VICTORIA

Garnish some tartlet-crusts with a _salpicon_ made from three oz. of spiny-lobster meat and one-half oz. of truffles, cohered with three tablespoonfuls of Diplomate sauce. Place an egg, coated with Diplomate sauce, on each tartlet. Dish, and set to glaze in a fierce oven.

432—POACHED EGGS WITH RED WINE

These eggs may either be poached with red wine, or in the ordinary way.

In the first case, the wine used for poaching may serve to prepare the red wine or Bordelaise sauce (No. 32). In either case, the eggs are dished on oval rusks, slightly hollowed and fried in butter; they are coated with the sauce, after having been dished, and they are quickly glazed.

433—HARD-BOILED EGGS

Boiling eggs hard may seem an insignificant matter, but, like the other modes of procedure, it is, in reality, of some importance, and should be effected in a given period of time. If, for a special purpose, they have to be just done, it is pointless and even harmful to boil them beyond a certain time-limit, seeing that any excess in the boiling only makes them tough, and the whites particularly so, owing to their albuminous nature. In order to boil eggs uniformly, they should be put into a colander with large holes, whereby they may be plunged at the same moment of time into the boiling water. From the time the water regains the boiling point, eight minutes should be allowed in the case of medium-sized eggs, and ten minutes in the case of larger ones; but these times should never be exceeded. As soon as they are done drain the eggs and dip them in cold water, and then shell them carefully.

434—HARD-BOILED EGGS CARÊME

Have ready beforehand a timbale crust (No. 2394), somewhat shallow.

For six hard-boiled eggs, slice four artichoke-bottoms of medium size, and stew them in butter; cut some truffles into slices, allowing four slices to each egg, and cut up the eggs into discs about one-half inch thick. Prepare also in advance one-half pint of Nantua sauce.

Garnish the crust with alternate layers of sliced artichoke-bottoms, egg-discs, and sliced truffles. Finish with a coating of sauce and a ring of sliced truffles.

Dish up the crust on a napkin.

435—HARD-BOILED EGGS CHIMAY

Cut the eggs, lengthwise, in two. Remove the yolks, pound them into a paste, and add thereto an equal quantity of dry Duxelle (No. 223). Fill the empty whites with the preparation; place them on a buttered _gratin_-dish; cover them with Mornay sauce; besprinkle with grated cheese; pour a few drops of melted butter upon the sauce, and set to glaze in a fierce oven.

436—HARD-BOILED EGGS IN CROQUETTES

Cut the eggs into small dice (white and yolks). Per six eggs add five oz. of cooked mushrooms and one oz. of truffles, cut into dice.

Thicken the whole with one-quarter pint of reduced Béchamel, and spread on a plate to cool.

When cold, divide the preparation into portions weighing about two oz.; roll these portions into balls on a floured mixing-board, and then shape them like eggs. Dip them into an _anglaise_ (No. 174), taking care to cover them well with it, and then roll them in fine and fresh bread-crumbs, letting this operation avail for finishing off the shape. Put them into hot fat seven or eight minutes before dishing up; drain, salt moderately, place on a napkin, with a centre garnish of very green, fried parsley, and send a cream sauce to the table with them.

437—HARD-BOILED EGGS IN RISSOLES

Make a preparation of eggs, as for the croquettes, using a little more sauce. Roll some puff-paste trimmings to a thickness of one-quarter inch, and stamp it with a round indented cutter two and one-half inches in diameter.

Place a small tablespoonful of the preparation in the middle of each piece of paste; moisten slightly all round, and make the rissoles by folding the outside edges of the paste over one another to look like a closed purse, taking care to press them well together so as to join them, thus completely enclosing the preparation. Treat them _à l’anglaise_; put them into hot fat eight minutes before serving, and dish up on a napkin, with a centre garnish of parsley.

438—EGGS A LA TRIPE

For six eggs, finely mince two onions, and stew them in butter, without letting them acquire any colour. Add thereto one-half pint of Béchamel sauce, and set to cook gently for ten minutes. A few minutes before serving add the eggs, cut into large slices, to the sauce.

Dish up in a timbale.

439—EGGS A LA TRIPE, BOURGEOISE

For six eggs chop up two large onions and stew them in butter without colouration. Sprinkle them with one-half oz. of flour, moisten with one pint of boiling milk, and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Set to cook, gently, for twenty minutes; rub through a fine sieve or through tammy, and transfer the preparation to a saucepan, and heat it well. Dish up the eggs, which should be quartered, in a timbale, and cover them with the preparation of onions, very hot.

440—EGGS EN COCOTTE

The poaching of eggs _en cocotte_ is done in the _bain-marie_.

