BUTTER
AND CHEESE
*
* *
TO
MAKE BUTTER.
THOROUGHLY
scald the churn, then
cool well with ice or spring water. Now pour in the thick cream;
churn fast at first, then, as the butter forms, more slowly; always
with perfect regularity; in warm weather, pour a little cold water
into the churn, should the butter form slowly; in the winter, if the
cream is too cold, add a little warm water to bring it to the proper
temperature. When the butter has "come," rinse the sides of
the churn down with cold water and take the butter up with a
perforated dasher or a wooden ladle, turning it dexterously just
below the surface of the buttermilk to catch every stray bit; have
ready some very cold water in a deep wooden tray; and into this
plunge the dasher when you draw it from the churn; the butter will
float off, leaving the dasher free. When you have collected all the
butter, gather behind a wooden butter ladle and drain off the water,
squeezing and pressing the butter with the ladle; then pour on more
cold water and work the butter with the ladle to get the milk out,
drain off the water, sprinkle salt over the butter — a
tablespoonful to a pound; work it in a little and set in a cool place
for an hour to harden, then work and knead it until not another drop
of water exudes, and the butter is perfectly smooth, and close in
texture and polish; then with the ladle make up into rolls, little
balls, stamped pats, etc.
The
churn, dasher, tray and
ladle should be well scalded before using, so that the butter will
not stick to them, and then cooled with very cold water.
When
you skim cream into your
cream jar, stir it well into what is already there, so that it may
all sour alike; and no fresh
cream should be put with it
within twelve hours before churning, or the butter will not come
quickly; and perhaps, not at all.
Butter
is indispensable in
almost all culinary preparations. Good fresh butter, used in
moderation, is easily digested; it is softening, nutritious and
fattening, and is far more easily digested than any other of the
oleaginous substances sometimes used in its place.
TO
MAKE BUTTER QUICKLY.
IMMEDIATELY
after the cow is
milked, strain the milk into clean pans, and set it over a moderate
fire until it is scalding hot; do not let it boil; then set it aside;
when it is cold, skim off the cream; the milk will still be fit for
any ordinary use; when you have enough cream put it into a clean
earthen basin; beat it with a wooden spoon until the butter is made,
which will not be long; then take it from the milk and work it with a
little cold water, until it is free from milk; then drain off the
water, put a small tablespoonful of fine salt to each pound of butter
and work it in. A small teaspoonful of fine white sugar, worked in
with the salt, will be found an improvement — sugar is a great
preservative. Make the butter in a roll; cover it with a bit of
muslin and keep it in a cool place. A reliable recipe.
A
BRINE TO PRESERVE BUTTER.
FIRST
work your butter into
small rolls, wrapping each one carefully in a clean muslin cloth,
tying them up with a string. Make a brine, say three gallons, having
it strong enough of salt to bear up an egg; add half a teacupful of
pure, white sugar, and one tablespoonful of saltpetre; boil the
brine, and when cold strain it carefully. Pour it over the rolls so
as to more than cover them, as this excludes the air. Place a weight
over all to keep the rolls under the surface.
PUTTING
UP BUTTER TO KEEP.
TAKE
of the best pure common
salt two quarts, one ounce of white sugar and one of saltpetre;
pulverize them together completely. Work the butter well, then
thoroughly work in an ounce of this mixture to every pound of butter.
The butter is to be made into half-pound rolls, and put into the
following brine — to three gallons of brine strong enough to bear
an egg, add a quarter of a pound of white Sugar.
Orange
Co., N. Y. Style.
CURDS
AND CREAM.
ONE
gallon of milk will make a
moderate dish. Put one spoonful of prepared rennet to each quart of
milk, and when you find that it has become curd, tie it loosely in a
thin cloth and hang it to drain; do not wring or press the cloth;
when drained, put the curd into a mug and set in cool water, which
must be frequently changed (a refrigerator saves this trouble). When
you dish it, if there is whey in the mug, ladle it gently out without
pressing the curd; lay it on a deep dish, and pour fresh cream over
it; have powdered loaf-sugar to eat with it; also hand the nutmeg
grater.
