Place in a sautoire half an ounce of good butter, add one sound shelled finely chopped shallot, place the pan on the corner of the range, and let simmer, but do not let get brown, add then a tablespoonful of Béchamel sauce ([No. 154]), a teaspoonful of freshly chopped up parsley, a tablespoonful of finely grated horse-radish. Now add also the yolks, season with a tablespoonful of salt and half a saltspoonful of Cayenne pepper; mix all well together with a wooden spoon, and then with it stuff the six eggs, so as to give them the exact shape of small barrels.
Lightly butter a tin pan, carefully lay the eggs in it, the stuffed part uppermost, sprinkle a little grated Parmesan cheese right in the centre of the stuffed part of the eggs. Cover them with a piece of buttered paper; place them in a moderate oven for twelve minutes. Carefully remove them from the oven, take off the paper. Have a hot dish with six fried bread croûtons, half an inch high by one and a half inch in diameter, gently place an egg on each croûton; pour a gill of hot demi-glace ([No. 185]) around the dish (none over the eggs) and immediately serve.
1403. Eggs à la A. F. Bowers.
—Peel a quarter of a pound of fine, fresh, sound mushrooms, wash them thoroughly, seeing that no sand remains on; lay six of the largest aside (with their stem cut away) for further action. Place in a sautoire one ounce of butter, two tablespoonfuls of flour; place this pan on the corner of a hot range, and let gently cook for eight minutes, slightly stirring once in a while. Add now the mushrooms, season with a tablespoonful of salt and half a teaspoonful of pepper, also half a saltspoonful of grated nutmeg, squeezing in the juice of a quarter of a sound lemon, mix all well together, then add a gill of milk, and let cook for five minutes, lightly stirring meanwhile. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl, and keep it in a warm place until further action.
Have six hard shelled boiled eggs, and with the point of a keen knife make eight triangular incisions right in the centre of each egg down to the yolk, then with hands gently pull them apart. Remove the yolks, and mash them very fine, then well mix the latter with the preparation, and then with it stuff the eggs, giving them a dome shape. Lightly butter a silver dish, place a thin layer of the preparation over it. Firmly lay the six large mushrooms upside down over the layer, place half a teaspoon of the force in the centre of each mushroom, then gently lay the eggs perpendicular over each mushroom. Slice a small truffle into six thin slices, place one on top of each egg, sprinkle a little clarified butter over all, cover them with buttered paper, then place in a moderate oven for fifteen minutes. Remove and serve with a gill of hot demi-glace ([No. 185]), in a bowl separate.
1404. Eggs à la Darling.
—Provide one dozen of very tender, sound celery knots, peel and thoroughly wash them twice. Cut them in quarters, then place them in a saucepan with one ounce of butter, a quart of white broth ([No. 99]), a sprig of thyme, three cloves, and twenty whole peppers, place the pan on the hot range and cook for sixty minutes. Strain through a sieve into another saucepan, seeing that everything is strained except the cloves and peppers. Dilute a teaspoonful of corn starch into half a cup of cold milk, and gradually add it to the purée, sharply stirring meanwhile. Cook for three minutes longer. Have six hard shelled boiled eggs ready, then place the purée right in the centre of a hot dish, giving it a dome shape. Gently arrange the six eggs around it, leaning slightly against the dome as a support to the column. Lay a thin slice of truffle in the centre of each, then pour a gill of hot Madeira sauce ([No. 185]), around the dish, but not over the eggs, and then serve.
1405. Eggs à la Hamilton Fish.
—Cut up into very small dice shaped pieces, one medium sized sound truffle, an ounce of cooked smoked beef tongue, and four mushrooms. Place them in a sautoire on the range, with half a glass of Madeira wine. Reduce the wine to one half, add now a gill of Madeira sauce ([No. 185]), and a drop of anchovy sauce, then cook for five minutes.
Take six hard shelled boiled eggs, cut them into halves lengthwise, remove the yolks, chop them up very fine, and add them to the sauce; mix all well together, and with this preparation stuff the whites. Close them together, place them in a lightly buttered sautoire, pour into it two tablespoonfuls of white broth ([No. 99]). Cover them with a sheet of buttered paper, and then place in the oven for eight minutes.