The complete Indian housekeeper & cook

9. En Surprise. — Poach the eggs in a tablespoon to a perfectly oval shape. They should be three-quarters done. Set to cool in a pickle of lemon juice, pepper, salt, chopped parsley, or tarragon. After an hour dip each carefully, by means of a tablespoon, in a light hatter, and fry in at least two inches deep of boiling fat. Use a frying basket if you have one. Serve on a bed of fried parsley with maitre d'hotel sauce. 10. En Caisses. — To every unit of chopped sardines or anchovies, mix 1 unit each of bread-crumbs and hard-boiled eggs finely minced; add pepper, salt, and any herb to taste. Butter some paper cases {see Miscellaneous Recipes). Put in half an inch deep of the mixture. Break one egg into each case, sprinkle more of the mixture over, add a bit of butter, fried bread-crumbs, and a little grated cheese. Bake for five minutes. 11. Omelet au Naturel.— To every 2 units of egg add 1 of milk, some pepper, salt, seasoning herbs, onion. Do not whisk, but stir till fairly mixed. Put \ a unit of butter into the omelet pan, place over a very clear, sharp fire, and when it is quite hot and smoking pour on the mixture. If it does not immediately sputter and rise in large bubbles, the fire and butter are not hot enough, and your omelet will probably stick to the pan. With the spoon or fork with which you mixed your omelet stir it slowly, or rather loosen the edges, which set first and let the uncooked portion get close to the heat. When still a little liquid at the top remove and hold in front of the fire to rise. This is a difficulty in India which in France is met by a salamander. The best way to overcome it is either to have one “ chula” (charcoal hole) made wide enough to let the omelet pan be held under the grating (and, of course, the fire) for a second or two, or to have a top to the omelet pan on which live coals can be put. When cooked loosen with a knife and roll. Serve with a strong, brown gravy. This recipe is for real French omelet, not for the greasy leather which goes by that name in India. Omelets require a special pan, which should be used for nothing else. You can vary your omelet a thousand ways by folding up ragouts and garnishings inside. 348 The Indian Housekeeper and Cook Eggs. — Hard boil the eggs and chop, add equal quantity of boiled nee which has been mixed with half its quantity of butter in which half its quantity of chopped onions have been fried. Add a strong seasoning of parsley, pepper, salt, and spread on buttered toast. * n e 13. Eggs. Hard boil 6 units of egg, cut in two, remove the yolk, pound up with anchovies, butter, pepper, and herbs. Fill the whites with the mixture, and set in a hot case to keep warm. Dish on circles of fried toast masked with a good M^hite or anchovy sauce. The look of the dish is improved by dipping one egg into a white glazing and the next into a brown. 14. Twice-laid Eggs. — Soft boil the eggs, remove the shells and lay them on oval fried croutons, covered with some vegetable puree and decorated with strips of fried bacon, or they may be put in an oval dish on a bed of mashed potato made with cream and the shreds of bacon strewn round. This is a nice variety of poached eggs. CHAPTER XL ICES