Prepared
rennet can be had at
almost any druggist's, and at a reasonable price.
NEW
JERSEY CREAM CHEESE.
FIRST
scald the quantity of milk
desired; let it cool a little, then add the rennet; the directions
for quantity are given on the packages of "Prepared Rennet."
When the curd is formed, take it out on a ladle without breaking it;
lay it on a thin cloth held by two persons; dash a ladleful of water
over each ladleful of curd, to separate the curd; hang it up to drain
the water off, and then put it under a light press for one hour; cut
the curd with a thread into small pieces; lay a cloth between each
two, and press for an hour; take them out, rub them with fine salt,
let them lie on a board for an hour, and wash them in cold water; let
them lie to drain, and in a day or two the skin will look dry; put
some sweet grass under and over them, and they will soon ripen.
COTTAGE
CHEESE.
PUT a
pan of sour or loppered
milk on the stove or range where it is not too hot; let it scald
until the whey rises to the top (be careful that it does not boil, or
the curd will become hard and tough) . Place a clean cloth or towel
over a sieve and pour this whey and curd into it, leaving it covered
to drain two or three hours; then put it into a dish and chop it fine
with a spoon, adding a teaspoonful of salt, a tablespoonful of butter
and enough sweet cream to make the cheese the consistency of putty.
With your hands make it into little balls flattened. Keep it in a
cool place. Many like it made rather thin with cream, serving it in a
deep dish. You may make this cheese of sweet milk by forming the curd
with prepared rennet.
SLIP.
SLIP
is bonny-clabber without
its acidity, and so delicate is its flavor that many persons like it
just as well as ice cream. It is prepared thus: — Make a quart of
milk moderately warm; then stir into it one large spoonful of the
preparation called rennet; set it by, and when cool again it will be
as stiff as jelly. It should be made only a few hours before it is to
be used, or it will be tough and watery; in summer set the dish on
ice after it has jellied. It must be served with powdered sugar,
nutmeg and cream.
CHEESE
FONDU.
MELT
an ounce of butter and
whisk into it a pint of boiled milk. Dissolve two tablespoonfuls of
flour in a gill of cold milk, add it to the boiled milk and let it
cool. Beat the yolks of four eggs with a heaping teaspoonful of salt,
half a teaspoonful of pepper and five ounces of grated cheese. Whip
the whites of the eggs and add them, pour the mixture into a deep tin
lined with buttered paper, and allow for the rising, say four inches.
Bake twenty minutes and serve the moment it leaves the oven.
CHEESE
SOUFFLÉ.
MELT
an ounce of butter in a
saucepan; mix smoothly with it one ounce of flour, a pinch of salt
and cayenne and a quarter of a pint of milk; simmer the mixture
gently over the fire, stirring it all the time, till it is as thick
as melted butter, stir into it about three ounces of finely-grated
parmesan, or any good cheese. Turn it into a basin and mix with it
the yolks of two well-beaten eggs. Whisk three whites to a solid
froth, and just before the soufflé is baked put them into it, and
pour the mixture into a small round tin. It should be only half
filled, as the fondu will rise very high. Pin a napkin around the
dish in which it is baked, and serve the moment it is baked. It would
be well to have a metal cover strongly heated. Time twenty minutes.
Sufficient for six persons.
SCALLOPED
CHEESE.
ANY
person who is fond of cheese
could not fail to favor this recipe.
Take
three slices of bread
well-buttered, first cutting off the brown outside crust. Grate fine
a quarter of a pound of any kind of good cheese; lay the bread in
layers in a buttered baking-dish, sprinkle over it the grated cheese,
some salt and pepper to taste. Mix four well-beaten eggs with three
cups of milk; pour it over the bread and cheese. Bake it in a hot
oven as you would cook a bread pudding. This makes an ample dish for
four people.
