=VARIATIONS OF THE OMELET=

No. 1. Sprinkle a little parsley, chopped fine, over the top.

No. 2. Turn tomato, Bechamel or mushroom sauce on the dish around the omelet; sprinkle the top with chopped mushrooms, if that sauce is used. Garnish with pointed croutons.

No. 3. Green omelet. Mix chopped parsley with the egg mixture before cooking the omelet, and do not brown the surface.

No. 4. Aux Fines Herbes. Chop parsley, chives, chervil, and tarragon very fine. Mix them with the egg mixture before cooking. When the omelet is turned out, rub over it a little maitre d"hotel b.u.t.ter (see page 286).

No. 5. With Peas or Tomatoes. Before turning a plain omelet, spread it with a few green peas or tomatoes cooked and seasoned. Asparagus or any other vegetable may be used in the same way.

No. 6. With Ham. Spread the plain omelet with ham, chopped fine, before turning it. Any other cooked meat may be used in the same way.

=BEATEN OMELET=

Beat very light the yolks and whites of three eggs separately. Season the yolks with salt and pepper and one tablespoonful of milk; then fold in lightly the whipped whites. Put a half teaspoonful of b.u.t.ter in a hot frying or omelet pan. Let it run over the bottom and sides of the pan, but do not let it brown. Turn in the egg mixture, spread it lightly and evenly over the pan, and let it cook until it forms a very light crust on the bottom; then place it in the oven about three minutes, or until the egg is cooked through, but not hard; fold it once, and turn it onto a hot dish. This omelet may be used the same as the French omelet in combination with other things. Spread anything so used on the omelet before turning it. For a sweet omelet add sugar to the yolks, and omit the pepper. Serve at once.

=SHIRRED EGGS=

(SUR LE PLAT ... AU MIROIR ... COCOTTE.)

For this dish (sur le plat) individual china dishes are generally used, although a dish holding several eggs will do. b.u.t.ter the dishes; break into each one an egg; sprinkle a little salt on the whites, but not on the yolks. Place them on the shelf of the oven so the heat will be greatest on top; baste the yolks several times while baking with a little hot b.u.t.ter. This will give them a glaze. As soon as the glaze appears remove them from the oven, and if not sufficiently cooked, stand them for a minute on the top of the range. Care must be used not to dry the eggs.

Several eggs cooked together in this way in a large dish, then cut into circles with a biscuit cutter, and placed on broiled ham, stewed kidneys, minced meat, tomato puree, or other things, are called eggs au miroir. When baked in individual dishes, they may be varied by sprinkling in the dish before the egg is added a little chopped ham, chicken, mushrooms, or tomato puree, etc. When baked in little pot-shaped dishes in the same way they are called cocottes. These may be varied by lining the dishes with a thin layer of forcemeat or minced meat, the eggs then dropped in and poached by standing the dishes in a pan of water in the oven. When done, a little cream or Bechamel sauce or tomato puree is turned over the top, and sprinkled with parsley. Serve eggs sur le plat and cocotte in the dishes in which they are baked.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 1. SHIRRED EGG. 2. COCOTTE. (SEE PAGE 266.)]

=MOLDED EGGS=

(a LA POLIGNAC)

b.u.t.ter well some individual timbale molds; chop some parsley very fine, and powder the inside of the b.u.t.tered molds with it. To do this, place a teaspoonful of the parsley in a b.u.t.tered mold, cover it with the hand and shake it well; then invert the mold, and strike it on the table to free it of all that is loose. Break into each mold an egg, letting it go in slowly from the side so no air bubbles will be held, as they make holes and uneven surface in the cooked egg. Sprinkle the top with salt and b.u.t.ter. Place the molds in a pan of hot water, half covering them, and poach in a moderate oven eight to ten minutes, or until firm enough to stand, but not very hard. Serve them on a flat dish with a spoonful of white, Bechamel, or tomato sauce under each form. This is a very simple way of preparing eggs, and makes a good luncheon dish.

[Ill.u.s.tration: MOLDED EGGS a LA POLIGNAC. (SEE PAGE 267.)]

=MOLDED HAM AND EGGS=

Mince some boiled ham very fine. Moisten it with white sauce and raw egg, just enough to make a consistent paste. Line individual b.u.t.tered timbale molds with a thin layer of the ham paste. Break an egg in the center of each one, and poach them in the oven eight to ten minutes, as directed for eggs a la Polignac. Place a little white or Bechamel sauce on the serving dish; turn the eggs onto it, and put a spoonful of sauce on the top of each one, letting it run over, and partly mask them, as the color of the ham is not attractive. Garnish with parsley. Another receipt for ham and eggs is given on page 178. Any other meat may be used in the same way.

=POACHED EGGS ON ANCHOVY TOAST=

(A SUPPER DISH)

Cut toasted bread into circles; spread them with anchovy paste, and place on each piece a poached egg prepared as directed in receipt No. 1.

=POACHED EGGS WITH ANCHOVY=

(AN ENTReE FOR LUNCHEON)

Cut bread into circles and toast them; spread them lightly first with anchovy paste, then with a layer of ham or tongue chopped very fine, seasoned well, and a little moistened with stock or white sauce. Cover the top with whipped white of egg; place a raw yolk in the center of each one. Bake them in the oven for one minute, or just long enough to well heat the egg.

