The Allinson Vegetarian Cookery Book/Egg Cookery

Eggs are a boon to cooks, especially when dishes are wanted quickly. They enter into a great many savoury and sweet dishes, and few cakes are made without them. They can be prepared in a great variety of ways. Eggs are a good food when taken in moderation. As they are a highly nutritious article of food, they should not be indulged in too freely. Eggs contain both muscle and bone-forming material, in fact everything required for building up the organism of the young bird. The chemical composition of hen's and duck's eggs are as follows:—

Hen's egg. Duck's egg. Water ........ 74.22   71.11  Nitrogen ..... 12.55   12.24  Fat .......... 12.11   15.49  Mineral matter    1.12     1.16 --  --                  100.00   100.00                  ======   ======

Eggs take a long time to digest if hard boiled. All the fat of the egg is contained in the yolk, but the white of the egg is pure albumen (or nitrogen) and water. Eggs are most easily digested raw or very lightly boiled, and best cooked thus for invalids. The best way of lightly boiling an egg is to put it in boiling water, set the basin or saucepan on the side of the stove, and let it stand just off the boil for five or six minutes. Eggs often crack when they are put into enough boiling water to well cover them, owing to the sudden expansion of the contents. If they are not covered with water there is less danger of them cracking. One can easily tell stale eggs from fresh ones by holding them up to a strong light. A fresh egg looks clear and transparent, whilst stale ones look cloudy and opaque. There are various ways of preserving eggs for the winter; one of the best is by using the Allinson egg preservative. Another very good way is to have stands made with holes which will hold the eggs. Keep these stands in an airy place in a good current of fresh air, and every week turn the eggs, so that one week they stand the pointed end down, next week the rounded end down.

4 eggs, 4 apples, 2 oz. of castor sugar (or more if the apples are very sour), 1 gill of new milk or half milk and half cream, 1 oz. of Allinson cornflour, and the juice of 1 lemon. Pare, cut up, and stew the apples with the sugar and lemon juice until they are reduced to a pulp. Beat them quite smooth, and return them to the stewpan. Smooth the cornflour with the milk, and mix it with the apples, and stir until it boils; then turn the mixture into a basin to cool. Separate the yolks from the whites of the eggs; beat the yolks well, and mix them with the apple mixture. Whisk the whites to a stiff froth, mix them lightly with the rest, and pour the whole into a buttered Soufflé tin. Bake for 20 minutes in a moderately hot oven, and serve at once.

8 oz. of Parmesan or other good dry, cooking cheese, 4 eggs, 1 oz. of Allinson fine wheatmeal, 1 gill of milk, 1 oz. of butter, mustard, pepper, and salt to taste. Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the wheatmeal, season with mustard, pepper, and salt. Pour in the milk, and stir until the mixture is set and comes away from the sides of the saucepan. Turn into a basin, and let the mixture cool. Grate the cheese and stir it in; separate the yolks of the eggs from the whites, and drop the yolks of the eggs, one by one, into the mixture, beating all well. Whip the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth, mix it lightly with the other ingredients; turn the mixture into a buttered Soufflé tin, and bake the Soufflé for 15 minutes.

5 eggs, 2 oz. of butter, 3 oz. of castor sugar, 2 large bars of chocolate, 6 oz. of the crumb of the bread, and vanilla essence to taste. Cream the butter, and stir into it gradually the yolks of the eggs, the sugar, and chocolate. Previously soak the bread in milk or water. Squeeze it dry, and add to it the other ingredients. Add vanilla and the whites of the eggs whipped to a stiff froth, and pour the mixture into a buttered pie-dish or cake tin. Bake 3/4 of an hour, and serve immediately. If the Soufflé is baked in a cake tin, a serviette should be pinned round it before serving.

6 hard-boiled eggs, 1 medium-sized English onion, 1 cooking apple, 1 teaspoonful of curry powder, 1 dessertspoonful of Allinson fine wheatmeal, 1 oz. of butter, and salt to taste. Prepare the onion and apple, chop them very fine, and fry them in the butter in a stewpan until brown. Add 1/2 pint of water and a little salt. Smooth the curry and wheatmeal with a little cold water, and thicken the sauce with it. Let it simmer for 10 minutes, then rub through a sieve. Return the sauce to the stewpan, shell the eggs, and heat them up in the sauce; serve very hot on a flat dish.

