The Modern Housewife or, Menagere Part 25

EGGS.

537. _Plain Baked Eggs._--b.u.t.ter with one ounce a plated dish, or common tart-dish, that will bear the heat of the oven; break carefully six eggs on it, season with one pinch of pepper, half a spoonful of salt, and add half an ounce of b.u.t.ter in small pieces over, put them in a slack oven until set, and serve.

538. _Baked Eggs with Asparagus._--Cut twenty heads of sprue into small pieces, keeping only the tender part, boil them for fifteen minutes, put them into a stewpan, with half an ounce of b.u.t.ter, set them on the fire for three minutes, season with a little pepper, salt, and sugar; when done, put them in the dish you intend to serve it in, break six eggs over, which season as above, put it into the oven until it sets, and serve; in case the oven is not sufficiently hot, place a salamander over the eggs.

539. _Mashed Eggs._--Break four eggs into a stewpan, with one ounce of b.u.t.ter, half a teaspoonful of salt, and a pinch of pepper, put it on the fire, stir continually, and as soon as delicately set, serve.

These can be served with either green peas, sprue gra.s.s, or mushrooms, which must be stewed and prepared as if ready to serve; put some in the stewpan with the eggs, and proceed as before. If meagre, use cream instead of b.u.t.ter.

540. _Eggs with Burnt b.u.t.ter._--Put into a frying-pan two ounces of b.u.t.ter, which melt; as soon as it is on the point of browning, put in the eggs, which have been previously broken in a basin, and seasoned with pepper and salt; when well set, serve, with a teaspoonful of vinegar over the eggs.

541. _Eggs a la Tripe._--Cut about two onions each into thin slices, put them in a stewpan, with half an ounce of fresh b.u.t.ter, and set them on a slow fire; when warmed through, put half a teaspoonful of salt, quarter ditto of pepper, a teaspoonful of flour, a gill of milk, and a little sugar; let it boil, put in six hard eggs cut in quarters, and serve, after a little ebullition.

542. _Snow Eggs._--Take half a pint of milk and a little sugar, and flavor it with orange-flower water, or any other essence, and put it in a stewpan on the fire, having previously beaten up the whites of six eggs to a stiff froth; if very hot weather, you must place the basin they are in on ice, or in cold water; whilst beating, add some powdered sugar lightly; when the milk is boiling, take the white up with a tablespoon, and drop it, one tablespoonful at a time, in the stewpan to poach, keeping the shape of an egg, which turn over when set; when done, remove with a colander on to a sieve, and dress them in a crown on the dish you intend to serve them on; when all done, beat up the yolks of four of the eggs in a stewpan, with a little sugar and a few drops of orange-flower water, pour part of the boiling milk out of the stewpan into it, sufficient to make a good stiff custard, put it on the fire until rather thick, and pour over the white, and serve either hot or cold: the last is preferable.

543. _Eggs with Cheese._--Put into a stewpan about two ounces of grated Parmesan, or Gruyere, or old Ches.h.i.+re, with one ounce of b.u.t.ter, two sprigs of parsley, two spring onions chopped up, a little grated nutmeg, and half a gla.s.s of sherry; put it on the fire, and keep stirring until the cheese is well melted; break six eggs in a basin, put them in the stewpan, stir and cook them on a slow fire; when done, serve with fried sippets of bread round. Or,

_Another way._

Put into a flat dish that will bear the oven a piece of b.u.t.ter the size of a walnut, the same of grated cheese, the yolks of two eggs, some grated cinnamon and nutmeg, mix these on the dish, put it either in the oven or in the hot plate, or, from want of either, before the fire, until it sets, then gently break six eggs on the dish, and cover with grated cheese, and salamander until a nice brown, or for want of one, keep it before the fire until it is so, and serve.

544. _Eggs in Cases._--Cut up a sheet of paper into pieces of three inches square, turn up half an inch all around so as to form a kind of case, they will then remain but two inches square in the inside. Take a small piece of b.u.t.ter, a pinch of fine breadcrumbs, a little fine chopped parsley, spring onions, salt, and pepper, and mix them together, put a little into each case, then break one egg into each, put them on a gridiron over a slow fire, and do them gently, or place them in a dish in an oven; when well set, serve.