PASTRY
RAMAKINS.
TAKE
the remains or odd pieces
of any light puff paste left from pies or tarts; gather up the pieces
of paste, roll it out evenly, and sprinkle it with grated cheese of a
nice flavor. Fold the paste in three, roll it out again, and sprinkle
more cheese over; fold the paste, roll it out, and with a
paste-cutter shape it in any way that may be desired. Bake the
ramakins in a brisk oven from ten to fifteen minutes; dish them on a
hot napkin and serve quickly. The appearance of this dish may be very
much improved by brushing the ramakins over with yolk of egg before
they are placed in the oven. Where expense is not objected to,
parmesan is the best kind of cheese to use for making this dish.
Very
nice with a cup of coffee
for a lunch.
CAYENNE
CHEESE STRAWS.
A
QUARTER of a pound of flour,
two ounces butter, two ounces grated parmesan cheese, a pinch of salt
and a few grains of cayenne pepper. Mix into a paste with the yolk of
an egg. Roll out to the thickness of a silver quarter, about four or
five inches long; cut into strips about a third of an inch wide,
twist them as you would a paper spill and lay them on a baking-sheet
slightly floured. Bake in a moderate oven until crisp, but they must
not be the least brown. If put away in a tin these cheese straws will
keep a long time. Serve cold, piled tastefully on a glass dish. You
can make the straws of remnants of puff pastry, rolling in the grated
cheese.
CHEESE
CREAM TOAST.
STALE
bread may be served as
follows: Toast the slices and cover them slightly with grated cheese;
make a cream for ten slices out of a pint of milk and two
tablespoonfuls of plain flour. The milk should be boiling, and the
flour mixed in a little cold water before stirring in. When the cream
is nicely cooked, season with salt and butter; set the toast and
cheese in the oven for three or four minutes and then pour the cream
over them.
WELSH
RAREBIT.
GRATE
three ounces of dry cheese
and mix it with the yolks of two eggs, put four ounces of grated
bread and three of butter; beat the whole together in a mortar with a
dessertspoonful of made mustard, a little salt and some pepper; toast
some slices of bread, cut off the outside crust, cut it in shapes and
spread the paste thick upon them, and put them in the oven, let them
become hot and slightly browned, serve hot as possible.
EGGS
AND OMELETS. *
* *
THERE
are so many ways of
cooking and dressing eggs, that it seems unnecessary for the ordinary
family to use those that are not the most practical.
To
ascertain the freshness of an
egg, hold it between your thumb and forefinger in a horizontal
position, with a strong light in front of you. The fresh egg will
have a clear appearance, both upper and lower sides being the same.
The stale egg will have a clear appearance at the lower side, while
the upper side will exhibit a dark or cloudy appearance.
Another
test is to put them in a
pan of cold water; those that are the first to sink are the freshest;
the stale will rise and float on top; or, if the large end turns up
in the water, they are not fresh. The best time for preserving eggs
is from July to September.
TO
PRESERVE EGGS.
THERE
are several recipes for
preserving eggs and we give first one which we know to be effectual,
keeping them fresh from August until Spring. Take a piece of
quick-lime as large as a good-sized lemon and two teacupfuls of salt;
put it into a large vessel and slack it with a gallon of boiling
water. It will boil and bubble until thick as cream; when it is cold,
pour off the top, which will be perfectly clear. Drain off this
liquor, and pour it over your eggs; see that the liquor more than
covers them. A stone jar is the most convenient one that holds about
six quarts.
Another
manner of preserving
eggs is to pack them in a jar with layers of salt between, the large
end of the egg downward, with a thick layer of salt at the top; cover
tightly and set in a cool place.
Some
put them in a wire basket
or a piece of mosquito net and dip them in boiling water half a
minute; then pack in sawdust. Still another manner is to dissolve a
cheap article of gum arabic, about as thin as muscilage, and brush
over each egg with it; then pack in powdered charcoal; set in a cool,
dark place.