6 eggs, 1 teacupful of milk, thickened with 1 dessertspoonful of Allinson fine wheatmeal, 2 oz. of grated cheese, pepper and salt to taste. Butter a pie-dish, pour into it the thickened milk, break the eggs over it, sprinkle the cheese over them, and season to taste. Bake in a moderate oven until the eggs are just set.

To each egg 1/2 its weight in grated cheese and a 1/2 oz. of butter (if only 1 egg is prepared 1/2 oz. of butter must be used); mustard, pepper, and salt to taste. Whip up the eggs, add 1 dessertspoonful of water for each egg, as in the previous recipe; mix in the cheese, a little made mustard, and pepper and salt. Heat the butter in a frying-pan or small stewpan. When hot stir in the mixture of egg and cheese. Keep stirring it with a knife, until it becomes a smooth and thickish mass. Put on hot buttered toast, and serve. This is an extremely tasty French dish. The mixture, when cold, is excellent for sandwiches.

4 eggs, 1 teacupful of tomato sauce, and 1/2 oz. of butter. Melt the butter in a flat dish; break the eggs carefully into it without breaking the yolks, and place the dish on the stove until the eggs are set. Heat the tomato sauce, which should be well seasoned, and pour it over the eggs. Serve very hot, with sippets of Allinson wholemeal toast.

4 eggs, 1 teacupful of tinned tomatoes or 1/2 lb. fresh ones, pepper and salt, 1 oz. of butter. Melt the butter in a frying-pan, and cook the tomatoes in it until most of the liquid is steamed away; set aside to cool. If fresh tomatoes are used, they should be scalded and skinned before cooking. Beat up the eggs and stir them into the cooled tomatoes, adding seasoning to taste. Stir the eggs and tomatoes with a knife until set, then turn the mixture into a bowl to get cold, and use for sandwiches.

1 lb. of cold boiled potatoes, 6 hard-boiled eggs, the juice of 1/2 a lemon, pepper and salt to taste. Cut the potatoes and eggs into slices, dust them with pepper and salt, add the lemon juice, and mix all well together. Make the mayonnaise as follows; 1-1/2 gills of good salad oil, the yolks of 2 eggs, 1 saltspoonful of mustard, lemon juice, pepper, and salt to taste. Take a clean cold basin, and place in it the yolks of the eggs beaten up. Drop the oil into them, drop by drop, stirring with a wooden spoon quickly all the time. Great care should be taken, especially in the beginning, as the eggs easily curdle when the oil is stirred in too fast. When the mayonnaise gets very thick add carefully a little lemon juice to thin it down, then add again oil and lemon juice alternately until all the oil is used up. Smooth the mustard with a little lemon juice, and stir it in last of all with sufficient pepper and salt. Taste the mayonnaise, and add lemon juice or seasoning as required. Vinegar may be used instead of lemon juice if the latter is not conveniently had. The mayonnaise should be made in a cold room, as it may curdle if made in a hot room. Should an accident happen, beat up another yolk of egg and start afresh with a little fresh oil, and when going on well stir in, drop by drop, the curdled mayonnaise. Mix part of it with the eggs and potatoes, and pour the rest over the salad; garnish with watercress.

4 eggs, 1 oz. of butter, the juice of 1/2 a lemon, 1/2 a teacupful of cream or milk, some apricot or other jam. Melt the butter in a frying-pan. Beat the eggs, and mix with them the cream or milk and the lemon juice. Pour the mixture into the butter, and stir it over the fire until it thickens. Stir in some jam, and serve with lady fingers, Allinson rusks, or bread fried in butter.

6 hard-boiled eggs, shelled and sliced; in summer use 1 large breakfastcupful of boiled and chopped spinach; in winter Scotch kale prepared the same way; some very thin slices of bread and butter, nutmeg, pepper, and salt to taste, 1/2 pint of milk, and some butter. Butter a pie-dish and line it with slices of bread and butter. Spread a layer of spinach and a layer of slices of eggs; dust with nutmeg, pepper, and salt. Repeat the layers, and finish with a layer of bread well buttered. Pour over the whole the milk, and bake the savoury from 20 to 30 minutes, or until brown.

