No. 2914

Eggs on a Dish, English Style

Œufs sur le Plat a l'Anglaise

Suppress the rind from some bacon, cut it up very thin and fry in butter without browning. Break some eggs into a buttered china egg dish (Fig. 567), season the whites with a little salt only, and the yolks with a little pepper placed in the center; cook in the oven, having more heat on top than on the bottom. Serve as soon as done, surrounded with the bacon.

← No. 2913 Eggs on a Dish, Creole Style Eggs & Omelets No. 2915 Eggs on a Dish, Fermiere →

For the Modern Kitchen Do not make this as written.

A Delmonico's breakfast egg, baked rather than fried, with the whites and yolks seasoned separately. Everything depends on the heat coming mostly from above so the whites set before the yolks harden.

The hinge: heat from the topThe book asks only for more heat above than below, which a professional range or salamander of the period would have supplied. In a modern kitchen, set the dish on a low rack under the broiler, or start it on the stovetop over low heat for a minute to set the base and finish under the broiler for 1-2 minutes. A moderate oven can work, but with even heat the yolks may set before the whites firm.
The egg dishFig. 567 is the china egg dish called for; the recipe gives no size. Any small gratin dish, shallow ramekin or cast-iron egg pan does the same job. The recipe says only "some eggs", but a shallow dish works best with a small number, since deeply pooled whites will not set evenly.
Bacon"suppress the rind" means the bacon came with the skin on. Cut thin strips or lardons from thick-cut slices, and render them slowly in butter without letting them color, as directed -- the point is soft, pale bacon that garnishes the egg rather than crisp bacon that competes with it.
Seasoning as writtenSalt only on the whites, pepper only in the center of the yolk. Ranhofer gives no reason; cooks often avoid salting a raw yolk directly because it can mark the surface. It is worth following.
DonenessWhites just opaque, yolks still liquid. "Serve as soon as done" is not a flourish -- the dish holds enough heat to keep cooking on the way to the table, so pull it a moment early.
YieldThe recipe gives no quantities; one dish per person, as a breakfast or supper course. Serve in the cooking dish; transferring it breaks the yolks.

A Little History

This is No. 2914 of Charles Ranhofer's The Epicurean (1894), the enormous compendium he assembled after some thirty years as chef at Delmonico's in New York. The book runs through variations on a single idea with catalogue thoroughness: the surrounding entries give œufs sur le plat Creole style.