The onion may be omitted if preferred without. A pinch cayenne and a little made mustard go well with cheese.
Savoury Pancakes.
Take much the same ingredients as above, but beat yolks and whites together, and add one tablespoonful milk, and a level dessert spoonful flour for each egg. Mix all together some time before using. Make a bit of butter hot in very small frying pan, pour in enough batter to just cover, and cook very gently till set, and brown on the under side. Turn and brown on the other side, or hold in front of hot fire or under the gas grill. Roll up and serve very hot. Ketchup and water, or diluted extract, may be used instead of the milk, and some finely minced parsley or pinch herbs is an improvement.
These omelets and pancakes may be varied by adding tomatoes, mushrooms, &c. Cook very lightly and either stir into the mixture before frying, or spread on the top after it is cooked, and fold or roll up. A mixture of tomatoes and mushrooms is especially good.
Mushroom Cutlets.
Remove stalks and skins from 1/2 lb. flap mushrooms. Clean, chop up, and stew gently in a little butter. Melt 1 oz. butter in another saucepan, stir in 1 oz. flour, and add by degrees a teacupful milk, tomato juice, or extract. When smooth add the mushrooms and seasonings. Stir till smooth and thick, and turn out on flat dish to cool. Shape into cutlets, egg, crumb, and fry.
Asparagus, celery, artichokes, and many other vegetables may be used in the composition of omelets, fritters, cutlets, &c.
If for an omelet, only a very small quantity must be used. One tablespoonful of any of the finer cooked vegetables is enough in proportion to two eggs. When a more substantial dish is wanted, it should take the shape of cutlets or fritters.
Bread Fritters.
Put 6 ozs. fine bread crumbs in a basin and pour over 3 teacupfuls boiling milk. Allow to stand for some time, then add seasoning to taste--grated onion, parsley, ketchup, extract, &c.--and 2 beaten eggs, reserving a little of the white for brushing. Mix and pour into buttered baking tin. Cover and bake in good oven till set--about 1 hour. When cold, cut into nice shapes, brush over with egg, toss in fine crumbs and fry. This may also be served simply baked. In that case, put some bits of butter on top, and bake a nice brown without cover.
Eggs
are, of course, invaluable in many ways besides the more familiar boiled, poached, and scrambled.
Buttered Eggs.
Break number of eggs required in a bowl, melt a nut of butter to each egg in saucepan, pour in the eggs, seasoning, &c., and stir one way over gentle heat till set. About 2 minutes should do. Serve on toast or bread cutlets.
Tomato Eggs.
Have a quantity of tomato pulp made hot in frying pan, and slip in as many eggs as required, gently, so as not to scatter. Allow to poach for about 3 minutes or till the whites are just set. Serve on toast or shredded wheat biscuits. Another way is to cook the tomatoes, and put, with the eggs, on a flat dish, in the oven till set. Serve on same dish, garnished with sippets of toast or toasted triscuits.
Egg Cutlets (Mrs G. D.)
There are many different recipes for these, but the following is an especially good one, for which I am indebted to an Edinburgh friend. Chop very small two firmly boiled eggs, and 2 tablespoonfuls bread crumbs and the same of grated cheese with a pinch of curry powder, pepper, and grated nutmeg. Mix with the yolk of a raw egg. Shape into cutlets, brush over with the white of the egg beaten up a little, toss in fine crumbs, and fry a nice brown. Garnish with fried parsley.
Inverness Eggs.
Boil hard the number of eggs required, remove the shells, and rub each with a little flour. Take a quantity of any of the varieties of sausage meat, for which recipes are given, or a forcemeat, or quenelle mixture will do, add some finely minced parsley, any other seasoning required, and a beaten egg to bind. Mix thoroughly, flour the hands and coat each egg with the mixture, rather less than 1/4 inch thick, and evenly, so that the shape is retained, flour lightly and fry a nice brown.