_Cocottes_ for eggs, which may be replaced by little china or plaited cases, are a kind of small saucepan in earthenware, in porcelain, or in silver, provided with a little handle. The time generally allowed for the cooking or poaching of eggs in this way is ten minutes, but this time is subject to variations either way. In order to accelerate the process I should advise the warming of the _cocottes_ before the insertion of the eggs.

_Mode of Procedure._—Having garnished the _cocottes_ and broken the eggs into them, as directed in the recipes given hereafter, set them in a sauté-pan and pour therein enough boiling water to reach within one-half inch of the brims of the _cocottes_. Place in the oven and cover, just leaving sufficient opening for the steam to escape.

The eggs are done when the whites are almost set and the yolks are glossy. After having properly wiped the _cocottes_, dish them on a napkin or on a fancy dish-paper.

441—EGGS EN COCOTTE AU CHAMBERTIN

Prepare a red-wine sauce au Chambertin. Fill the _cocottes_, one-third full, with this sauce. Set to boil on a corner of the stove; break the eggs into the boiling sauce, season with a grain of salt, and put the _cocottes_, one by one, into a sauté-pan containing the necessary quantity of boiling water.

Poach as directed, and set to glaze quickly at the last moment.

442—EGGS EN COCOTTE WITH CREAM

This preparation constitutes the radical type of this series of eggs, and, for a long time, was the only one in use. Heat the _cocottes_ beforehand; pour a tablespoonful of boiling cream into each, followed by an egg, broken; season, and add two little lumps of butter, the size of peas. Place the _cocottes_ in a _bain-marie_, and poach as before.

443—EGGS EN COCOTTE A LA JEANNETTE

Garnish the bottom and the sides of the _cocottes_ with a thickness of one-third inch of chicken-forcemeat with cream, mixed with a fifth of its volume of foie gras. Break the egg over the middle, season, and poach in the usual way. When about to serve, surround the eggs with a thread of poultry velouté.

444—EGGS EN COCOTTE WITH GRAVY

Break the eggs into buttered _cocottes_. Season, poach, and, when about to serve, surround the yolks with a thread of reduced veal gravy.

445—EGGS EN COCOTTE A LA LORRAINE

Put a teaspoonful of breast of pork, cut into dice and fried, into each _cocotte_, also three thin slices of Gruyère cheese and one tablespoonful of boiling cream. Break the eggs, season, and poach in the usual way.

446—EGGS EN COCOTTE A LA MARAICHÈRE

Garnish the bottom and sides of the _cocottes_ with cooked spinach, chopped and pressed, and sorrel and lettuce leaves, both of which should be stewed in butter. Break the eggs, season, poach in the usual way, and, when about to send the eggs to the table, drop a fine chervil _pluche_ on each yolk.

447—EGGS EN COCOTTE WITH MORELS

Garnish the bottom and sides of the cocottes with minced morels fried in butter and thickened with a little reduced half-glaze. Break the eggs, season, poach, and surround the yolks with a thread of half-glaze when dishing up.

448—EGGS EN COCOTTE A LA SOUBISE

Garnish the bottom and sides of the _cocottes_ with a coating of thick Soubise purée. Break the eggs, season, and poach. When dishing up, surround the yolks with a thread of melted meat-glaze.

449—MOULDED EGGS

These form a very ornamental dish, but the time required to prepare them being comparatively long, poached, soft-boiled, and other kinds of eggs are generally preferred in their stead. They are made in variously shaped moulds, ornamented according to the nature of the preparation, and the eggs are broken into them direct, or they may be inserted in the form of scrambled eggs, together with raw eggs poached in a _bain-marie_.

Whatever be the mode of preparation, the moulds should always be liberally buttered. The usual time allowed for the poaching of the eggs in moulds is from ten to twelve minutes, but when withdrawn from the _bain-marie_ it is well to let the moulds stand awhile with the view of promoting a settling of their contents, which action facilitates the ultimate turning out of the latter.

Empty the moulds on small pieces of toast or tartlets, and arrange these in a circle round the dish.

450—MOULDED EGGS A LA CARIGNAN

Butter some _Madeleine-moulds_, shaped like elongated shells, and garnish them with a thin coating of chicken-stuffing or crayfish butter. Break the eggs in the middle of the forcemeat; season, place carefully in a _bain-marie_, and poach, with cover on, in the oven, leaving a small opening for the escape of the generated vapour. Empty the moulds on toast cut to the same shape as the moulds and fried in butter; arrange them on the dish, and coat with a Châteaubriand sauce.

451—MOULDED EGGS A LA DUCHESSE

Butter some baba-moulds; garnish the bottom of each with a large slice of truffle; break an egg into each, and poach in the _bain-marie_. Turn out the moulds on to little fluted _galettes_ made from Duchesse potatoes and coloured in the oven after having been _gilded_.

