Plain.—(a) Beat up 3 or 4 eggs with 1 dessertspoonful parsley very finely minced, and pepper and salt to taste. Put a piece of butter the size of an egg into a frying-pan; as soon as it is melted, pour in the omelet mixture, and, holding the handle of the pan with one hand, stir the omelet with the other by means of a spoon. The moment it begins to set cease stirring, but keep on shaking the pan for a minute or so; then, with the spoon, double up the omelet and keep shaking the pan until the under side of the omelet has become of a golden colour. Turn it out on a hot dish, and serve.
(b) Break 3 eggs, yolks and white, into a basin, add salt and pepper to taste, and beat them with a Dover’s whisk till thoroughly blended. Have the frying-pan previously on the fire with a lump of butter in it, the size of a walnut. Throw in the beaten eggs just before the butter boils. Let them set, and then fold up the omelet, and serve on a hot dish. A few chopped herbs and parsley may be added to the eggs before frying.
Plain Sweet.—Beat up well 3 eggs (whites and yolks), add to them 1 oz. butter broken up into small pieces and 1 oz. sifted sugar; stir well together, put 1 oz. fresh butter into the omelet pan; when it fritters pour in the mixture, and continue stirring until it is set, then turn the edges over until the omelet is of an oval shape, brown it with a salamander, and sift sugar over before sending to table. This will only make a small omelet; if a larger is required, double the proportions of the ingredients.
Potato.—Boil 6 mealy potatoes, then dry them well, and mash them with ½ oz. butter, add 1 oz. breadcrumbs, very finely grated, the yolks of 6 eggs and the whites of 4 seasoning with white pepper and salt; melt a little butter in the omelet pan, and when it is quite hot pour in the mixture, and fry it of a nice golden brown colour over a not too fierce fire. For omelet making a gas boiling-burner is far preferable to a stove; the heat can be so nicely regulated, and the operation so much more comfortably carried on than over a hot coal range.
Rice (Savoury).—Boil 3 oz. rice, after well washing in 2 or 3 waters, in 1 pint water until the water is entirely absorbed, when it is nearly cold; add to it 3 well-beaten eggs and ¼ oz. chopped parsley. Butter a lined pie-dish, pour in the omelet, and bake in a moderate oven. Serve with fine herbs sauce.
Rice (Sweet).—Follow the above recipe, only use instead of chopped parsley 1 oz. sifted white sugar, and omit the seasoning and sauce.
Rum.—Make a plain sweet omelet with 4 whites and 6 yolks of eggs. When cooked strew sugar over, and, instead of glazing it, pour a wineglassful of hot rum over it, and set it alight as it is being put on the table.
Savoury.—(a) Beat up 3 or 4 eggs with 1 dessertspoonful parsley very finely minced, ½ clove of shallot, also finely minced, pepper and salt to taste. Put a piece of butter the size of an egg into a frying-pan; as soon as it is melted pour in the omelet mixture, and, holding the handle of the pan with one hand, stir the omelet with the other by means of a spoon. The moment it begins to set, cease stirring, but keep shaking the pan for a minute or so; then with the spoon double up the omelet, and keep shaking the pan until one side of the omelet has become a golden colour, and it is ready.
(b) Beat 2 eggs in a basin, season with cayenne and salt, mix with it 1 teaspoonful each of finely chopped onion and parsley, melt ½ oz. butter in an omelet pan, pour the mixture into this, and keep stirring it over the fire until it sets, then roll and serve. About 3 minutes will serve to cook this omelet, which should be of a delicate brown when done.
(c) Besides parsley, add a very few fresh sweet herbs and a few chives, all very finely minced. Powdered sweet herbs may be used, but in either case great care should be taken not to put in too many.