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Whites of Eggs in Ramequin Cases
Whites of eggs Butter Parsley Butter well some china ramequin cases, and sprinkle as much finely chopped parsley in them as will stick to the butter. Pour a white of an egg in each case, and poach them until set. Can be served either hot or cold.
A thrift dish for leftover whites, and one that punishes overcooking more than almost anything else in the egg repertoire. The whole trick is gentle, moist heat and stopping the moment the white turns opaque.
- "Ramequin cases"These are ramekins — small straight-sided china or porcelain dishes, roughly 2 to 4 oz each. The dish itself is unrelated to the cheese-and-pastry ramequins that appear elsewhere in Victorian books, though the vessel takes its name from them.
- "Poach" means a water bath"Poach" here most likely means a water bath rather than dropping the whites into water. Set the cases in a roasting pan, pour in hot water to come halfway up the sides, and cook covered — either in a low oven or on the stovetop at a bare quiver.
- TimingEgg white begins to coagulate at roughly 145-150F, so this takes about 8 to 12 minutes depending on the depth of the case. Pull them when the centre has just lost its translucency; a few extra minutes gives you a squeaking rubber disc.
- SeasoningThe original gives none, which leaves the whites bland to the point of blankness. Salt and white pepper in the case before the white goes in, and a scrape of nutmeg or a little grated cheese over the parsley, are all in period and all improvements.
- Butter generouslyThe butter is doing two jobs: holding the parsley to the sides and keeping the set white from gripping the china. Cold butter softened and smeared on with a finger sticks better than melted butter, which pools.
- YieldOne white per case; count two cases per person as a light first course, or one alongside something else. Whites keep in the refrigerator for several days and freeze well, so this is a use for the by-product of custards, mayonnaise or hollandaise.
- Served coldIf you take the cold option, chill them in the cases and turn them out; the parsley side becomes the top. A little vinaigrette or a spoonful of mayonnaise does more for them than they will do for themselves.
Egg whites had a way of accumulating in a well-run kitchen: custards, curds, ice creams, mayonnaise and rich sauces all consumed yolks by the half-dozen and left the whites behind, and books of this period frequently gathered a run of recipes under a heading like "Whites of Eggs" purely to keep them from being thrown out. The word ramequin came into English kitchens from French, originally naming a small cheese preparation and only later transferring to the little dish it was baked in; period books use the phrase "ramequin cases" when they mean the vessel.