Dish up in the form of a crown, and coat with a thickened veal gravy.

452—GALLI-MARIÉ, MOULDED EGGS

For four people: (1) Prepare five scrambled eggs, keeping them very soft; add thereto three raw, beaten eggs and one teaspoonful of capsicum, cut into dice. Mould this preparation in four little shallow _cassolettes_, well buttered, and poach in the _bain-marie_.

(2) Have ready and hot as many cooked artichoke-bottoms as there are _cassolettes_; the former should have had their edges fluted. Have also ready a “Rice à la Grecque” (No. 2253).

(3) Garnish the artichoke-bottoms with the rice; turn out the _cassolettes_ upon the latter; arrange on a dish, and cover with highly-seasoned and buttered Béchamel sauce. Put the dish in a fierce oven, so as to glaze quickly, and serve immediately.

453—MOULDED EGGS A LA MORTEMART

Scramble five eggs, keeping them soft, and add thereto three raw, beaten eggs. Butter some shallow, timbale moulds; garnish their bottoms with a fine slice of truffle, and fill them with the preparation of eggs. Poach in a _bain-marie_.

Turn out each mould on a tartlet-crust, garnished with mushroom purée à la crème (No. 2079), and arrange in a circle on a round dish. Send a sauceboat containing some melted and buttered meat-glaze to the table with the eggs.

454—NEAPOLITAN MOULDED EGGS

Make a preparation consisting of scrambled eggs and Parmesan cheese, keeping it very soft; add thereto, per five scrambled eggs, two raw eggs. Fill some little, well-buttered brioche-moulds with this preparation, and poach in the _bain-marie_. As soon as their contents are properly set, turn out the moulds on to a buttered _gratin_ dish, besprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese, and coat the eggs with reduced and buttered half-glaze, well saturated with tomato.

455—MOULDED EGGS PALERMITAINE

Butter some _baba-moulds_; garnish the bottoms with a slice of truffle, and besprinkle the sides with very red, chopped tongue. Put the moulds in ice for a while, in order that the tongue may set in the butter. Break an egg into each mould, season, and poach in the _bain-marie_. Turn out the moulds on tartlet-crusts garnished with macaroni with cream.

456—POLIGNAC MOULDED EGGS

Butter some _baba-moulds_, and garnish the bottoms with a slice of truffle. Break an egg into each; season, and poach in a _bain-marie_.

Turn out the moulds upon little round pieces of toast; arrange them in a circle on a dish, and coat the eggs with Maître-d’Hôtel butter, the latter being dissolved and mixed with three tablespoonfuls of melted meat-glaze per every one-quarter lb. of its weight.

457—PRINCESS MOULDED EGGS

Butter some narrow and deep _dariole-moulds_; garnish their bottoms with a slice of very black truffle, and their sides with a very thin coating of chicken forcemeat.

Make a preparation of scrambled eggs, asparagus-heads, and truffles cut into dice, keeping them very soft, and add thereto raw, beaten eggs in the proportion of one raw egg to every four scrambled.

Fill the moulds, two-thirds full, with this preparation; cover the eggs with a coating of forcemeat, and poach in a _bain-marie_ for twelve minutes.

Turn out the moulds upon little, round pieces of toast; set these in a circle on a dish, and surround them with a thread of clear poultry velouté. Or the velouté may be sent to the table separately, in a sauceboat.

458—PRINTANIER MOULDED EGGS

Butter some hexagonal moulds, and garnish them, _Chartreuse-fashion_, with cut-up, cooked vegetables, varying the shades. Break an egg into each mould; season, and poach in a _bain-marie_. Turn out the moulds upon little, round pieces of toast; arrange these in a circle on a dish, and pour in their midst a cream sauce finished by means of a _Printanier_ butter with herbs, in the proportion of one oz. of butter to one-quarter pint of sauce.

459—SCRAMBLED EGGS

This dish is undoubtedly the finest of all egg-preparations, provided the eggs be not over-cooked, and they be kept soft and creamy.

Scrambled eggs are mostly served in silver timbales, but, in certain cases, they may also be dished in special little _croustades_, in little receptacles made from hollowed brioches, or in tartlet-crusts. Formerly, it was customary to garnish scrambled eggs served in a silver timbale with small, variously-shaped pieces of toast, or with small scraps of puff-paste, cooked without colouration, and shaped like crescents, lozenges, rings, _palmettes_, &c. This method has something to recommend it, and may always be adopted. In old cookery, scrambled eggs were sanctioned only when cooked in a _bain-marie_. This measure certainly ensured their being properly cooked, but it considerably lengthened the procedure. The latter may therefore be shortened by cooking the eggs in the usual way, _i.e._, in a utensil in direct contact with the fire; but in this case the heat must be moderate, in order that, the process of cooking being progressive and gradual, perfect homogeneity of the particles of the eggs (effecting the smoothness of the preparation) may result.