Eggs
can be kept for some time
by smearing the shells with butter or lard; then packed in plenty of
bran or sawdust, the eggs not allowed to touch one another; or coat
the eggs with melted paraffin.
BOILED
EGGS.
EGGS
for boiling cannot be too
fresh, or boiled too soon after they are laid; but rather a longer
time should be allowed for boiling a new-laid egg than for one that
is three or four days old. Have ready a saucepan of boiling water;
put the eggs into it gently with a spoon, letting the spoon touch the
bottom of the saucepan before it is withdrawn, that the egg may not
fall and consequently crack. For those who like eggs lightly boiled,
three minutes will be found sufficient; three and three-quarters to
four minutes will be ample time to set the white nicely; and if liked
hard, six or seven minutes will not be found too long. Should the
eggs be unusually large, as those of black Spanish fowls sometimes
are, allow an extra half minute for them. Eggs for salad should be
boiled for ten or fifteen minutes, and should be placed in a basin of
cold water for a few minutes to shrink the meat from the shell; they
should then be rolled on the table with the hand and the shell will
peel off easily.
SOFT
BOILED EGGS.
WHEN
properly cooked eggs are
done evenly through, like any other food. This result may be obtained
by putting the eggs into a dish with a cover, or a tin pail, and then
pouring upon them boiling
water — two quarts or more to a dozen of eggs — and cover and set
them away where they will keep hot
and not
boil for ten to twelve minutes. The heat of the water cooks the eggs
slowly, evenly and sufficiently, leaving the centre or yolk harder
than the white, and the egg tastes as much richer and nicer as a
fresh egg is nicer than a stale egg.
SCALLOPED
EGGS.
HARD-BOIL
twelve eggs; slice
them thin in rings; in the bottom of a large well-buttered
baking-dish place a layer of grated bread crumbs, then one of eggs;
cover with bits of butter and sprinkle with pepper and salt. Continue
thus to blend these ingredients until the dish is full; be sure,
though, that the crumbs cover the eggs upon top,. Over the whole pour
a large teacupful of sweet cream or milk and brown nicely in a
moderately heated oven.
SHIRRED
EGGS.
SET
into the oven until quite
hot a common white dish large enough to hold the number of eggs to be
cooked, allowing plenty of room for each. Melt in it a small piece of
butter, and breaking the eggs carefully in a saucer, one at a time,
slip them into the hot dish; sprinkle over them a small quantity of
pepper and salt and allow them to cook four or five minutes. Adding a
tablespoonful of cream for every two eggs, when the eggs are first
slipped in, is a great improvement.
This
is far more delicate than
fried eggs.
Or
prepare the eggs the same and
set them in a steamer over boiling water.
They
are usually served in
hotels baked in individual dishes, about two in a dish, and in the
same dish they were baked in.
SCRAMBLED
EGGS.
PUT a
tablespoonful of butter
into a hot frying pan; tip around so that it will touch all sides of
the pan. Having ready half a dozen eggs broken in a dish, salted and
peppered, turn them (without beating) into the hot butter; stir them
one way briskly for five or six minutes or until they are mixed. Be
careful that they do not get too hard. Turn over toast or dish up
without.
POACHED
OR DROPPED EGGS.
HAVE
one quart of boiling
water and one tablespoonful of salt in a frying pan. Break the eggs,
one by one, into a saucer, and slide carefully into the salted water.
Dash with a spoon a little water over the egg, to keep the top white.
The
beauty of a poached egg is
for the yolk to be seen blushing through the white, which should only
be just sufficiently hardened to form a transparent veil for the egg.
Cook
until the white is firm,
and lift out with a griddle cake turner and place on toasted bread.
Serve immediately.
A
tablespoonful of vinegar put
into the water keeps the eggs spreading.
Open
gem rings are nice placed
in the water and an egg dropped into each ring.
FRIED
EGGS.
