French Dish
-INGREDIENTS for sufficient for 4 or 5 persons.-6 eggs, 1 saltspoonful of salt, 1/2 saltspoonful of pepper, 2 sheep's-kidneys, or 2 tablespoonfuls of minced veal kidney, 3 oz. of butter. AVERAGE COST, 1s. 3d.
Skin the kidneys, cut them into small dice and toss them in a frying-pan, in 1 oz. of butter, over the fire for 2 or 3 minutes.
Mix the ingredients for the omelette and, when the eggs are well whisked, stir in the pieces of kidney. Make the butter hot in the frying-pan and when it bubbles, pour in the omelette and fry it over a gentle fire from 4 to 6 minutes. When the eggs are set, fold the edges over, so that the omelette assumes an oval form and be careful that it is not too much done; to brown the top, hold the pan before the fire for a minute or two, or use a salamander until the desired colour is obtained, but never turn an omelette in the pan. Slip it carefully on to a very hot dish, or, what is a much safer method, put a dish on the omelette and turn the pan quickly over.
It should be served the instant it comes from the fire.
TIME.-4 to 6 minutes.
SEASONABLE at any time.
This is an omelette aux rognons under an unhelpful English name. Everything hinges on undercooking the eggs slightly and never flipping them.
- SaltspoonfulA saltspoon is about a quarter teaspoon. The original as transcribed gives no number before the pepper; a figure (possibly a fraction) appears to have dropped out, so treat a saltspoonful as the upper limit.
- Butter3 oz is about 85 g, of which 1 oz goes to the kidneys and the remaining 2 oz to the pan. That is generous by modern standards; 1 oz in a well-seasoned or non-stick pan is enough for six eggs, and less butter means less risk of the omelette swimming.
- Sheep's kidneysTwo lambs' kidneys, sold at most butchers, are the direct substitute. Split them, cut out the white core with the fat and gristle, and dice small — the pieces must cook through in the two or three minutes given.
- Veal kidneyVeal kidney is a special order in most places. Two tablespoons minced is a small amount; pig or ox kidney will work but is much stronger, and ox kidney needs long stewing rather than a quick toss.
- SalamanderA salamander was an iron plate on a handle, heated red and held over food to colour it. Use the broiler for a minute with the pan handle kept clear of the element, or simply skip the browning — a pale omelette is no fault.
- Heat and timing"A gentle fire" for 4 to 6 minutes assumes a coal range; on a gas or induction hob use medium-low and expect the shorter end. The eggs should still be faintly loose at the centre when you fold, since they carry on setting on the hot dish.
- Pan sizeSix eggs want a 25-28 cm pan. In anything smaller the omelette is too thick to set through in six minutes without going leathery underneath.
- YieldFour or five servings is optimistic today. Treat it as a substantial supper for two or three, or four with bread and a salad.
"French Dish" is a title that tells you nothing: it is a kidney omelette, the sort of thing a French cook would list as omelette aux rognons. The label may reflect the Victorian habit of using "French" as a shorthand for anything done in the manner of a professional kitchen, finished under a salamander, sent out the instant it left the fire. The filling reflects household economy as much as fashion: sheep's kidneys were among the cheapest offal on the block, and the whole dish for four or five — six eggs and 3 oz of butter included — comes in at 1s 3d, and kidneys turn up throughout British cookery of the period in breakfast dishes, puddings and pies. The instruction never to turn an omelette in the pan is the one point of technique the entry insists on, and it remains the standard advice.