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German Toast
Take the remains of cold stew, or fricassee. Mince it finely, and mix with a pint of it, including the gravy, 2 well-beaten eggs, 1 tablespoonful of chopped parsley, and 1 onion, finely minced. Stir the mixture over a slow fire until it is thick, and one-third of it boiled away. Let it get quite cold. Spread it on pieces of toast, brush it over with beaten egg, strew bread crumbs on the top, and bake in a moderate oven. Just before serving, sqeeze a little lemon juice over the toast. Time to bake, a quarter of an hour, or until the toast is thoroughly heated through.
This is a Victorian leftovers dish: minced cooked meat bound with egg, reduced to a paste, spread on toast and baked. The success of it rests entirely on getting the mixture thick and cold before it goes on the bread.
- A pint of minced meatTwo cups of finely minced cooked meat with its gravy, packed loosely. The eggs, onion and parsley add to this before cooking, so after reducing by a third expect somewhere around a cup and a half of spread — enough for a few slices of toast.
- Cold stew or fricasseeAny braised or stewed meat works: beef, lamb, veal, chicken. If the leftovers are lean and the gravy scant, add a few spoonfuls of stock so there is something for the egg to thicken.
- Keep the heat lowThe eggs are the only binder here. Held over a slow fire and stirred constantly the mixture thickens smoothly; let it catch a boil and the egg curdles into grains and will not spread.
- Reducing by a thirdThis is the hinge of the recipe. A wet mixture soaks the toast and slides off in the oven, so cook until it mounds on the spoon, then chill it completely — an hour in the refrigerator, or overnight.
- Toast the bread firmlyUse a sturdy white or country loaf, sliced about half an inch thick and toasted dry on both sides. Soft fresh bread collapses under the paste.
- A moderate oven350F. A quarter of an hour is enough to heat the toasts through and colour the crumbs; the filling is already cooked, so longer only dries it out.
- Crumbs and egg washBrush thinly with beaten egg and use dry crumbs rather than fresh, or the top steams instead of crisping. A little melted butter over the crumbs helps them brown.
- ServingSqueeze the lemon at the table, as the recipe directs, rather than before; the juice softens the crumb crust. Serve as a lunch or supper dish with a sharp salad.