BREAK
the eggs, one at a time,
into a saucer, and then slide them carefully off into a frying pan of
lard and butter mixed, dipping over the eggs the hot grease in
spoonfuls, or turn them over, frying both sides without breaking
them. They require about three minutes' cooking.
Eggs
can be fried round like
balls, by dropping one at a time into a quantity of hot lard, the
same .as for fried cakes, first stirring the hot lard with a stick
until it runs round like a whirlpool; this will make the eggs look
like balls. Take out with a skimmer. Eggs can be poached the same in
boiling water.
EGGS
AUX FINES HERBES.
ROLL
an ounce of butter in a
good teaspoonful of flour; season with pepper, salt and nutmeg; put
it into a coffeecupful of fresh milk, together with two teaspoonfuls
of chopped parsley; stir and simmer it for fifteen minutes, add a
teacupful of thick cream. Hard-boil five eggs and halve them; arrange
them in a dish with the ends upwards, pour the sauce over them, and
decorate with little heaps of fried bread crumbs round the margin of
the dish.
POACHED
EGGS Á LA CRÉME.
PUT a
quart of hot water, a
tablespoonful of vinegar and a teaspoonful of salt into a frying pan,
and break each egg separately into a saucer; slip the egg carefully
into the hot water, simmer three or four minutes until the white is
set, then with a skimmer lift them out into a hot dish. Empty the pan
of its contents, put in half a cup of cream, or rich milk; if milk, a
large spoonful of butter; pepper and salt to taste, thicken with a
very little cornstarch; let it boil up once, and turn it over the
dish of poached eggs. It can be served on toast or without.
It is
a better plan to warm the
cream in butter in a separate dish, that the eggs may not have to
stand.
EGGS
IN CASES.
MAKE
little paper cases of
buttered writing paper; put a small piece of butter in each, and a
little chopped parsley or onion, pepper and salt. Place the cases
upon a gridiron over a moderate fire of bright coals, and when the
butter melts, break a fresh egg into each case. Strew in upon them a
few seasoned bread crumbs, and when nearly done, glaze the tops with
a hot shovel. Serve in the paper cases.
MINCED
EGGS.
CHOP
up four or five hard-boiled
eggs; do not mince them too fine. Put over the fire in a suitable
dish a cupful of milk, a tablespoonful of butter, salt and pepper,
and some savory chopped small. When this comes to a boil stir into it
a tablespoonful of flour, dissolved in a little cold milk. When it
cooks thick like cream put in the minced eggs. Stir it gently around
and around for a few moments and serve, garnished with sippets of
toast. Any particular flavor may be given to this dish, such as that
of mushrooms, truffles, catsup, essence of shrimps, etc., or some
shred anchovy may be added to the mince.
MIXED
EGGS AND BACON.
TAKE
a nice rasher of mild
bacon; cut it into squares no larger than dice; fry it quickly until
nicely browned; but on no account burn it. Break half a dozen eggs
into a basin, strain and season them with pepper, add them to the
bacon, stir the whole about and, when sufficiently firm, turn it out
into a dish. Decorate with hot pickles.
MIXED
EGGS GENERALLY — SAVORY OR SWEET.
MUCH
the same method is followed
in mixed eggs generally, whatever may be added to them; really it is
nothing more than an omelet which is stirred about in the pan while
it is being dressed, instead of being allowed to set as a pancake.
Chopped tongue, oysters, shrimps, sardines, dried salmon, anchovies,
herbs, may be used.
COLD
EGGS FOR A PICNIC.
THIS
novel way of preparing cold
egg for the lunch-basket fully repays one for the extra time
required. Boil hard several eggs, halve them lengthwise; remove the
yolks and chop them fine with cold chicken, lamb, veal or any tender,
roasted meat; or with bread soaked in milk and any salad, as parsley,
onion, celery, the bread being half of the whole; or with grated
cheese, a little olive oil, drawn butter, flavored. Fill the cavity
in the egg with either of these mixtures, or any similar preparation.
