Chapter 10 assembled 20jy02
Eggs are one of the most valuable foods we have, being one of the best for building and repairing the body and a good source of Vitamins A and B, and also of iron. Two eggs are equivalent in protein value to 4 oz. [110g] meat.
In all the recipes given in this book hens' eggs are used. Ducks' eggs may be used for making cakes and puddings, when one will be equivalent to 1 ½-2 hens' eggs. When using ducks' eggs, care must be taken to see that they are thoroughly cooked, as they are more likely to be infected with harmful bacteria than hens' eggs, and are not therefore suitable for light cooking - e.g. poached and coddled. Other eggs may be hard-boiled and used in salads or used in place of hens' eggs for cakes and puddings.
A fresh egg is heavy in proportion to its size, and becomes lighter with age. It sinks in cold water, while a stale egg floats. When broken, a fresh egg smells good, the yolk is firm and the white is viscid, while a stale egg will be known by the smell, a yolk that breaks easily, and a watery white.
It is advisable to break each egg separately into a cup or saucer, to make sure it is fresh. Hold the egg over the cup and give it a sharp tap with a knife to break the shell. Put the thumbs into the crack and break the egg apart. If the yolk and white are to be separated, tip the yolk from one half of the shell to the other until all the white has fallen into the cup below. Care must be taken
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not to let any yolk get in with the white, or it will not beat up well.
Eggs set, or 'coagulate', as it is called, at a temperature well below boiling point (212 F. [100°C]), and when heated above 160 F. [71°C] become hard and tough. When adding eggs to a hot sauce or to milk for a custard you must be careful to see that the sauce or milk is below boiling point, or the eggs may set in small hard bits and curdle the mixture. A sauce should not be allowed to boil after eggs have been added, but should be heated gently until it thickens.
SHELL EGGS should be kept in a cool, dry place away from any food with a strong odour. This is because the shells are porous and will allow odours to pass through. Egg-yolks, if unbroken, should be covered with cold water and kept in a cold place. If broken, they should be covered tightly and stored in a cold place, but will not keep as well as if unbroken. Egg-whites should be covered and stored in a cold place. The refrigerator is the ideal place for storing yolks and whites, and whole eggs may also be kept there, but should be placed so that the air can circulate freely round them. They should be taken out some time before cooking and allowed to come to room temperature.
For quick and easy beating use the correct shape of bowl for the beater, and have the eggs at room temperature, not straight out of the refrigerator. Do not beat until you are ready to use the eggs, as they lose some air with standing. A beater with fine blades or wires gives the best results.
With a rotary beater you should use a deep, fairly
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narrow bowl, like a pudding-basin, so that the beater is well covered with egg.
With a wire whisk it is better to use a wide, shallow bowl. One or two egg-whites can be beaten with a fork, but a small wire whisk is quicker.
1. Boil enough water to cover the eggs. Be sure they are not cracked nor too cold. If you have forgotten to take them out of the refrigerator beforehand, hold them in the steam or under the hot tap for a few minutes before lowering them into the water. If a very cold egg goes into boiling water it is almost sure to crack. Lower the eggs into the water gently in a spoon, for they will crack if allowed to drop.
2. Put on the lid and boil gently to prevent cracking. For a new-laid egg boiling times are:
Lightly cooked, 3-3 ½ minutes.
Medium cooked, 4-5 minutes.
Hard boiled, 10 minutes.
Less time is required for eggs which are not so fresh and for those below the average size.
3. If the eggs have been hard-boiled, crack the shells as soon as they are cooked, plunge them into cold water and leave until quite cold. This helps to prevent the dark ring which sometimes shows round the yolk, and which is generally due to over-cooking.
This is the best way of cooking eggs for children and invalids, as there will be no danger of the white being tough and indigestible.
Proceed as before, but when the eggs are added turn
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down the heat and cook below boiling. The time required will be a little longer:
Lightly cooked, 4 minutes.
Medium cooked, 6-7 minutes.
Hard boiled, 15-20 minutes.
Quantities for 4 helpings:
4 hard-boiled eggs
4-8 oz. [110-225g] Rice (½-1c.)
½ Pt. [285ml] Curry Sauce, No. 77 (1 c.)
Cut the eggs in half and pour the sauce over them. Serve with the rice boiled, see No. 549.
Quantities for 4 helpings:
4 hard-boiled eggs
Salt and pepper
½ Pt. [285ml] Onion Sauce, No. 87
2 oz. [55g] cheese, grated (½ c.)
Measures level. Slice the eggs and heat them in the sauce. Place in a fireproof dish and cover with the grated cheese. Place in the oven or under the grill to melt the cheese. Serve very hot.
