Green-Pea Salad in Egg Cases

A cold-plate assembly from the era when a cup of leftover peas was worth building a course around. Nothing here is difficult; the only real variables are the seasoning of the peas and the state of the egg whites.

• YieldThree or four eggs give six to eight halves, enough for three or four people as a first course or a light lunch salad. Scale the peas at roughly a quarter cup per egg.
• The peas matter most"Well-seasoned cold peas" is doing the work of the whole dish. Dress them while they are still slightly warm with salt, white pepper, a little butter or oil and a squeeze of lemon or a splash of vinegar, then chill; peas dressed cold stay bland.
• Buttered yolksMelted butter tossed through crumbled yolk sets firm again in the refrigerator and turns pasty. Use it barely warm, keep the crumbs coarse as directed, and assemble close to serving.
• Hard-cooked eggsFor whites that hold their shape and yolks without a grey ring, bring the eggs just to a simmer, hold about ten minutes off direct boil, then cool in ice water. Older eggs peel far more cleanly than fresh.
• Cutting the casesA thin sliver taken off the rounded underside of each white lets the halves sit level on the lettuce instead of tipping and shedding mayonnaise.
• PaprikaIn American cookbooks of this period paprika generally meant a mild sweet type, often sold as Hungarian, and was used as much for colour as for heat. Smoked paprika is a different flavour entirely and will overwhelm the peas.
• The cross-reference"see page 74" points to the book's own mayonnaise recipe. Any good mayonnaise works; thin it with a spoonful of cream or lemon juice so it drapes rather than sits in a lump.
• Raw egg in the dressingIf you make the mayonnaise from scratch, use pasteurised eggs for anyone very young, elderly, pregnant or immune-compromised, since it is never cooked.