Press the halves together, roll twice in beaten egg and bread crumbs,
and dip into boiling lard. When the color rises delicately, drain
them and they are ready for use.
OMELETS.
IN
MAKING an omelet, care should
be taken that the omelet pan is hot and dry. To insure this, put a
small quantity of lard or suet into a clean frying pan, let it simmer
a few minutes, then remove it; wipe the pan dry with a towel, and
then put in a tablespoonful of butter. The smoothness of the pan is
most essential, as the least particle of roughness will cause the
omelet to stick. As a general rule, a small omelet can be made more
successfully than a large one, it being much better to make two small
ones of four eggs each, than to try double the number of eggs in one
omelet and fail. Allow one egg to a person in making an omelet and
one tablespoonful of milk; this makes an omelet more puffy and tender
than one made without milk. Many prefer them without milk.
Omelets
are called by the name
of what is added to give them flavor, as minced ham, salmon, onions,
oysters, etc., beaten up in the eggs in due quantity, which gives as
many different kind of omelets.
They
are also served over many
kinds of thick sauces or purees, such as tomato, spinach, endive,
lettuce, celery, etc.
If
vegetables are to be added,
they should be already cooked, seasoned and hot; place in the centre
of the omelet, just before turning; so with mushroom, shrimps, or any
cooked ingredients. All omelets should be served the moment they are
done, as they harden by standing, and care taken that they do not
cook too much.
Sweet
omelets are generally used
for breakfast or plain desserts.
PLAIN
OMELET.
PUT a
smooth, clean, iron frying
pan on the fire to heat; meanwhile, beat four eggs very light, the
whites to a stiff froth and the yolks to a thick batter. Add to the
yolks four tablespoonfuls of milk, pepper and salt; and, lastly, stir
in the whites lightly. Put a piece of butter nearly half the size of
an egg into the heated pan; turn it so that it will moisten the
entire bottom, taking care that it does not scorch. Just as it begins
to boil, pour in the eggs. Hold the frying pan handle in your left
hand, and, as the eggs whiten, carefully, with a spoon, draw up
lightly from the bottom, letting the raw part run out on the pan,
till all be equally cooked; shake with your left hand, till the
omelet be free from the pan, then turn with a spoon one half of the
omelet over the ether; let it remain a moment, but continue shaking,
lest it adhere; toss to a warm platter held in the right hand, or
lift with a flat, broad shovel; the omelet will be firm around the
edge, but creamy and light inside.
MEAT
OR FISH OMELETS.
TAKE
cold meat, fish, game or
poultry of any kind; remove all skin, sinew, etc., and either cut it
small or pound it to a paste in a mortar, together with a proper
proportion of spices and salt; then either toss it in a buttered
frying pan over a clear fire till it begins to brown and pour beaten
eggs upon it, or beat it up with the eggs, or spread it upon them
after they have begun to set in the pan. In any case serve hot, with
or without a sauce, but garnish with crisp herbs in branches,
pickles, or sliced lemon. The right proportion is one tablespoonful
of meat to four eggs. A little milk, gravy, water, or white wine, may
be advantageously added to the eggs while they are being beaten.
Potted
meats make admirable
omelets in the above manner.
VEGETABLE
OMELET.
MAKE
a puree by mashing up
ready-dressed vegetables, together with a little milk, cream or gravy
and some seasoning. The most suitable vegetables are cucumbers,
artichokes, onions, sorrel, green peas, tomatoes, lentils, mushrooms,
asparagus tops, potatoes, truffles or turnips. Prepare some eggs by
beating them very light. Pour them into a nice hot frying pan,
containing a spoonful of butter; spread the puree upon the upper
side; and when perfectly hot, turn or fold the omelet together and
serve. Or cold vegetables may be merely chopped small, then tossed in
a little butter, and some beaten and seasoned eggs poured over.
OMELET
OF HERBS.