Quantities for 4 helpings:
4 hard-boiled eggs
½ Pt. [285ml] Tomato Sauce, No. 92 (1 c.)
Cut the eggs in half length-wise or slice them, and serve in a hot dish, with the tomato sauce poured over.
Quantities for 4 helpings:
4 hard-boiled eggs
4 rashers streaky bacon
½ Pt. [285ml] Brown Sauce, No. 72 (1 c.)
1 Tbs. chopped parsley
Toast
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Measures level. Cut the eggs in half and heat them gently in the sauce. Roll the rashers of bacon and fasten them on a skewer. Grill or bake. Put the eggs and sauce on a hot dish, garnish with the bacon and parsley and serve hot with toast.
Fresh eggs only should be used, as stale eggs are apt to have the yolk lying to one side, and that spoils the shape for a stuffed egg. Hard boil the eggs and allow to become cold. Shell, cut in half, and remove the yolks. Mash the yolks and mix with one of the stuffings given below, season highly and then press back into the whites. Serve with a salad or as a savoury for a supper party, or press the halves together for carrying in the picnic-basket.
1. For 4 eggs allow 2 level Tbs. grated cheese, 1 Tbs. Vinegar, ¼ level tsp. mustard, salt and pepper, and 1 tsp. melted butter or margarine.
2. For each egg allow 1 level Tbs. minced ham. Season well and add some chopped parsley.
3. Beat in anchovy essence and a little lemon-juice to taste.
4. Mix with an equal amount of minced cooked chicken or veal and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add mayonnaise to moisten.
1. Place enough water in a frying-pan or saucepan to cover the eggs. Add 1 level tsp. of salt and j Tbs. vinegar to each pint of water. Bring to the boil.
2. Break the egg into a saucer and slide it gently into the water. Only fresh eggs should be used for poaching, as if the whites are watery they will spread badly.
3. Turn down the heat so that the water is just below boiling. Leave 5 minutes or until the egg is lightly set -that is, when the white becomes opaque.
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4. Lift out with a fish slice and rest the slice on a clean cloth for a second to drain off the water. Then slide on to the buttered toast. Serve at once.
Allow 1/8 Pt. [70ml] Cheese Sauce, No.75, for each egg.
Place the very lightly poached eggs on a fireproof dish and cover with the cheese sauce. Brown under the grill.
Spread the toast with Anchovy Sauce, No.71, 9r paste.
Use any of the Potato Cake Recipes, No. 158-61, and shape into flat cakes about the size of a poached egg. Fry in shallow fat and serve a poached egg on each one. Cover with Tomato Sauce, No.92, or Brown Sauce, No. 72.
Special egg steamers are sold for this purpose, also little earthenware dishes called 'cocottes'. Small round patty tins may be used too. Grease the dishes before adding the eggs and then stand them in a frying-pan with water coming half-way up the sides. Keep the water just below boiling and cook for the same time as poached eggs. Serve in the same way, or, if cocottes are used, leave the eggs in the dishes and serve toast or bread separately.
Quantities for 4 helpings:
4 or 5 eggs
1 oz. [30g] margarine or butter (2 Tbs.)
½ tsp. salt
Pinch of pepper
4 slices of toast
6 Tbs. milk
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Measures level.
1. Beat the eggs enough to mix them well and add the milk and seasoning.
2. Melt the fat in a small saucepan, but do not allow it to become hot. Add the eggs and cook over a very low heat or over hot water. Do not stir the eggs more than is necessary to keep them from sticking to the pan, because stirring makes them granular instead of letting them set in large, creamy clots.
3. Serve as soon as they are set. If allowed to cook longer they will become tough and hard with a watery liquid separating out. Serve on the hot toast.
Add 1 oz. [30g] grated cheese (4 level Tbs.) and 1 Tbs. chopped parsley to Scrambled Eggs, No. 199, before cooking.
Use Recipe No. 199 for scrambled eggs and fry 1 small chopped onion in the fat. Then add 1 level Tbs. curry powder, mix well and allow to cool a little. Then add the eggs and finish in the usual way.
Cut 1 lb. tomatoes in pieces and cook them gently in 12 oz. Fat [335g] (1 Tbs.). Season well. Scramble eggs as described in No.199 and dish them in a ring on a hot dish Pour the tomatoes in the centre and serve hot, sprinkled with chopped parsley.
Chop one rasher of bacon and fry it gently in the fat before adding the eggs. Cook as described for Scrambled Eggs, No.199.
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Chop one medium-sized onion finely and fry it in the margarine. Add the eggs and proceed as for Scrambled Eggs, No.199.
