Alexis Soyer's Part 9: Eggs
EGGS.
These, from the earliest records we have, have always been a favourite food, with the exception of a short time in Greece, where a few philosophers endeavoured to make the people refrain from eating them, as they stated that they contained the four elements of the world.*
They are a nutritious food, wholesome in every way, except when boiled too hard; although there are some stomachs which reject them. They can he employed in almost every dish with advantage, and one weighing two ounces contains nearly the same amount of nourishment as an ounce of meat and an ounce of bread; therefore when eggs are eighteen for a shilling, equal to two pounds foul ounces, they are not a very dear article of food.
300. To ascertain that they are good and fresh, candle them, as it is called; that is, hold them upright between the thumb and finger of the right hand before a candle, and with the left hand shade the eye, by which means you will be enabled to detect any spots that may be in them; if a few white spots only, they will do for puddings, &c.; if a black one, throw it away, as it is perfectly bad. If light and transparent, they are fresh.
301. Eggs Plain Boiled.—This is the most simple of all things to cook, and yet is the least attended to; and I am never surprised, when I am travelling, to find the eggs either too much or too little done. They will not take the trouble to distinguish a large one from a small one. Whilst some weigh only an ounce and a half, others weigh two and a half; hut as that is a whim of nature, and the servants are so fond of attending to other frolics, they will not see the difference in this; but as all cookery books say three minutes, and the mistress has told them the same, they are right, and she is wrong. From two and a half to four minutes, according to size, is the time they will take. Ten minutes is sufficient to set an egg hard, not thirty, or more, as some persons do by neglect.
You know, my dear Eloise, how fidgety I am about such trifles. I have, therefore, invented a cooking clock, with very distinctly marked time; the hand is pushed back to any time named, and at the time required the bell strikes. I mean to adopt it for general kitchen use for all dishes, from an egg to a heavy joint. See Appendix.
302. To Boil Eggs.—Put a pint of water into a small pan; when boiling, put two eggs in, and boil according to size—as I have before said, from two and a half to four minutes. Fresh-laid eggs will not take so long, and if only just set, are excellent for clearing the voice.
303. —To boil them for toast, they require six minutes; take them out, throw them in cold water, remove the shell, and cut them into slices; put them on the buttered toast, a little pepper and salt, and serve. These are excellent with a little ketchup put on the eggs, then bread-crumbed, salamandered over, and serve.
304. Baked Eggs.—Put half an ounce of butter into a small tin pan; break four eggs in it, keeping the yolks whole, throw a little pepper and bits of butter and salt over; put in the oven, or before the fire, till set, and serve. They will take about six minutes doing.
305. Poached Eggs.—Put in a small pan half a pint of water, half a teaspoonful of salt, three of vinegar; when boiling, break carefully in the pan two nice eggs, simmer for foul minutes, or till firm, but not hard; serve either on toast or fried bacon, or ham, or spinach, and on any minced and seasoned vegetable.
306. Mixed Eggs.—Break four eggs into a frying-pan, in which you have put two ounces of butter, a little salt and pepper; set it on the fire, stir round with a wooden spoon very quickly, to pi-event sticking to the pan; when all set, serve either on toast or dish. Pried bacon cut in dice, a little chopped onions, or mushrooms, or a little sprew grass, well boiled, may be added to the above.
307. Eggs and Bacon.—Cut some bacon very thin, put into a frying-pan half an ounce of butter, or fat, lay the bacon in it; when fried on one side, turn over, and .break one egg on each piece; when the eggs are set, put the slice under the bacon, and remove them gently into a dish. Ham may be done the same.
308. Eggs, Convent Fashion.— Boil four eggs for ten minutes, put them in cold water, peel and slice thin one onion, put into a frying-pan one ounce of butter; when melted, add the onion, and fry white, then add a teaspoonful of flour, mix it well, add about half a pint of milk, till forming a nice white sauce, half a teaspoonful of salt, and a quarter ditto of pepper; when nicely done, add the eggs, cut into six pieces each, crossways; toss them up; when hot through, serve on toast.