PARSLEY,
thyme and sweet
marjoram mixed gives the famous omelette
aux fines herbes so
popular at every wayside inn in the most remote corner of sunny
France. An omelet "jardiniere" is two tablespoonfuls of
mixed parsley, onion, chives, shallots and a few leaves each of
sorrel and chervil, minced fine and stirred into the beaten eggs
before cooking. It will take a little more butter to fry it than a
plain one.
CHEESE
OMELET.
BEAT
up three eggs, and add to
them a tablespoonful of milk and a tablespoonful of grated cheese;
add a little more cheese before folding; turn it out on a hot dish;
grate a little cheese over it before serving.
ASPARAGUS
OMELET.
BOIL
with a little salt, and
until about half cooked, eight or ten stalks of asparagus, and cut
the eatable part into rather small pieces; beat the egg and mix the
asparagus with them. Make the omelet as above directed. Omelet with
parsley is made by adding a little chopped parsley.
TOMATO
OMELET. No. 1.
PEEL
a couple of tomatoes, which
split into four pieces; remove the seeds and cut them into small
dice; then fry them with a little butter until nearly done, adding
salt and pepper. Beat the eggs and mix the tomatoes with them, and
make the omelet as usual. Or stew a few tomatoes in the usual way and
spread over before folding.
TOMATO
OMELET. No. 2.
CUT
in slices and place in a
stewpan six peeled tomatoes; add a tablespoonful of cold water, a
little pepper and salt. When they begin to simmer, break in six eggs,
stir well, stirring one way, until the eggs are cooked, but not too
hard. Serve warm.
RICE
OMELET.
TAKE
a cup of cold boiled rice,
turn over it a cupful of warm milk, add a tablespoonful of butter
melted, a level teaspoonful of salt, a dash of pepper; mix well, then
add three well-beaten eggs. Put a tablespoonful of butter in a hot
frying pan, and when it begins to boil pour in the omelet and set the
pan in a hot oven. As soon as it is cooked through, fold it double,
turn it out on a hot dish, and serve at once. Very good.
HAM
OMELET.
CUT
raw ham into dice, fry with
butter and when cooked enough, turn the beaten egg over it and cook
as a plain omelet.
If
boiled ham is used, mince it
and mix with the egg after they are beaten. Bacon may be used instead
of raw ham.
CHICKEN
OMELET.
MINCE
rather fine one cupful of
cooked chicken, warm in a teacupful of cream or rich milk a
tablespoonful of butter, salt and pepper; thicken with a large
tablespoonful of flour. Make a plain omelet, then add this mixture
just before turning it over. This is much better than the dry minced
chicken. Tongue is equally good.
MUSHROOM
OMELET.
CLEAN
a cupful of large button
mushrooms, canned ones may be used; cut them into bits. Put into a
stewpan an ounce of butter and let it melt; add the mushrooms, a
teaspoonful of salt, half a teaspoonful of pepper and half a cupful
of cream or milk. Stir in a teaspoonful of flour, dissolved in a
little milk or water to thicken, if needed. Boil ten minutes, and set
aside until the omelet is ready.
Make
a plain omelet the usual
way, and just before doubling it, turn the mushrooms over the centre
and serve hot.
OYSTER
OMELET.
PARBOIL
a dozen oysters in their
own liquor, skim them out and let them cool; add them to the beaten
eggs, either whole or minced. Cook the same as a plain omelet.
Thicken
the liquid with butter
rolled in flour; season with salt, cayenne pepper and a teaspoonful
of chopped parsley. Chop up the oysters and add to the sauce. Put a
few spoonfuls in the centre of the omelet before folding; when
dished, pour the remainder of the sauce around it.
FISH
OMELET.
MAKE
a plain omelet, and when
ready to fold, spread over it fish prepared as follows: Add to a
cupful of any kind of cold fish, broken fine, cream enough to moisten
it, seasoned with a tablespoonful of butter; then pepper and salt to
taste. Warm together.
ONION
OMELET.