545. _Omelette with Herbs._--Break six eggs in a basin or stewpan, and add to it a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, and one of chopped eschalot or spring onions, half ditto of salt, and a pinch of pepper, and beat it well up together. Put into an omelette-pan, that is, a small frying-pan six inches in diameter, two ounces of b.u.t.ter, which melt, then pour in the eggs, stir round with a spoon; as soon as it begins to set, lightly move it to that part of the pan opposite the handle, so that it occupies only one third, hold it so that that part of the pan is the lowest, move with a spoon the outside edges over, and let it remain half a minute, so that it obtains a good color, turn it over on to the dish so that the bottom is at the top. They must not be too much done, and served very hot. They may be served plain, or with the addition of any gravy.

Omelettes of ham, Parmesan, &c., are all made as the above, with the addition that these articles must have been properly cooked previously, and well chopped up, so as to mix well with the eggs, beat them up well together, and cook in a pan the same way, or a little grated cheese may be added. This I beg of you to practise; though simple, there is some art in making it.

GARNITURE FOR OMELETTES.

546. _Asparagus, Peas, and Green Peas._--Put in a stewpan two spoonfuls of plain boiled sprue-gra.s.s that has previously been cut up, add to it half an ounce of b.u.t.ter, a little salt, pepper, and sugar, warm it on the fire, moving it continually; when warm, put it with a spoon in the centre of the omelette, turn over, and serve; the same with peas, and add melted b.u.t.ter or white sauce.

547. _Oysters._--Open and blanch delicately twelve middle-sized oysters, and put them in a stewpan with their own gravy, beard them, add a tablespoonful of milk or cream, and give it a boil, then add half an ounce of b.u.t.ter in which you have mixed a saltspoonful of flour, stir it in without breaking the oysters, put over the centre of your omelette, and proceed as before.

548. _Lobster._--Cut half or a small one in thin slices, put four tablespoonfuls of melted b.u.t.ter in a stewpan, a few drops of essence of anchovies, and a little cayenne; put in your lobster, warm it well, and put in the middle of the omelette, as above.

549. _Kidneys._--Cook two kidneys as No. 430; when done, serve in centre of omelette, as above.

550. _Mushrooms._--Wash about ten small fresh mushrooms, cut in slices, put in a stewpan, with half an ounce of b.u.t.ter, a little salt, pepper, and the juice of a quarter of a lemon, simmer for a few minutes on the fire till tender; if too liquid, add a little flour, place in centre of omelette, and proceed as above.

551. _Bacon._--Cut two ounces of good lean bacon in small dice, put in pan to fry with the b.u.t.ter for one minute, then mix with the eggs prepared as for omelette of herbs, and cook the same way.

ENTReES OF GAME.

552. _Broiled Pheasant._--Having drawn a pheasant, lay it upon its breast, and pa.s.s a knife down the back-bone, upon each side, taking it entirely out, then cut off the feet at the knuckle, break the leg and thigh-bones, turning the leg inside, separate the breast-joint of the wing, pressing the bird quite flat, then saute it in a saute-pan, with a little lard or dripping, and when browned on both sides, and about half done, place it upon a plate, season well with salt and pepper, egg and bread-crumb over, and broil it upon a gridiron over a moderate fire until sufficiently done, which would be in about a quarter of an hour, when serve with game, mushroom, or any piquant sauce.

The advantage of broiling or sauteing game or poultry is, that when you are alone, you need only cook the half of any large bird at one time.

_Game Curries._--I have also made very good game curries, but not too hot with curry, as that would entirely destroy the flavor of the game.

553. _Pheasant stewed with Cabbage._--The following is an excellent method for dressing a pheasant which should prove to be rather old, although a young one would be preferable. Procure a large savoy, which cut into quarters, and well wash in salt and water, after which boil it five minutes in plain water, then drain it quite dry, cut off the stalk, season rather highly with pepper and salt, have ready a middling-sized onion, and half a pound of streaky bacon, which, with the cabbage, put into a stewpan, covering the whole with a little good broth; let it simmer at the corner of the fire three quarters of an hour, then thrust the pheasant (previously three parts roasted) into the cabbage, and let them stew nearly three quarters of an hour longer, or until the stock has reduced to glaze, and adheres thickly to the cabbage, when dress the cabbage in a mound upon your dish, with the bacon, cut into slices, around, and the pheasant upon the top, half way buried in the cabbage; have a little game sauce, which pour round and serve.

