Of Eggs In General

Eggs are indispensable in cookery. They are used for a prodigious number of entrees, entremets and sauces. Eggs are the fundamental stone of all pastry, as well as of creams. I shall endeavour to shew all the manners in which they may be used, either for first or second courses.

Omelette Moelleuse

Break eight eggs into an earthen pan with a little pepper and salt, and a sufficient quantity of water to melt the salt. Beat the eggs well: then throw an ounce and a half of fresh butter into a frying-pan, and melt it over a brisk fire: pour the eggs into the pan, which is not to be kept too close to the fire. Keep turning continually, but never let the middle part of it be over the fire, for it is always rather too hot. Gather all the border together, and roll the omelette before it gets too much done. The middle part must always be kept mellow. Roll it equally with your knife before you dish it, and take care not to let the pan soil the dish, in turning out the omelette into it.

L' Omelette Aux Fines Herbes

The same preparation as above, with the addition only of a little parsley chopped very fine. Some people mix a few chopped shalots likewise, which may be done if approved of.

Fried Poached Eggs

You must have a saute pan made on purpose for this dish, with little round holes in it, to fry the eggs in boiling oil. They fry better and are drier, when you use oil instead of butter. Fry them soft, but of a very brown colour, and before you send them up, powder a little salt over them and glaze them.

Eggs A La Tripe

Make a little roux with flour and butter; fry a few chopped onions in the same stew-pan before the roux is made brown. Moisten with some good boiling milk, pepper and salt. Let the flour and onions be well done, and keep the sauce rather thick. Next have ten eggs boiled hard, cut them in quarters or in round slices, and put them into the sauce. Stir gently, that the yolk may not separate from the white, and serve up.

Eggs A La Maitre D' Hotel

Make a little white roux as above. Moisten with some good boiling milk, pepper and salt: let these stew for half an hour. Throw a quarter of a pound of fresh butter into the sauce, with a little parsley chopped very fine. Cut the eggs into the sauce, and send up to table quite hot. Add the juice of a lemon.

Eggs A L'Aurore

Cut a dozen of hard eggs in two; take the yolks from them, which strain through a hair sieve, then make a sauce as follows : mark, in a stew-pan, a quarter of a pound of butter, half a spoonful of flour, with pepper and salt, a little nutmeg, and half a pint of cream. Then stew this sauce till thick, but do not let it boil. Chop half the whites of the eggs, and throw it into the sauce. Next dish the whites, pour the yolks over them equally, baste them with a little butter, and use the salamander. Then serve up.

Eggs En Surprise

Cut a dozen and a half of eggs (boiled hard) in two. Take all the yolks and pound, them in a mortar, with a quartern, or if you choose with half a pound of butter, with which mix a little cream, pepper, salt, and grated nutmeg. When you have pounded about half an hour, add two raw eggs to thicken the farce. Then pare out the inside of the whites, and fill one half of them again with the farce. Next mix some chopped parsley with part of the farce, and fill the other half of the eggs. Erect a little dome in the centre of the dish with some, of the farce, and trim it all round with the stuffed eggs; contrive to give them a pleasing appearance. Next put them into an oven for ten minutes, and send them up quite hot. In paring the inside of the whites, you must leave only just enough to keep in the farce.

Croquettes Of Eggs

Cut the white of a dozen and a half of eggs (boiled hard) into small dice. Strain the yolks of six eggs through a hair sieve. Cut a couple of onions into dice, sweat them white in a quarter of a pound of butter, then put a spoonful of flour to fry; moisten with boiling milk, and season with salt and pepper. Next throw both the whites and yolks into the sauce. Let them cool, and cover them with crumbs of bread, as you do all other croquettes. If you were to put in all the yolks,' the croquettes, would get too dry; the remaining yolks may be used for salads, etc. Mind to season of a good taste.