MAKE
a plain omelet, and when
ready to turn spread over it a teaspoonful each of chopped onion and
minced parsley; then fold, or, if preferred, mix the minces into the
eggs before cooking.
JELLY
OMELET.
MAKE
a plain omelet, and just
before folding together, spread with some kind of jelly. Turn out on
a warm platter. Dust it with powdered sugar.
BREAD
OMELET. No. 1.
BREAK
four eggs into a basin and
carefully remove the treadles; have ready a tablespoonful of grated
and sifted bread; soak it in either milk, water, cream, white wine,
gravy, lemon juice, brandy or rum, according as the omelet is
intended to be sweet or savory. Well beat the eggs together with a
little nutmeg, pepper and salt; add the bread, and, beating
constantly (or the omelet will be crumbly), get ready a frying pan,
buttered and made thoroughly hot; put in the omelet; do it on one
side only; turn it upon a dish, and fold it double to prevent the
steam from condensing. Stale sponge-cake, grated biscuit, or pound
cake, may replace the bread for a sweet omelet, when pounded loaf
sugar should be sifted over it, and the dish decorated with lumps of
currant jelly. This makes a nice dessert.
BREAD
OMELET. No. 2.
LET
one teacupful of milk come
to a boil, pour it over one teacupful of bread crumbs and let it
stand .a few minutes. Break six eggs into a bowl, stir (not beat)
till well mixed; then add the milk and bread, season with pepper and
salt, mix all well together and turn into a hot frying pan,
containing a large spoonful of butter boiling hot. Fry the omelet
slowly, and when brown on the bottom cut in squares and turn again,
fry to a delicate brown and serve hot.
Cracker
omelet may be made by
substituting three or four rolled crackers in place of bread.
BAKED
OMELET.
BEAT
the whites and yolks of
four or six eggs separately; add to the yolks a small cup of milk, a
tablespoonful of flour or cornstarch, a teaspoonful of baking powder,
one-half teaspoonful of salt, and, lastly, the stiff-beaten whites.
Bake in a well-buttered pie-tin or plate about half an hour in a
steady oven. It should be served the moment it is taken from the
oven, as it is liable to fall.
OMELET
SOUFFLÉ.
BREAK
six eggs into separate
cups; beat four of the yolks, mix with them one teaspoonful of flour,
three tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar, very little salt. Flavor with
extract lemon or any other of the flavors that may be preferred.
Whisk the whites of six eggs to a firm froth; mix them lightly with
the yolks; pour the mixture into a greased pan or dish; bake in a
quick oven. When well-risen and lightly browned on the top, it is
done; roll out in warm dish, sift pulverized sugar over, and send to
table.
RUM
OMELET.
PUT a
small quantity of lard
into the pan; let it simmer a few minutes and remove it; wipe the pan
dry with a towel, and put in a little fresh lard in which the omelet
may be fried. Care should be taken that the lard does not burn, which
would spoil the color of the omelet. Break three eggs separately; put
them into a bowl and whisk them thoroughly with a fork. The longer
they are beaten, the lighter will the omelet be. Beat up a
teaspoonful of milk with the eggs and continue to beat until the last
moment before pouring into the pan, which should be over a hot fire.
As soon as the omelet sets, remove the pan from the hottest part of
the fire. Slip a knife under it to prevent sticking to the pan. When
the centre is almost firm, slant the pan, work the omelet in shape to
fold easily and neatly, and when slightly browned, hold a platter
against the edge of the pan and deftly turn it out on to the hot
dish. Dust a liberal quantity of powdered sugar over it, and singe
the sugar into neat stripes with a hot iron rod, heated in the coals;
pour a glass of warm Jamaica rum around it, and when it is placed on
the table set fire to the rum. With a tablespoon dash the burning rum
over the omelet, put out the fire and serve. Salt mixed with the eggs
prevents them from rising, and when it is so used the omelet will
look flabby, yet without salt it will taste insipid. Add a little
salt to it just before folding it and turning out on the dish.
"The
Cook."
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