460—METHOD OF SCRAMBLING EGGS

For six eggs, slightly heat one oz. of butter in a thick-bottomed sauté-pan. Add the six eggs, beaten moderately, together with a large pinch of salt and a little pepper; place the pan on a moderate fire, and stir constantly with a wooden spoon, taking care to avoid anything in the way of sudden, fierce heat, which, by instantaneously solidifying the egg-molecules, would cause lumps to form in the mass—a thing which, above all, should be guarded against.

When, by cooking, the eggs have acquired the proper consistence, and are still smooth and creamy, take the sauté-pan off the fire, and finish the preparation by means of one and one-half oz. of butter (divided into small quantities) and three tablespoonfuls of cream. Only whisk the eggs to be scrambled when absolutely necessary.

N.B.—Having given the mode of procedure, which is unalterable for scrambled eggs, I shall now pass on, in the following recipes, to the various garnishes suited to this kind of dish. The quantities I give are those required for six scrambled eggs.

461—SCRAMBLED EGGS A LA BOHÉMIENNE

Take one cottage brioche for every two eggs. Remove the tops of the brioches, and the crumb from the remaining portions, so as to form cases of these. Add one-half oz. of foie gras to the scrambled eggs, and half as much truffles, cut into dice, for every two eggs. Fill the emptied brioches with this preparation, and place a slice of truffle coated with meat-glaze upon each.

462—SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH MUSHROOMS

Add to the scrambled eggs one oz. of cooked mushrooms cut into dice, or raw mushrooms, minced and _sautéd_ in butter, for every two eggs.

Dish in a timbale; put a fine, cooked, and grooved mushroom in the middle, and surround with a crown of sliced mushrooms, also cooked.

463—SCRAMBLED EGGS, CHASSEUR

Dish the scrambled eggs in a timbale. Hollow out the middle, and place therein a garnish of one fine chicken’s liver, _sautéd_, per every two eggs. Sprinkle a pinch of chervil and tarragon on the garnish, and surround with a thread of chasseur sauce (No. 33).

464—SCRAMBLED EGGS, CHATILLON

Dish the eggs in a timbale, and place a garnish of mushrooms in the centre. The mushrooms should first be minced raw, and then _sautéd_ in butter. Sprinkle a pinch of chopped parsley on the garnish, and surround with a thread of melted meat-glaze. Border the whole, close to the sides of the timbale, with small crescents of puff-paste, baked pale.

465—SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH SHRIMPS

Dish the scrambled eggs in a silver timbale. Place a little heap of shrimps’ tails bound with a few tablespoonfuls of shrimp sauce in the middle, and surround with a thread of the same sauce.

466—SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH HERBS

Add to the scrambled eggs a tablespoonful of parsley, chervil _pluches_, chives, and tarragon leaves in equal quantities and chopped.

467—SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH CHEESE

Break the eggs, beat them, season, and add thereto, for every two eggs, one-half oz. of fresh grated Gruyère cheese, and as much grated Parmesan. Cook the eggs in the usual way on a very moderate fire, in order to keep them creamy.

468—SCRAMBLED EGGS GRAND-MÈRE

Add to the scrambled eggs a tablespoonful of little crusts, cut into dice, fried in clarified butter, and prepared in time to be inserted into the eggs very hot. Dish in a timbale with a pinch of chopped parsley in the middle.

469—SCRAMBLED EGGS, GEORGETTE

Bake three fine Dutch potatoes, or six smaller ones, in the oven. Open them by means of an incision on their tops; withdraw the pulp from the interior with the handle of a spoon, and keep the remaining shells hot. Prepare the scrambled eggs in the usual way, and finish them away from the fire with one and one-half oz. of crayfish butter, and eight or ten shelled crayfish tails. Garnish the potato shells with this preparation, and dish up on a napkin.

470—SCRAMBLED EGGS FOR HOT LUNCHEON HORS-D’ŒUVRE

I only give one recipe of this kind, but the series may be extended at will without involving much deep research, since all that is needed for the purpose of variety is the modification of the garnish and a change in the _soufflé_ preparation. The mode of procedure remains unalterable. Prepare the scrambled eggs, and garnish them as fancy may suggest. Also make a “Soufflé with Parmesan Cheese” (No. 2295a).

Put the scrambled eggs into a large tartlet-crust, cook without colouration, filling them only two-thirds full. Cover with the _soufflé_ preparation, taking care to make it project in a mound above the tartlets; place these on a tray, poach quickly in a hot oven, and glaze at the same time.

