Mrs. Roundell's Practical cookery book

the delay of bringing it up from the kitchen — a delay which very often spoils the Omelette. It is a great mistake to use too many eggs, and to make too large an Omelette ; it is infinitely better to make a second, and a third, and to send them in in succession. A three-egg Omelette is the most manageable size; if you use four eggs, omit one white ; if six eggs are used, omit two whites. No Omelette should ever exceed the six-egg size. Have everything ready before you begin to make the Omelette, so that there may be no delay. The silver or fire-proof dish into which the Omelette is to be turned must be thoroughly hot, with a small pat of butter just melted in it, and a little minced parsley. See that the Omelette-pan is not only clean but quite dry. Butter it evenly all over, a quarter of an inch thick, but not more. The quantity of butter must not be overdone. Now break three eggs into a basin, and add a saltspoonfal of salt. Do not beat the eggs, but stir them well with two forks till they are thoroughly mixed together. Put the buttered Omelette-pan on the fire or lamp. It must get thoroughly hot, or the Omelette will be tough. This is easily seen, for the moment the butter ceases to fizz and begins to look brownish the moisture will have been expelled, and the pan will be ready for the eggs. Pour the eggs from the basin into the pan, so that they may spread well over the buttered surface. To use Wyvern’s words, “At the moment of contact with the pan the part of the “ mixture nearest to the pan will set. Gently lift this with a “ spoon, tip the pan over a little, and let the unformed liquid “ run under it ; this part will also form. Now give a few see- “ saw like shakes, moving the pan with your left hand, to “ encourage rapidity in setting. Give a good finishing shake, “ and with the spoon coax the Omelette to slide out of the “ Omelette-pan into the hot dish ready to receive it. If carefully “ done, the Omelette will roll over almost of its own accord (if “ the sides of the pan are sloping), burying within itself the “ slightly unformed juicy part of the mixture which remained “ on the surface. The Omelette will not require folding, but on “ reaching the dish it will slightly spread itself out, retaining no “ specially oval or bolster-like shape, and with a little of the “ juicy golden mixture escaping from its edges. D D 2 “ Forty-five seconds, or three-quarters of a minute, is ample “ time for the whole process, if the pan is properly hot when the “ mixture is poured into it, and the heat evenly maintained “ during the cooking of the Omelette.” If a second Omelette has to be made, wipe the pan clean before using it again. Sometimes, when several Omelettes have been made in succession, a few particles of egg will be found sticking to the pan. These are easily removed by gently rubbing the pan whilst hot with salt mixed with a few drops of vinegar. A second cloth can be used instead of paper for wiping the Omelette-pan, but it must be perfectly clean and dry. The recipe just given is for the simplest of all Omelettes, the Omelette au naturel, made only of eggs, and a little salt.