309. Eggs and Sausages.—Boil four sausages for five minutes, when half cold cut them in half lengthways, put a little butter or fat in frying-pan, and put the sausages in and fry gently, break four eggs into pan, cook gently, and serve. Raw sausages will do as well, only keep them whole, and cook slowly.
Where is the man or woman cook but says they know how to make an omelette, and that to perfection? But this is rarely the case. It is related of Sarah, the Duchess of Marlborough, that no one could cook a fraise, as it was then called, for the great duke but herself.
The great point is, if in an iron pan, it should be very clean and free from damp, which sometimes comes out of the iron when placed on the fire. The best plan is to put it on the fire, with a little fat, and let it get quite hot, or until the fat burns; remove it, and wipe it clean with a dry cloth, and then you will be able to make the omelette to perfection.
310. Omelettes.—Break four eggs into a basin, add half a teaspoonful of salt and a quarter ditto of pepper, beat them up well with a fork, put into the frying-pan one ounce and a half of better, lard, or oil, which put on the fire until hot; then pour in the eggs, which keep on mixing quick with a spoon until all is delicately set; then let them slip to the edge of the pan, laying hold by the handle, and raising it slantways, which will give an elongated form to the omelette; turn in the edges, let it set a moment, and turn it over on to a dish, and serve.
It ought to he a nice yellow colour, done to a nicety, and as light and delicate as possible. , It may be served in many ways, but some of the.following are the most common:—two tablespoonfuls of milk and an ounce of the crumb of bread cut in thin slices, may be added.
311. Omelettes with Herbs.—Proceed as above, adding a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, and half ditto of chopped onions or chives, or a little eschalot; salt and pepper, and semi-fry as above.
312. Bacon Omelette.—Cut one ounce of bacon into small lice, fry in a little fat; when done, add the eggs, and proceed as above.
Ham, if raw, do the same as bacon; if cooked, cut in dice, put in the eggs, and proceed as before.
313. Omelettes.—Oysters, mussels, periwinkles, or shrimps. When the omelette is nearly done, add a few tablespoonfuls of either of these sauces in the centre; turn the omelette, and serve. For the above, see Fish Sauces.
Any cooked vegetables, as peas, sprew, &c. &c, may be used in omelettes.
314. Sweet Omelettes.—Beat four eggs into a basin, add a tablespoonful of milk, a teaspoonful of sugar, a pinch of salt, and beat them well up; put some nice butter into pan, put in the eggs, and fry as before described. Serve with sugar sifted over.
314A. Preserve Omelettes.—When the omelette is nearly done, put in the middle, some preserve of any kind, turn it over on plate, and serve with sugar over.
315. Omelettes with Spirit.—These are the above omelettes; serve with spirit round them, and set on fire when going to table. Rum is generally preferred.
Notes:
[*] * Singular Ideas of the Ancients in relation to Eggs.—Orpheus, Pythagoras, and their sectators—good and humane people as ever lived—unceasingly recommended in their discourses to abstain from eggs, in order not to destroy a germ which nature had destined for the production of chicken. Many allowed themselves to be persuaded, and would have believed it an unpardonable crime if they had eaten a tiny omelette, or boiled eggs. Many of the most learned philosophers held eggs in a kind of respect approaching to veneration, because they saw in them the emblem of the world and the four elements. The shell, they said, represented the earth; the white, water; the yolk, fire; and air was found under the shell.
The shepherds of Egypt had a singular manner of cooking eggs without the aid of fire: they placed them in a sling, which they turned so rapidly that the friction of the air heated them to the exact point required for use.—Soyer's Pantropheon.
[*] The best way to pick nettles is to quickly grasp a handful, by doing which you feel no sensation of pain, or by wearing gloves.