471—SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH MORELS

Add to the scrambled eggs some minced morels, _sautéd_ in butter and seasoned. Dish in timbales, and place a fine, cooked morel in the centre of each.

472—SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH MOUSSERONS

Proceed as for No. 471.

473—SCRAMBLED EGGS, ORLOFF

Break the eggs; beat them, and add thereto a little fresh, thick cream. Cook them in the usual way, and add three crayfishes’ tails per every two eggs. Dish in little porcelain cases, place a fine slice of truffle in each of the cases, and arrange these upon a napkin lying on a dish.

474—SCRAMBLED EGGS A LA PIÉMONTAISE

Add to the scrambled eggs, per every two of the latter, one-half oz. of grated Parmesan cheese and a coffeespoonful of raw, grated, Piedmont truffles. Dish in a timbale, and garnish with a fine crown of sliced truffles of the same kind as the above.

475—SCRAMBLED EGGS A LA PORTUGAISE

Dish the eggs in a timbale, and place, in the middle, some fine, _concassed_ tomatoes, seasoned and _sautéd_ in butter. Sprinkle a pinch of _concassed_ parsley on the tomatoes, and surround with a thread of meat-glaze.

476—SCRAMBLED EGGS, PRINCESS MARY

Prepare some small timbales in _dariole-moulds_ from puff-paste scraps, and bake them without colouration; also some little covers of puff-paste, stamped out with an indented fancy-cutter, two inches in diameter. Set the covers on a tray, _gild_ them slightly, place on each a scrap of indented paste, and leave this uncoloured. Bake the timbales and the covers in a moderate oven.

Make a preparation of scrambled eggs and Parmesan cheese; add to this, away from the fire, two tablespoonfuls of reduced velouté with truffle essence and truffles cut into dice.

Garnish the timbales, put a cover on each, and dish up on a napkin.

477—SCRAMBLED EGGS, RACHEL

Add some truffles, cut into dice, and some asparagus-heads to the scrambled eggs. Dish on a timbale; put a fine little faggot of asparagus-heads in the middle, and surround with a crown of sliced truffles.

478—SCRAMBLED EGGS, REINE MARGOT

Prepare the scrambled eggs in the usual way, and finish them with the necessary quantity of almond butter. Place this preparation in small tartlet-crusts, baked without colouration, and surround the tartlets with a thread of Béchamel sauce, finished with pistachio butter, the thread of sauce being close up to the edge of the tartlets.

480—SCRAMBLED EGGS, ROTHSCHILD

Finely pound the remains of six crayfish (cooked in _Mirepoix_) the tails of which have been put aside, and add thereto, little by little, two tablespoonfuls of thick cream. Rub through tammy.

Add this crayfish cream to the six beaten eggs; season, and cook on a moderate fire with the object of obtaining a smooth, soft, and creamy preparation. Serve in a timbale and garnish, firstly with a small faggot of asparagus-heads placed in the middle of the eggs, secondly with crayfish tails arranged in a circle round the asparagus, and thirdly with large slices of very black truffles arranged in a crown around the crayfish tails.

481—SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH TRUFFLES

Add one tablespoonful of truffles, cooked in Madeira and cut into dice, to the scrambled eggs. Place these in a timbale, and garnish with a crown of sliced truffles.

Or place the preparation in tartlet-crusts, made from trimmings of puff-paste and baked without colouration, with a large slice of truffle on the eggs, in each tartlet.

482—FRIED EGGS

In the long series of egg-preparations, fried eggs are those which hold the least important place, for the fried eggs which are so commonly served at breakfasts in England and America are really eggs _à la poêle_. The real fried egg is almost unknown in England and America. As a rule, the garnish given to this kind of eggs is served apart, while the latter are dished, either on a napkin or on pieces of toast, with a little fried parsley laid in the middle of the dish.

483—THE PREPARATION OF FRIED EGGS

Any fat, provided it be well purified, may be used for these eggs, but oil is the more customary frying medium. To do these eggs properly, only one should be dealt with at a time.

Heat some oil in an omelet-pan until it begins to smoke slightly; break the egg on a plate; season it, and let it slide into the pan. Then, with a wooden spoon, quickly cover up the yolk with the solidified portions of the white, in order to keep the former soft.

Drain the egg on a piece of stretched linen, and proceed in the same way with the other eggs until the required quantity has been treated.

484—FRIED EGGS A LA BORDELAISE

Prepare as many halved tomatoes à la Provençale (see tomatoes) as there are eggs, adding a pinch of chopped shallots to each halved tomato. When cooked, garnish them with _cèpes_, finely minced and _sautéd_ à la Bordelaise; place a fried egg on each garnished half-tomato, and arrange them in a circle on a dish, with fried parsley in the middle.

