Eggs
There is an old philosophic question-Which was produced first, the egg or the hen? Theologians might perhaps decide for the egg, on the ground that all birds' eggs are innocent and good for food, but all the birds themselves are not. It is difficult, however, to imagine how the world got on before the barndoor fowl was tamed and taught to lay regularly. The culture of the egg is one of the great events of civilisation, and has yielded an aliment of the rarest delicacy, of unfailing resource, and of magical variety. Nothing in the way of food more simple than an egg, and nothing so quick and marvellous in its manifold uses and transformations. There are said to be about 600 ways of serving an egg, over and above the uses to which it may be put in creams, custards, leasons, sauces, and cakes. Here it is possible to enumerate only a few of the most popular receipts, omitting the pancake and the omelette, which will be described under their proper names. In general, it will be found that the simpler preparations are the most in favour. The egg may be said to come ready cooked from the hand of nature-a masterpiece not easily to be improved by mortal cooks.
Boiled Eggs. These are, like the egg of Columbus, simplicity itself. But a word may be useful on the way to cook eggs at table in a bowl. Pour boiling water over a couple of them in a bowl, and cover them with a plate. In from twelve to fifteen minutes they are ready. The delicious little eggs of the guinea-fowl are ready in ten minutes.
Eggs Poached Eggs.-Have water with a little salt and a dash of vinegar in it simmering in a shallow saucepan. Break each egg into a teacup, and quickly turn the cup over into the saucepan, so as to stand bottom upwards in the water with the egg inside. In a few seconds the egg will be set, and the cup can be removed. Proceed in like manner with the other eggs, and let them simmer till done enough. Serve the eggs when done on buttered toast, on spinach, in soup, or on the top of minced meat.
Fried Eggs, according to the English way, are not to be thought of: they are a villainy. The egg is fried with a very little butter or bacon fat, in a large frying-panspreads out, and becomes on its edges thin and hard as parchment. There are but two ways of frying an egg properly. One is the Provençal method of poaching it in hot oil or fat; the other is known by the odd name of Eggs on the Dish, or Buttered Eggs-because they are generally served on the dish in which they are cooked. This dish is a small flat saucer, which used to be of tinned iron, but is now made of earthenware to stand the fire. It may be of any size-to hold a single egg or any number -the wall of the dish hemming the egg or eggs round so as to prevent too much spreading. Melt a little butter in the dish, sprinkle it with salt, break into it the required number of eggs, fry them for a couple of minutes on a spirit-lamp or on the top of the stove, shake salt and pepper over them, and they are ready.
Eggs in Black Butter. - Use somewhat more butter than for the foregoing, and before putting the eggs in let the butter become a rich brown. Put in the eggs; let them fry for a couple of minutes; and at the last pour over them a small spoonful of hot vinegar.
Eggs in sunshine (Œufs au soleil)-called by the Italians Eggs in purgatory. Take some eggs on the dish, and when they are finished pour over them some tomato sauce.
Eggs Eggs in moonshine take their name from the well-known fact that the moon is made of green cheese. Prepare some eggs on the dish as above, and sprinkle them with grated cheese-Parmesan or Gruyère. Also some cheese may be melted with the butter in the bottom of the dish before it receives the eggs.
Scrambled Eggs (Œufs brouillés). -Six eggs, two ounces of butter, a wineglassful of milk, with pepper, salt, and, if liked, a little nutmeg. Whip these in a saucepan over the fire with a wire whisk till the eggs begin to set: then take the saucepan off, but keep on stirring for a couple of minutes more. Serve it with fried crusts or with buttered toast. Variety is given to these eggs by mixing them with asparagus points, or chopped parsley, or truffles, or mushrooms, or bacon, according to taste. Fondue is a name given to scrambled eggs intermingled with grated Gruyère-but there is a difference in the proportion used. Weigh the eggs-an egg is supposed to weigh from one-and-a-half to two ounces. Take one-third of their weight of grated Gruyère, and one-sixth of their weight of butter. Stir all in a saucepan on the fire, and then off the fire, as directed for scrambled eggs, and add pepper. Why the name of Fondue (melted)—and Fondue in the feminine, too-should be reserved for this, and this alone, is not quite clear.
Eggs and Onions-sometimes called Eggs à la tripe.- Cut some onions in slices, blanch them, drain them, pass them in butter, add a spoonful of flour with pepper and salt, and moisten them with a tumblerful of milk or of broth. Stew them slowly in this for half an hour. Then take six hard-boiled eggs, cut the white in slices, mix them with the onion, and serve them, placing the hard yolks on the top uncut.
The Monster Egg.- Break a dozen or two of eggs, separating the whites from the yolks. Tie up the yolks in Endive a pig's bladder, boil them hard, and take them out again. In a still larger bladder place the whites; into the midst of this put the yolk; tie up the bladder tight; and boil the whole till the white hardens. Uncover the monster egg, and serve it on a bed of spinach or other vegetable. This is a French jest in imitation of the great Madagascar eggs of the Epiornis Maximus, which would contain about twelve dozen hens' eggs.
Egg Sauce. Boil three or four eggs for a quarter of an hour, chill them in cold water, remove the shells, cut them into dice, stir all into a boatful of English sauce, and serve hot. The best egg sauce is made with turkeys' eggs; and perhaps a better way of presenting the eggs is to cut only the whites into dice, but to press the yolks through a wire sieve, in which case they will come out like vermicelli.