(b) Take 6 eggs, boil hard, and when ready plunge them into cold water to enable you to take off the shells easily; this must be carefully done so as not to damage the appearance of the eggs; then cut them into rounds—each, if properly managed, will cut 4. Have ready a sauce made as follows: Add to ½ pint ordinary good white sauce, a slight sprinkling of nutmeg, some very finely chopped parsley, say a teaspoonful, and about a saltspoonful of the green part of some shallots also very finely chopped. Put the eggs into this, make them hot, and serve heaped high on a dish, with the sauce poured round and over the eggs.
À la Tartuffe.—Fry lightly some bacon; when done, lay it in a dish that will stand the fire, pour over it 2 spoonfuls strong stock flavoured with wine, and break in carefully 5 or 6 eggs, dusting them with pepper and salt. Let them cook over a slow fire, and pass a heated shovel over them to set the whites. The yolks must not harden.
And Artichokes.—Strip the green leaves from 6 artichokes, and boil the bottoms in hard water for ½ hour, boil 3 eggs for 10-12 minutes, cut them across, and place on each artichoke half an egg, leaving the round end uppermost; put them each on a small round of toast, which must be cut with a round cutter, and serve on a very hot dish, with a little good melted butter or some rich gravy.
And Caviar.—Cut some small slices of French rolls into rounds, lightly butter them, then spread some very fresh Russian caviar on them, add a sprinkle of lemon juice. Now cut some hard-boiled eggs into rounds, and lay a round on each round of French roll.
And Mushrooms.—(a) 1 lb. mushrooms, 2 raw eggs, 2 hard-boiled, 3 oz. butter, 2 tablespoonfuls mushroom ketchup, 1 of vinegar, 1 onion, a little grated nutmeg, mashed potatoes. Peel the mushrooms and put into a rather large stewpan, with the butter, a small onion minced fine, a little grated nutmeg, 2 tablespoonfuls mushroom ketchup, 1 of vinegar, a little salt and pepper; let them stew about 20 minutes with the lid on, when done, add the yolks of 2 eggs to thicken the sauce, but do not let them boil after the eggs are in, or the sauce will curdle. Have ready some nicely mashed potatoes and 2 hard-boiled eggs, put a wall of the potatoes round an entrée dish, pour some of the sauce in the centre of the dish, then arrange the mushrooms piled high in the middle of the dish, and the remainder of the sauce over, and ornament the dish with the eggs cut in quarters or in slices, and serve. (E. A. Robbins.)
(b) Put 2 oz. butter into a stewpan; break over it 4 fresh eggs; add 1 tablespoonful chopped mushrooms, ½ teaspoonful salt, ¼ ditto pepper. Stir this mixture over a clear fire continually with a wooden spoon till it is of a thickish consistency, and serve very hot, poured over hot buttered toast.
And Olives.—4 or 5 eggs, 4 large or 6 small olives, 1 slice ham, cooked, ½ oz. butter, a pinch of red pepper. Boil the eggs about 8 minutes, and put into cold water, as they will peel better. Pare the olives, and mince them, also the ham. Now take the shells off the eggs, cut a small piece off each end to make them stand. Now cut in halves, take out the yolks carefully, and put in the mortar with the ham and olives; pound to a smooth paste with ½ oz. butter, season with a little red pepper, and fill the whites of the eggs. Put a napkin on a dish, stand the half eggs on it, having smoothed over the top, and add some strips of toast. Or they can be served without the napkin and a little tartar sauce poured round them. The eggs should stand up like little cups.
And Sorrel.—Boil a number of eggs in their shells for 3-4 minutes, then dip them into cold water, carefully remove the shells, and place them again in hot water to make them quite hot; drain, and serve them on the following purée with sippets of bread fried in butter round the dish. Pick and wash a quantity of sorrel, put it into a saucepan with a little water and some salt, when thoroughly done drain off all the moisture and pass the sorrel through a hair sieve. Amalgamate a piece of butter and 1 tablespoonful flour in a saucepan on the fire, put in the sorrel and stir well for some minutes, then add pepper and salt to taste, and the yolk of 1 egg beaten up with a little cold stock and strained.
And Tomatoes.—Boil some ripe tomatoes, and pulp them through a coarse sieve. Mix this pulp with 3 or 4 eggs (according to the size of your dish), a little very finely chopped onion (some persons like freshly-cut garlic rubbed across the pan instead), pepper and salt, and fry all together lightly; a little chopped ham or cold boiled potato may be added if liked.
Au Gratin.—(a) Wash, bone, and mince finely an anchovy; mince some parsley and chives, or shallot; mix all these well with some fine breadcrumbs, season highly with pepper and salt, and a dash of nutmeg; place some of this mixture and a little piece of butter in as many small cups (that will stand the fire) as you wish to cook eggs. Set them over a clear, gentle fire, and when this gratin is nearly done, break an egg gently into each cup. When done, pass a hot shovel over each to set the whites, dust over them a little salt and pepper, and serve them in their pots, very hot. Bacon minced may be substituted for the anchovy, but then less butter will be required; chopped mushrooms are also a good addition.