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Hidden Mountain
Six eggs, a few slices citron, sugar to taste, three-quarters of a pint of cream, a layer of any kind of jam; beat the whites and yolks of the eggs separately, then mix and beat again, adding the citron, the cream and sugar; when well beaten put in a buttered pan and fry, cover with the jam and garnish with slices of citron; to be eaten cold. - Mrs. J. C. Gould.
A sweet omelet, cooked slowly in butter, masked with jam and served cold. Everything depends on gentle heat: eggs beaten with cream will weep and turn watery if pushed hard, and this dish is eaten at room temperature where any leaked liquid shows.
- Three-quarters of a pint of creamBy American measure that is 1 1/2 cups; if the contributor was working from an imperial pint, closer to 1 3/4 cups. Either amount is generous for six eggs and gives a soft, custardy set rather than a firm omelet.
- Sugar to tasteFor six eggs, 3 to 4 tablespoons suits a dish that will also be covered in jam. Beat the sugar into the yolks rather than the whites so the whites keep their volume.
- CitronCandied citron, the thick-peeled preserved fruit sold in tubs at holiday baking season, not the fresh citrus and not lemon. Slice it thin and chop the portion that goes into the eggs; whole slices are the garnish. Candied orange peel is the nearest substitute.
- "Fry" means low and slowButter a wide skillet or shallow pan, pour in the mixture, and hold it over the lowest workable heat, covered, until the center is just set, roughly 15 to 20 minutes. High heat browns the base and drives the cream out of suspension.
- Whites and yolks separatelyThe instruction to "mix and beat again" will knock down some of the foam; the aim appears to be lightness rather than a souffle. Fold rather than whisk once the whites go in and add the cream last, in a stream.
- Cooking it throughBecause it is served cold, take it fully set in the middle. Eggs that are still loose when they come off the heat will firm only slightly as they cool, and are likely to weep under the jam.
- The jam layerSpread it only after the omelet has cooled, or the heat will thin the jam and it will run. A stiff preserve, raspberry or apricot, holds its shape best.
- YieldSix eggs and this much cream serve six as a dessert, cut in wedges from the pan.
"Hidden Mountain" is a name that circulated in nineteenth-century English and American cookery for a mounded sweet egg dish; the name is often explained as the mountain being the pale heap of beaten egg and the hidden element the jam laid over or under it, though this reading is traditional rather than documented. The recipe is credited to Mrs. J. C. Gould, in the customary style of collections compiled from named contributors. The candied citron is worth noting: imported preserved peel was a purchased luxury kept for cakes and puddings, and using it as a garnish rather than a mere flavoring may have been a small piece of display.