485—HARVESTERS’ FRIED EGGS

Fry as many _blanched_ rashers of breast of bacon as there are eggs. Arrange in a circle on a dish, alternating the rasher with the eggs. Garnish the centre with large peas, cooked with _ciseled_ lettuce and finely-sliced potatoes.

486—FRIED POACHED EGGS

This kind is recommended, because it may be served with various garnishes—either vegetables of the same nature, a _macédoine_, vegetable purées, or divers cullises, sauces in keeping with the eggs, artichoke-bottoms, mushrooms, morels, &c. (sliced and _sautéd_ in butter), or tomato-_fondue_, &c.

After having properly drained and dried the poached eggs, which should have been prepared beforehand, dip them carefully in a Villeroy sauce (No. 108), and arrange them, one by one, on a dish. When the sauce has set, pass the point of a small knife round the eggs to remove any excess of sauce; take them off the dish to treat them with an _anglaise_ (No. 174), and then roll them in very fine, fresh bread-crumbs.

Plunge them into very hot fat three or four minutes before serving; drain them on a piece of linen; salt slightly, arrange in a circle on a dish, and set the selected garnish in the middle.

487—FRIED EGGS A LA PORTUGAISE

Place each of the fried eggs upon a half-tomato à la Portugaise, _i.e._, stuffed with rice after having been previously half-baked in the oven. Arrange in a circle on a dish, and garnish the centre with _concassed_ tomatoes _sautéd_ in butter.

488—FRIED EGGS A LA PROVENÇALE

Put each fried egg on a half-tomato on a large, thick slice of egg-plant, seasoned, rolled in flour, and fried in oil.

Set in a circle on a dish, with fried parsley in the centre.

489—FRIED EGGS A LA ROMAINE

Place the eggs, fried in oil, on little, oval _subrics_ of spinach. The preparation of spinach should have anchovy fillets, cut into dice, added to it.

490—FRIED EGGS A LA VERDI

Cut six hard-boiled eggs lengthwise. Remove the yolks, pound them with two oz. of butter, and add thereto two tablespoonfuls of thick, cold Béchamel, two tablespoonfuls of cooked herbs, and one tablespoonful of lean ham, cooked and chopped. Garnish each half-white of egg with a good tablespoonful of this preparation, and smooth it with the blade of a small knife, shaping it in such wise as to represent the other half of the egg. Dip each whole egg, thus formed, into an _anglaise_, and roll in fine, fresh bread-crumbs. Plunge in hot fat six minutes before serving, and dish on a napkin, with fried parsley in the centre. Send, separately, to the table a garnish composed of asparagus-heads.

491—FRIED POACHED EGGS A LA VILLEROY

Prepare the eggs, poached beforehand, as explained under No. 486. Fry them similarly, and dish them on a napkin, with a garnish of fried parsley in the centre.

The procedure for omelets is at once very simple and very difficult, for tastes differ considerably in respect of their preparation. Some like them well done, others insist upon their being just done, while there are yet others who only enjoy them when they are almost liquid.

Nevertheless, the following conditions apply to all—namely, that there should be homogeneity of the egg-molecules; that the whole mass should be smooth and soft; and that it should be borne in mind that an omelet is in reality scrambled eggs enclosed in a coat composed of coagulated egg.

I take as my standard an omelet consisting of three eggs, the seasoning of which comprises a small pinch of table-salt and a little pepper, and which requires one-half oz. of butter for its preparation. The quantities of garnishing ingredients given below, therefore, are based upon this standard.

492—THE PREPARATION OF OMELETS

Heat the butter in the omelet-pan, until it exhales the characteristic nutty smell. This will not only lend an exquisite taste to the omelet, but the degree of heat reached in order to produce the aroma will be found to ensure the perfect setting of the eggs.

Pour in the beaten and seasoned eggs, and stir briskly with a fork, in order to heat the whole mass evenly. If the omelet is to be garnished inside, this ought to be done at the present stage, and then the omelet should be speedily rolled up and transferred to a dish, to be finished in accordance with the nature of its designation.

When the omelet is on the dish, a piece of butter may be quickly drawn across its surface, to make it glossy.

493—AGNÈS SOREL OMELET

Stuff the omelet with one tablespoonful of mushrooms, minced and _sautéd_ in butter. Roll it up, and transfer it to a dish.

Then lay eight small slices of very red tongue upon it, letting their edges overlap; surround with a thread of veal gravy.

494—OMELET A LA BRUXELLOISE

Stuff the omelet with two tablespoonfuls of braised endives, _ciseled_ and thickened with cream. Surround with a thread of cream sauce.

495—OMELET WITH CÈPES

Finely mince two oz. of _cèpes_; toss them in butter in an omelet-pan until they have acquired a brown colour; add thereto a pinch of chopped shallots, and toss them again for a moment.