=POACHED EGG WITH TOMATO=

Cut bread into slices three quarters of an inch thick, then into circles. With a smaller cutter cut half way through the bread, and remove the center, leaving a form like a patty case. Fry them in hot fat to an amber color; fill the centers with well seasoned tomato puree, and place on the top of each one a French poached egg.

=EGGS a LA VILLEROI=

This dish is served as an entree for luncheon, and is a particularly good as well as mysterious dish, for having a soft egg inside a croquette seems a difficult thing to get. Poach the eggs French style (page 263), using care to have them round and just firm enough to hold in shape. Lift them carefully on a strainer, and place them on the bottom of an inverted pan, leaving a s.p.a.ce between them. When they are cold trim them, carefully removing any ragged ends of white, and wipe them dry. Make a Villeroi sauce as directed (page 280). When it is partly cooled, pour it with a spoon over the eggs. It should form a thick coating. When it is cold and well set, trim each egg neatly again, cutting away any of the sauce that has run over the pan. Have some soft, white crumbs, grated from the loaf or rubbed through a coa.r.s.e sieve, and mixed with grated cheese. Lift an egg on a broad knife, and place it on the crumbs. Cover it with as many crumbs as will adhere. Lift it again on the knife into a dish containing beaten egg, and with a spoon moisten it well with the egg. Then place it on fresh, white crumbs that are not mixed with cheese, and cover it completely. It can now be handled with care and turned into good shape in the crumbs. Let the breaded eggs stand until just ready to serve, then place three or four at a time in a wire basket, and plunge them in smoking hot fat (see frying, page 72) to take a delicate color. Do not let them become deeper than lemon color.

Place a spoonful of Villeroi sauce on each plate, using the sauce left from coating the eggs and thinning it with stock; place an egg on the sauce and serve at once. Chopped truffles mixed with the sauce improves it.

=EGGS a LA BOURGUINONNE=

Poach eggs in the French style, letting them be as soft as possible.

b.u.t.ter a flat baking-dish; sprinkle it with bread crumbs and grated cheese. Place on them carefully the poached eggs. Cover them with Bechamel or Allemande sauce (see page 279), and sprinkle over the top grated Parmesan cheese. Place in a hot oven to melt the cheese, and lightly brown the top.

=EGGS a L"AURORE=

Take six hard-boiled eggs, and press the yolks through a colander. Cut the whites into half-inch dice, mix them with a well-reduced white or Bechamel sauce, and turn them into a flat baking-dish. Cover the top with the mashed yolks, dot it with small bits of b.u.t.ter, and place in a hot oven for a few minutes to heat, but not brown. This may be served in individual cups or sh.e.l.ls if desired. Chopped mushrooms mixed with the sauce makes a good variation of the dish. Another way of serving it is to cut the whites lengthwise into quarters or eighths, and place them in a circle on the dish; pour the sauce in the center, leaving the points of one end uncovered, and sprinkle over the sauce the mashed yolks. In order not to have the dish cold when served in this way, keep the cut whites in hot water until ready to serve. Have the dish hot, and put all together quickly at the moment of serving. (See ill.u.s.tration.)

[Ill.u.s.tration: EGGS a L"AURORE. (SEE PAGE 270.)]

=GOLDEN CREAM TOAST=

Cut bread into even pieces; toast and b.u.t.ter the pieces, and moisten them with hot water. Boil six eggs hard. Separate the whites from the yolks; chop the whites, and press the yolks through a colander or sieve.

Make a white sauce, using one tablespoonful each of b.u.t.ter and flour cooked together, and then add a cupful of cream or milk. When it is well thickened add the chopped whites, and season with pepper and salt.

Spread this mixture on the slices of toast, and cover the top with the mashed yolks. Sprinkle the yolks evenly over the pieces, so they look very yellow. Serve very hot.

=CURRIED EGGS=

Boil the eggs hard; remove the sh.e.l.ls carefully as directed (page 262), and drop them in hot water to keep warm until ready to use. Mold some boiled rice into a form resembling a nest. Have the rice boiled so each grain is distinct (see page 222). Place it on the hot shelf to keep warm. Place a teaspoonful of chopped onion in a saucepan with a tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter, and cook until the onion is a light yellow, but not brown. Add an even tablespoonful of corn starch, mixed with a half tablespoonful of curry powder and diluted with a little cold milk or stock, then stir in slowly one and a half cupfuls of white stock or milk. Let it cook until the corn starch is clear; add pepper and salt to taste, and strain it. The sauce should be a bright yellow color, perfectly smooth, and not very thick. Wipe the eggs dry, roll them in the sauce to get evenly coated with color, and place them in the nest of rice. Pour in enough sauce to moisten the rice without discoloring the outside or top edge of the rice around the eggs. (See ill.u.s.tration.)

[Ill.u.s.tration: CURRIED EGGS IN A NEST OF RICE. (SEE PAGE 271.)]

=STUFFED EGGS No. 1=