4 eggs, 1 Spanish onion, 1 oz. of butter, 1 teaspoonful of vinegar, and 2 tablespoonfuls of breadcrumbs; pepper and salt to taste. Peel and slice the onion, and fry it brown in the butter; add the vinegar and seasoning when done. Spread the onion on a buttered dish, break the eggs over them, dust these with pepper and salt, and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Place a few bits of butter on the top, and bake until the eggs are set, which will only take a few minutes.

1 quart of milk, 6 eggs, 1 tablespoonful of Allinson cornflour, sugar to taste, a piece of vanilla 2 inches long. Splice the vanilla and let it boil with the milk and sugar; smooth the cornflour with a spoonful of water, thicken the milk with it, and let it cook gently for 2 or 3 minutes; remove the vanilla. Have ready the whites of eggs whipped to a stiff froth, drop it in spoonfuls in the boiling milk; let it simmer for a few minutes until the egg snow has got set, remove the snowballs with a slice, and place them in a glass dish. Let the milk cool a little; beat up the yolks of the eggs, mix them carefully with the milk, taking care not to curdle them; stir the whole over the fire to let the eggs thicken, but do not allow it to boil. Let the mixture cool, pour the custard into the glass dish, but not pouring it over the snow; serve when quite cold. Half the quantity will make a fair dishful.

1 large breakfastcupful of cold boiled cabbage, 3 eggs, 1 teacupful of milk, pepper and salt to taste, 1/2 oz. of butter. Warm the cabbage with the butter and the milk; meanwhile beat up the eggs. Mix all together and season with pepper and salt. Turn the mixture into a shallow buttered pie-dish, and bake for 20 minutes. Any kind of cold vegetables mashed up can be used up this way, and will make a nice side dish for dinner.

3 hard-boiled eggs, 1-1/2 oz. of grated cheese, 1 oz. of butter, 2 tablespoonfuls of breadcrumbs, a little nutmeg, and pepper and salt to taste. Slice the eggs, place them on a well-buttered flat baking dish, sprinkle them thickly with the grated cheese, and dust with nutmeg, pepper, and salt. Spread the breadcrumbs over the top, and scatter the butter in bits over the breadcrumbs. Bake until the breadcrumbs begin to brown.

6 eggs, 1 small English onion, a few leaves of fresh sage, or 1/2 teaspoonful of dried powdered sage, a few sprigs of Parsley, pepper and salt to taste, and some paste rolled thin, made of 6 oz. of Allinson fine wheatmeal, 2 oz. of butter or vege-butter, and a little cold water. Boil the eggs for 10 minutes, set them in cold water, and take off the shells. Cut them in half lengthways, remove the yolks, and proceed as follows: Chop up the onion very fine with the sage and parsley, and season with pepper and salt. Pound the yolks very fine, and add the onion and herbs; fill the whites of the eggs with the mixture. Put the halves together, enclose them in paste, brush them over with the white of egg, and bake until the pastry is done, which will take about 15 minutes. Serve with vegetables and sauce.

6 hard-boiled eggs, 1/2 pint of milk, 1 oz. of butter, 1 dessertspoonful of Allinson fine wheatmeal, 1 dessertspoonful of finely chopped parsley, nutmeg, pepper, and salt to taste. Boil the milk with the butter, thicken it with the flour, smoothed previously with a little cold milk; season to taste. When the milk is thickened shell the eggs, cut them into quarters lengthways, and put them into the sauce. Last of all, put in the parsley, and serve with sippets of toast laid in the bottom of the dish.

4 hard-boiled eggs, 1/4 lb. of mushrooms, 1 teaspoonful of parsley chopped very fine, 1 oz. of butter, pepper and salt. Stew the mushrooms in the butter, and season well; chop up the eggs and mix them with the mushrooms, adding the parsley; heat all well through, and serve on sippets of toast.

4 eggs, 1 oz. of Allinson fine wheatmeal, 1 oz. of butter, 6 oz. of mushrooms, pepper and salt to taste. Peel, wash, and cut in small pieces the mushrooms, and stew them in 3/4 of a teacupful of water. When the mushrooms have stewed 10 minutes, drain off the liquid, which should be a teacupful. Melt the butter in a little saucepan, stir into it the wheatmeal, and when this is well mixed with the butter, add the mushroom liquor, stirring the mixture well until quite smooth and thick and coming away from the sides of the saucepan. Then stir in the mushrooms, and turn all into a basin and let it cool a little. Separate the yolks from the whites of the eggs, and stir each yolk separately into the mixture in the basin. Season to taste. Whip up the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth, and mix them lightly with the rest. Turn the mixture into a buttered pie-dish or Soufflé tin, and bake the Soufflé 15 minutes.