Quantities for 4 helpings:
8 eggs
1 oz. [30g] butter or lard (2 Tbs.)
1 tsp. salt
Pinch of pepper
Measures level.
1. Beat the eggs just enough to mix them thoroughly and add the seasoning.
2. Be sure that the pan is perfectly clean and dry. The ideal is to keep a pan just for omelets and to wipe it out instead of washing it. If yours is a general-purpose pan you will find it a help to heat the pan and fat slowly at first in order to draw off any moisture. A damp pan causes omelets to stick. Heat enough fat to cover the bottom of the pan. Butter is the best of all, but cooking fat or flavoured dripping No.146 will do. Margarine is not suitable, and will make the omelet stick. It is nicer to make individual omelets, but for a family it is more practical to make a large one. This recipe is about right for a pan 10 inches [250mm] across, and the omelet may then be divided into four for serving.
3. When the fat is melted, but not smoking hot, pour in the eggs and keep a good heat under the pan to cook the omelet quickly. As soon as the underside begins to set start lifting the edge first in one place and then in another, tilting the pan slightly to let the liquid egg run underneath. The omelet is done when no more liquid will run under, but it should still be quite moist on top.
4. Using a knife, roll the omelet over, away from the handle, and tip it out on to a hot plate. It should be
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golden-brown on the outside and still moist inside, unless you prefer them dry, when you will naturally cook the omelet a little longer. If the omelet is a stuffed one, the filling should be put on before it is rolled up.
Add 1 level Tbs. chopped parsley to Omelet, No.205, before cooking, and fry one or two rashers of chopped bacon in the fat before adding the eggs. If the bacon is very salty this method may make the omelet stick to the pan, so it is better to cook the bacon separately and mix it with the eggs before pouring them into the omelet pan.
Mix 2 oz. [55g] grated cheese (½ c.) with the eggs before making Omelet, No.205.
Add 2 level Tbs. chopped parsley and 2 level Tbs. chopped chives to the eggs before cooking Omelet, No. 205. If no fresh herbs are available add 1 tsp. dried herbs instead.
Chop 2 sheep's kidneys into small pieces and cook them for a minute or two in a separate pan with ½ oz. [15g] fat. Add 1 level Tbs. flour, mix well and then pour on ¼ c. stock. Stir until it boils, and cook gently for 5 minutes. Make the omelet, according to No.205, and spread the kidney mixture on before rolling up.
Peel and chop 4-6 oz. [110-170g] mushrooms and cook for a few minutes in the fat before adding the eggs and cooking as for No.205.
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Peel and chop two small onions finely. Cook in the fat until brown before adding the eggs and cooking as for No. 205.
Half Recipe No. 205 is enough for 4 helpings. Leave out the salt and pepper and spread on 2 or 3 Tbs. hot jam before rolling it up.
Quantities for 4 helpings:
Use half Recipe No.205, leaving out the salt and pepper. When the omelet is served sprinkle with 2 tsp. sugar and pour over 2 Tbs. rum. Set light to the rum and baste the omelet with it.
Quantities for 5 large or 4 small omelets:
4 fresh eggs
½ oz. [15g] melted butter or dripping (1 Tbs.)
¼ c. water
½ tsp. salt
Chopped parsley
Pinch of pepper
1. Separate the yolks and whites of the eggs and beat the yolks with the water until thick and lemon-coloured. Add the seasonings.
2. Beat the egg-whites stiffly.
3. Melt the fat in the pan.
4. Fold the egg-yolks into the whites very gently and pour into the pan. Cook very slowly for about 5 minutes, when the omelet should be golden underneath and beginning to rise up in the pan. If the heat is too great it will rise up quickly and then collapse and be tough.
5. Continue cooking in a moderate oven or under a slow grill for 8-10 minutes, until the top looks dry. Do not cook too long, or it will shrivel and be tough.
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6. Fold in half and turn on to a hot dish. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve at once.
N.B. For variety this omelet may be served with a sauce poured over - e.g. Onion Sauce, No.87; Tomato Sauce, No.92; Cheese Sauce, No.75; Mussel Sauce, No. 85; or Mushroom Sauce, No.84.
Quantities for 2 helpings:
3 eggs
½ oz. [15g] fat (1 Tbs.)
½ tsp. salt
½ c. mixed cooked vegetables, diced
Pinch of pepper
1 Tbs. chopped parsley
Measures level. Beat the eggs. Add seasoning and parsley. Heat the fat and toss the vegetables in it. Any vegetables are suitable, and may include some sliced raw tomato or chopped pimentos. Pour the eggs over the vegetables and cook, without stirring, until the egg is brown underneath. Place in the oven or under the grill to set the top lightly. Fold over and serve at once.