Pour the eggs into the omelet-pan; make the omelet; dish up, and surround with a thread of half-glaze.

496—OMELET WITH MUSHROOMS

Mince two oz. of raw mushrooms; toss them in butter in an omelet-pan; add the eggs thereto, and make the omelet. Transfer it to a dish, lay three little cooked and grooved mushrooms upon it, and surround with a thread of half-glaze.

497—OMELET A LA CHOISY

Stuff the omelet with two tablespoonfuls of braised lettuce; the latter should have been _ciseled_ and cohered by means of cream sauce.

Roll and dish the omelet, and surround it with a thread of cream sauce.

498—OMELET A LA CLAMART

Stuff the omelet with two tablespoonfuls of fresh peas, bound by means of butter and combined with a portion of the lettuce used in cooking them, finely _ciseled_. Roll and dish the omelet, make an opening lengthwise in the centre, and fill the interspace with a tablespoonful of fresh peas.

499—OMELET WITH CRUSTS

Combine with the beaten and seasoned eggs two tablespoonfuls of small crusts, cut into dice, fried in clarified butter, and very hot.

Make the omelet very quickly.

500—OMELET WITH SPINACH

Stuff the omelet with two tablespoonfuls of spinach with cream, and surround with a thread of cream sauce.

501—OMELET A LA FERMIÈRE

Add to the beaten and seasoned eggs one tablespoonful of very lean, cooked ham cut into dice. Pour the eggs into the omelet-pan, and cook them quickly, taking care to keep them very soft. Let the outside harden slightly; tilt into the dish after the manner of a pancake, and besprinkle the surface with a pinch of chopped parsley.

502—OMELET AUX FINES HERBES

Add to the eggs one tablespoonful of parsley, chervil, chive, and tarragon leaves, all to be finely chopped and almost equally apportioned.

Make the omelet in the usual way.

503—OMELET WITH VEGETABLE MARROW FLOWERS

Add to the eggs one and one-half oz. of the calices of freshly-plucked and young vegetable-marrow flowers; _cisel_ and stew them, and add thereto a pinch of chopped parsley. Surround the omelet with a thread of tomato sauce.

N.B.—This omelet may be made with oil, as well as with butter.

504—OMELET WITH CHICKEN’S LIVER

Stuff the omelet with two tablespoonfuls of chicken’s liver, which should be cut into dice or finely sliced, seasoned, quickly _sautéd_ in butter, and cohered with half-glaze. Dish the omelet, make an opening lengthwise in the centre, and place one tablespoonful of chicken’s liver, prepared as above, in the interspaces. Besprinkle with chopped parsley, and surround the omelet with a thread of half-glaze.

505—OMELET WITH ARTICHOKE-BOTTOMS

Finely mince two small artichoke-bottoms (raw if possible), season them, and slightly colour them in butter. Add the beaten and seasoned eggs, and make the omelet in the usual way.

506—OMELET WITH YOUNG SHOOTS OF HOPS

Stuff the omelet with two tablespoonfuls of young shoots of hops, cohered with cream, and finish it in the usual way. Open it slightly along the top, and garnish with a few young shoots of hops put aside for the purpose.

The omelet may be surrounded with a thread of cream sauce, but this is optional.

507—OMELET A LA LYONNAISE

Finely mince half an onion, and cook it with butter in an omelet-pan, letting it brown slightly. Add the eggs, with which a large pinch of chopped parsley has been mixed, and make the omelet in the usual way.

508—OMELET MAXIM

Make the omelet in the usual way. Lay upon it alternate rows of crayfish tails and slices of truffle. Surround the omelet with a fine border of frogs’ legs “_sautéd_ à la Meunière,” _i.e._, seasoned raw, rolled in flour, and _sautéd_ in butter until quite cooked and well _gilded_.

509—OMELET WITH MORELS

Mince and toss in butter two oz. of very firm morels. Two should be put aside, which, after having been cut in two, lengthwise, and _sautéd_ with the others, should be placed on a dish when the omelet is about to be made. Having dished the latter, place the four _sautéd_ and reserved pieces of morels upon it, and surround it with a thread of half-glaze.

510—OMELET MOUSSELINE

Beat the yolks of three eggs in a bowl with a small pinch of salt and a tablespoonful of very thick cream. Add thereto the three whites, whisked to a stiff froth, and pour this preparation into a wide omelet-pan containing one oz. of very hot butter. _Sauté_ the omelet, tossing it very quickly, and taking care to turn the outside edges of the preparation constantly towards the centre; when the whole mass seems uniformly set, roll the omelet up quickly, and dish it. This omelet should be sent to the table immediately.

