Egg Dishes-How to prepare them properly.

While, in the Home Kitchens of Canada, eggs are often among the very first items a child learns to cook, in the professional kitchen, eggs are considered to be among the most difficult of dishes to prepare correctly

Eggs require slow cooking.

Eggs should never be boiled.

Boiling simply toughens the egg and darkens the yolk.

Eggs Cooked in the Shell

Hard-cooked (coddled-pampered)

Place the eggs in a saucepan of cold water and heat slowly until the boiling-point is reached. Set the container on the back of the stove or reduce the heat so that the water will not boil again and let stand twenty to thirty minutes before removing the eggs. Another method of regulating the temperature is to cook them in the double boiler.

Soft-Cooked (coddled-pampered)

Use one pint water for each egg up to six eggs, one-half pint for each additional egg, and use a small deep saucepan so that the water will cover the eggs. The saucepan should also have a close fitting lid. Put the eggs in at once, over set off the fire and let sand in a warm place for four to six minutes, depending on consistency desired. In this way, the eggs will be cooked equally well in every part. Bring the water to the boiling-point

Sautéed (fried) Eggs

No. 1

Heat cooking-fat in a light skillet and slip in the eggs. Cook as many eggs at one time as will fill the pan without touching one another. Baste with some of the fat, to cook the yolk. Cook very slowly; for if the fat becomes very hot the eggs will be tough and hard to digest, but if the temperature of the fat is kept down, the egg may be made as delicate as if poached in water.

You can sauté eggs very successfully by covering the pan as soon as the eggs have been added, and then placing it in the oven or over a very slow fire, so that the eggs will cook very slowly.

No. 2-With Brown Butter

Sauté the eggs in one tablespoon butter until set, season with salt and pepper, and place on a platter. Brown two tablespoons butter in the pan, add one teaspoon vinegar, and when hot, pour over the eggs.

Battered or Scrambled Eggs

In a light skillet, place one teaspoon of butter for each egg. Beat the eggs until the whites and yolks are well mixed. Season with salt and pepper and add one to three tablespoons of milk or cream for each egg. Pour into the hot fat and cook slowly, stirring constantly until the eggs are of the desired consistency. Serve at once. A little onion-juice or minced parsley may be added, or there are many other possible variations to this recipe.

Poached or Dropped eggs

Heat salted water (a few drops of vinegar will serve the same purpose), to the boiling-point in a frying-pan or other shallow pan. Break the egg into a saucer, and then slip it gently into the water. Repeat until all the eggs are in. Remove the pan from the fire, cover and keep hot until the eggs are set to the desired degree. If the yolk is not entirely covered, dip the water over it carefully until it is coated with white. Remove with a skimmer or perforated ladle and slip on to a thin piece of buttered toast. Buttered muffin rings may be placed in the water and each egg slipped into a muffin ring for cooking. or an egg-poacher may be used; but in this case the eggs are steamed and not really poached so that the texture will be slightly tougher.

French Omelette

6 eggs                                   

2 Tbsps. fat

Salt and pepper

Beat the eggs just enough to mix the whites and yolks, and add salt and pepper. Heat the fat in an omelette-pan, pour a little of it into the beaten eggs and allow the remainder to get hot. Turn the eggs into the pan and as the mixture cooks on the bottom and sides, prick it with a fork so that the egg on top will penetrate the cooked surface, and run under the sides. The work must be done quickly and carefully so that the eggs are not all stirred up like scrambled eggs. While the eggs are still soft, but slightly thickened, fold over, let stand a few minutes to brown, and turn onto a hot dish.

Plain Omelettes

Puffy

4 eggs                                   

Salt and pepper

4 Tbsps. hot water                       

Butter or other fat

Beat the egg-whites until stiff. Beat the yolks until thick and lemon-coloured, beat into them the hot water, and add salt and pepper. Cut and fold together the yolks and stiffly beaten whites. Melt enough fat in an omelette pan to grease the bottom and sides of the pan. Turn the egg mixture into the pan and cook over a slow fire until it is puffy and a light brown underneath, then place in the oven until the top is dry. Touch the top of the omelette lightly with the finger and if the egg does not stick to the finger the omelette is done. Do not overcook it or it will shrink or be tough.

Loosen the edges of the omelette, cut through the centre, slip a spatula or flexible knife under the side next to the handle of the pan, fold one-half over the other, and press slightly to make it stay in place, Slip on to a hot plate and serve at once.

Variations of the Plain Omelette

Variations of the plain puffy omelette or the plain French omelette may be made by adding any of the following ingredients, before it is put into the pan to cook, or by spreading one of them on top just before the omelette is folded.

Allow one tablespoon of mixture to each two eggs used.

Aux Fines Herbs-This, favourite French omelette is made by adding a mixture of parsley, thyme and sweet marjoram to a plain omelette

Cheese- Scatter grated or ground cheese over the centre of the omelette while it is cooking.

Fish-Use any cooked fish. Dice it fine, season with salt and pepper and moisten with a little cream.

Ham or Other Meat- Scatter minced cooked meat over the centre of the omelette while it is cooking. The meat may be browned in a small amount of fat before it is added.

Jardinière-Stir into the beaten eggs, before cooking, a mixture of minced parsley, onion, chives, shallots, and a few leaves each of sorrel and chervil.

Jelly-Spread any jelly or jam over the omelette just before folding.

Mushroom-Use fresh or canned mushrooms sliced or cut in bits. Melt some fat in a saucepan and sauté the mushrooms for about four minutes, add some flour to form a roux and cook an additional two minutes. Add milk or cream, salt, pepper Cook until thickens, and then set aside until the omelette is made. Spread the mushroom mixture over the omelette just before folding.

Onion- Mix one tablespoon diced onion and one teaspoon minced parsley. Add to the omelette mixture before cooking.

Parsley- Scatter minced parsley over the centre of the omelette while it is cooking.

Potato Omelette- Cut cooked potatoes into tiny cubes and cook in bacon fat with seasonings for five minutes. Beat the eggs slightly and add milk, then pour over the potatoes. Cook slowly until set, fold and turn on to a hat plate.

Spanish Omelette- Peel the tomato. Dice pepper, onion, parsley, celery, olives, mushrooms and mix all together. Place the mixture in a saucepan, add seasonings, and cook for two to three minutes. Beat the eggs, put them in the omelette pan, and, as soon as they begin to cook, add the diced vegetables. Finish as for plain omelette.

Vegetable-Use cooked left-over vegetables, one vegetable alone or two in combinations. Mash the vegetable through a ricer, moisten with a little milk, cream, or gravy, and season with salt and pepper. Lightly spread the mixture over the omelette before folding.

Eggs Florentine

2qts. spinach                     

1 tsp. salt

4 Tbsps. butter                             

6 hard-coddled eggs

½ tsp. pepper                                

½ cup tomato sauce

Wash, cook and drain the spinach and add the butter and the seasonings. Arrange a nest of spinach at each end of a small platter. Put three eggs in each nest and pour the tomato sauce between the nests.