1. Heat enough fat to cover the bottom of the frying pan.
2. When it is melted, but not very hot, add the eggs, which should each be broken separately into a saucer and then slid into the fat. This is to make sure you do not drop a bad egg into the fat.
3. Cook gently - much more slowly than ordinary frying - basting the egg with the hot fat until the white is set. Lift out with a fish-slice. If the fat is too hot and the cooking too fast, the egg will be tough and unpleasant to eat.
The true custard is made with egg, milk, and a little flavouring, and depends entirely on the eggs to thicken it.
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When making custards, care must he taken to have the proportions of eggs and liquid correct, or the custard will not set. Adding too much sugar also prevents setting, and cooking too fast or for too long produces curdling.
It is recommended that hot milk be used, as this hastens the cooking process.
Soft or 'Boiled' Custard. See Sauces, No. 111.
Quantities for 4 helpings:
2-3 fresh eggs OR 2 eggs and 1 Tbs. flour
Pinch of salt
1 Tbs. sugar
Flavouring to taste
1 pt. [570ml] milk (2 c.)
Measures level.
1. Beat the eggs, salt, and sugar enough to mix well.
2. Heat the milk. If flour is used in place of an egg, mix it with a little cold milk, heat the rest, pour on to the flour, return to the pan, and stir until it boils. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Pour the hot (not boiling) milk or thickened milk on to the eggs and stir well. Add flavouring to taste.
3. Pour into a greased pie-dish and place in a baking dish with hot water to come half-way up the sides of the pie-dish. Sprinkle a little nutmeg on top of the custard.
4. Bake in a slow oven until set. The water round the custard should not be allowed to boil. To test for setting, slip the blade of a knife into the custard half-way between the centre and the side, and if it comes out clean with no custard sticking to it, the baking is finished. The custard may not be quite done in the middle, but there
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will be sufficient heat in it to finish the cooking, and taking it out at this stage prevents over-cooking and curdling
The time required depends to some extent on the type of dish used. It will take longer in a narrow, deep dish than in a shallow, wide one.
Use Recipe No.218, omitting the sugar. Boil 2 oz. [55g] sugar (4 level Tbs.) and 2 Tbs. water together until toffee-coloured. Add the hot milk and stir until dissolved. Then add to the eggs and proceed as usual. Add 1 tsp. vanilla for flavouring.
Put 4 oz. [110g] stoned dates (20) at the bottom of the pie-dish before pouring on Custard, No. 218. Bake as usual.
Quantities for 4-6 small moulds:
4-5 eggs (or substitute 1 Tbs. flour for 1egg)
Vanilla essence
1 Tbs. sugar
1 pt. [570ml] milk (2 c.)
Caramel:
4 Tbs. sugar
2 Tbs. water
Measures level.
1. Individual moulds are the most satisfactory to use, as the mould is less likely to break on turning out. The moulds may be metal or earthenware. Grease them well.
2. Boil the sugar and water, without stirring, until it goes a good toffee colour. Pour quickly into the moulds. Hold the moulds in a cloth and twist round to coat well with caramel.
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3. Mix the custard as for Baked Custard, No. 218, and pour into the moulds.
4. Bake according to No. 218, or place in a saucepan with hot water coming half-way up the sides of the moulds. Cover the moulds with greased paper and put a lid on the pan. Cook gently below boiling until the custard is set.
5. It is advisable to leave the custards in the moulds to cool. They will then turn out more easily and the caramel will coat the mould. If turned out hot, there is a tendency for some of the caramel to stay in the mould.
NB. An eggless mould may be made using Recipe No. 582 for a cornflour mould. Pour into the caramel-lined mould and leave to set overnight.
Flavour the milk with coffee essence or strong black coffee and make Recipe No.221, leaving out the caramel. Turn out and decorate with whipped cream and chopped nuts.
Quantities for 4 helpings:
3 eggs
Fine light brown sugar
Pinch of salt
Small tin Mandarin oranges, or 2 fresh oranges
1 oz. [30g] sugar (2 Tbs.)
1 Pt. [570ml] hot milk (2 c.)
Grated rind 1 orange
Measures level. Beat the eggs, salt, and sugar slightly. Add the hot milk and the orange rind. Pour into a pie-dish, 1 ½-2-pint size, and bake until set. Sprinkle the top thickly with brown sugar and place under the grill to melt the sugar. Arrange overlapping slices of mandarins or oranges on top and leave to become cold. Serve plain or with cream.