510a—OMELET WITH MOUSSERONS

Mince two oz. of very fresh _mousserons_; toss them in butter in the omelet-pan; add thereto the eggs mixed with a pinch of chopped parsley; make the omelet, dish it, and surround it with a thread of half-glaze.

511—OMELET A LA NANTUA

Add to the omelet six little crayfishes’ tails, each of which must be cut into three, and the whole mixed with a little Nantua sauce. Put two fine crayfishes’ tails on the omelet, making them touch at their thicker ends, and surround with a thread of Nantua sauce.

512—OMELET PARMENTIER

Add a pinch of chopped parsley to the eggs, and, when about to pour the latter into the omelet-pan, add two tablespoonfuls of potato cut into dice, seasoned, _sautéd_ in butter, and very hot. Make the omelet in the usual way.

513—OMELET A LA PAYSANNE

Frizzle with butter, in the omelet-pan, two oz. of breast of bacon cut into dice. Add to the eggs one tablespoonful of finely-sliced potatoes _sautéd_ in butter, one-half tablespoonful of _ciseled_ sorrel stewed in butter, and a pinch of _concassed_ chervil.

Pour the whole over the bacon-dice; cook the eggs quickly, keeping them soft; turn the omelet after the manner of a pancake, and tilt it immediately on to a round dish.

514—OMELET WITH ASPARAGUS-TOPS

Add one and one-half tablespoonfuls of blanched asparagus-tops, stewed in butter, to the omelet. Having dished the omelet, open it along the middle, and lay a nice little faggot of asparagus-tops in the interspace.

515—OMELET A LA PROVENÇALE

Rub the bottom of the omelet-pan lightly with a clove of garlic; put two tablespoonfuls of oil into the utensil, and heat it until it smokes.

Throw into the oil a fine, peeled, pressed, and pipped tomato, cut into dice and besprinkled with a pinch of _concassed_ parsley. Cook it quickly, tossing it the while, and add it to the beaten and seasoned eggs. Make the omelet in the usual way.

N.B.—The nature of this preparation demands the use of oil in treating the tomato, but, failing oil, clarified butter may be used.

516—OMELET WITH KIDNEYS

Add to the omelet a tablespoonful of calf’s or sheep’s kidney, cut into dice, seasoned with salt and pepper, _sautéd_ quickly in butter, and cohered by means of half-glaze. Having dished the omelet, divide it down the middle, lay some reserved kidney-dice in the interspace, and surround with a thread of half-glaze.

517—OMELET A LA ROSSINI

Add to the beaten and seasoned eggs one dessertspoonful of cooked foie gras and as much truffle, cut into small dice. Having dished the omelet, place in the middle thereof a small rectangular piece of heated foie gras, and two slices of truffle on either side of the latter. Surround it with a thread of half-glaze flavoured with truffle essence.

518—OMELET WITH TRUFFLES

Add to the omelet one tablespoonful of truffles, cut into dice. Make the omelet, dish it, and lay a row of fine slices of truffles upon it. Surround it with a thread of melted meat-glaze.

519—HOT LAPWINGS’ AND PLOVERS’ EGGS

_Note._—In the chapter on hors-d’œuvres, where recipes were given which deal with lapwings’ eggs, I made a few remarks relative to their freshness, and indicated the procedure for boiling them soft and hard.

520—SCRAMBLED LAPWINGS’ EGGS

Proceed as for ordinary scrambled eggs, all the recipes given for the latter being perfectly applicable to lapwings’ eggs. They require, however, very great care in their preparation, and it should be borne in mind that one ordinary hen’s egg is equal to about three lapwings’ eggs.

521—LAPWINGS’ EGGS A LA DANOISE

Poach the eggs as directed in the recipe dealing with the process, and dish them up in tartlet-crusts garnished with a purée of smoked salmon.

522—OMELET OF LAPWINGS’ EGGS

Proceed as for other omelets, but one ordinary hen’s egg is generally added to every six lapwings’ eggs in order to give more body to the preparation. All the omelet recipes already given may be applied to lapwings’ eggs.

523—LAPWINGS’ EGGS A LA ROYALE

Garnish as many small tartlet moulds as there are eggs with chicken-forcemeat. Poach, turn out the moulds, and hollow out the centres of the tartlets in such wise as to be able to set an egg upright in each.

Place a soft- or hard-boiled egg on each forcemeat tartlet, coat the eggs with a light purée of mushrooms, besprinkle with chopped truffles, and arrange in a circle on a dish.

524—LAPWINGS’ EGGS AU TROUBADOUR

Select as many large morels as there are eggs. Remove the stalks, and widen the openings of the morels; season them, and stew them in butter. Boil the lapwings’ eggs soft.

Garnish each stewed morel with an egg; set them on little tartlet-crusts garnished with a light, foie-gras purée, and arrange them in a circle on a dish.