554. _Joe Miller's stewed Pheasant._--Roast a pheasant as directed (No.

582), but previously dipping it into flour, and occasionally flour over whilst roasting, thus making the exterior very crisp, and keeping it nearly white, then put the crumbs of two French rolls into a stewpan, with half a pint of milk, a small eschalot, a bay-leaf, an ounce of b.u.t.ter, and a little pepper and salt; let the whole boil a few minutes, when take out the eschalot and bay-leaf, place a piece of b.u.t.tered toast upon your dish, pour the above over, dress the pheasant upon the top, and serve.

555. _Hashed Pheasant._--Should you have any remains of pheasants from a previous day, cut them into as neat pieces as possible, then put an ounce of b.u.t.ter into a stewpan, with half an ounce of flour, which stir two or three minutes over the fire, until becoming slightly browned; then add a gla.s.s of port wine, half a pint of water, season highly, boil at the corner of the stove, stirring and skimming occasionally, until sufficiently thick to adhere to the back of the spoon; then put in the pieces of pheasant, with a little coloring, let it remain ten minutes, at the corner of the stove, but not to boil, when dress the meat upon your dish, pa.s.s the sauce over through a sieve, and serve.

556. _A plain Salmi of Pheasant._--Or, should you have a pheasant left that little has been cut from, cut and trim it into neat joints, which put into a stewpan, then in another stewpan put the bones and tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs, chopped up very small, with an onion in slices, a little parsley, thyme, and bay-leaf, four peppercorns, and a gla.s.s of sherry, boil altogether two minutes, then add three parts of a pint of brown sauce, and half a pint of broth (if no brown sauce, add a spoonful of flour and a quart of broth or water and some coloring); let the whole boil until reduced to half, skimming it occasionally; place a fine hair sieve over the stewpan containing the pieces of pheasant, through which pa.s.s the sauce, warm altogether gently, without boiling, and when quite hot dress the pieces neatly upon a dish, pour the sauce over, and serve with sippets of fried or toasted bread (cut into the shape of hearts) around.

The remains of pheasant, or any other game, may also be minced and warmed in a little of the above sauce, and served with poached eggs upon the top, or likewise made into boudins and croquettes, as directed for turkey.

557. _Grouse._--The Scotch method is to plain roast the grouse, dress it upon toast, and pour plain melted b.u.t.ter over.

But they may be dressed in any of the ways directed for pheasants, with the exception of being stewed with cabbage, as may be likewise every description of black game.

558. _Stewed Partridges with Cabbage._--Have two nice partridges trussed as for boiling, and run five or six slices of fat bacon, of the thickness of a quill, lengthwise through the breast, but not to protrude, and roast them fifteen minutes before a moderate fire; have some cabbage stewed as directed for pheasant with cabbage, but stewed nearly dry before thrusting in the partridges; keep the whole hot, but not boiling, for about an hour; have ready two pork sausages, nicely broiled, dress the cabbage, which must be quite dry, upon your dish in a mound, with the partridges at the top, half buried in it, cut the bacon in halves, placing a piece at each end, with a sausage at each side; pour half a pint of game sauce round, and serve; good plain gravy is also very nice.

559. _Partridge saute with Mushrooms._--Have two young partridges, each of which cut in halves, and lay in a convenient-sized stewpan, into which you have previously poured two or three tablespoonfuls of salad oil, first seasoning them lightly with a little white pepper and salt, and a sprinkle of chopped eschalots; put a cover upon the stewpan, which place over a moderate fire, until one side of the partridges is browned, when turn them over, proceeding the same until browned on both sides; then pour off part of the oil, and add half a tablespoonful of flour, which well mix in, then add a gla.s.s of sherry, half a pint of broth, and twenty small b.u.t.ton mushrooms (previously blanched); let it simmer, skimming off all the oil which rises to the surface, until the partridges are tender, and the sauce thick enough to adhere to them; season the sauce a little if required, dress the partridges upon a dish, sauce over, and serve.