Unless an egg-poacher is used, eggs are best poached in a large frying-pan nearly filled with water. A little vinegar and salt should be added to the water, as the eggs will then set more quickly. Each egg should first be broken into a separate cup, and then slipped into the rapidly boiling water; cover them up and allow them to boil only just long enough to have the whites set, which will take about 2 minutes. Quite newly laid eggs take a little longer. Have ready hot buttered toast, remove the eggs from the water with an egg-slice, and slip them on the toast. Always have plates and dishes very hot for all kinds of egg dishes. Poached eggs are also a very nice accompaniment to vegetables, like spinach, Scotch kale, &c., when they are served laid on the vegetables.

2 oz. of butter, 4 eggs, 1/4 lb. of castor sugar, 1/2 oz. of ground almonds (half bitter and half sweet), 6 oz. of cold boiled and grated potatoes, and 1-1/2 oz. of sifted breadcrumbs. Cream the butter in a basin, which is done by stirring it round the sides of the basin until soft and creamy, when it will make a slight crackling noise. Stir in the yolks of the eggs, the sugar, and almonds; beat for 10 minutes, then stir in the potatoes and breadcrumbs, and last of all the whites of the eggs whipped to a stiff froth. Turn the mixture into a well-buttered dish, and bake in a moderately hot oven from 3/4 of an hour to 1 hour.

6 eggs, 2 oz. of Allinson fine wheatmeal, 2 oz. of butter, 2 oz. of castor sugar, the grated rind of 1/2 lemon, 1/2 pint of milk, 3 oz. of ratafias. Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour, mix well, and then add the milk, stirring all until the mixture is quite smooth and thick and comes away from the sides of the saucepan. Let it cool a little, then stir in the yolks of the eggs well beaten, the lemon rind, the sugar, and lastly, the whites of the eggs whipped to a stiff froth. Turn the mixture into a buttered pie-dish or cake tin, with alternate layers of ratafias. Bake from 1/2 an hour to 3/4 of an hour in a moderately hot oven, and serve immediately with stewed fruit.

6 eggs, 2 oz. of rice, 1 pint of milk, sugar to taste, vanilla essence or the peel of 1/2 a lemon, and 1 oz. of butter. Stew the rice in the milk with the butter, sugar, and the lemon peel, if the latter is used for flavouring. When the rice is tender remove the peel; or flavour with vanilla essence, and let all cool. Separate the yolks of the eggs from the whites, and beat each separately into the rice for 2 or 3 minutes. Whip the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth, and stir them lightly into the mixture. Have ready a buttered Soufflé tin, pour the mixture into it, and bake the Soufflé for 20 minutes in a hot oven. Sprinkle with castor sugar, and serve at once.

To each egg take 2 tablespoonfuls of cream or milk, a little chopped parsley, nutmeg, pepper, and salt to taste, and a slice of hot buttered toast. Butter the cups as in the last recipe, sprinkle well with parsley, beat up the eggs, season with nutmeg, pepper, and salt, and proceed as in "Sweet Creamed Eggs." Serve hot.

4 eggs, 1 oz. Allinson fine wheatmeal, 1 gill of milk, 1 tablespoonful of finely chopped parsley, 1 dessertspoonful of finely minced spring onions, 1 oz. of butter, pepper and salt to taste. Proceed as in Cheese Soufflé, adding (instead of cheese) the parsley and onion.

1/2 dozen hard-boiled eggs, 1/2 pint of milk, 1 dessertspoonful of Allinson fine wheatmeal, 1 oz. of cheese, 3 tablespoonfuls of brown breadcrumbs, and 1 oz. of butter. Shell and quarter the eggs; grease a shallow dish with part of the butter, and put the eggs in it. Make a thick sauce of the milk, wheatmeal, and cheese, adding seasoning to taste. Pour it over the eggs, cover with breadcrumbs; cut the rest of the butter in little pieces, and scatter them over the breadcrumbs. Bake till nicely browned.

5 hard-boiled eggs, 1 breakfastcupful of Allinson breadcrumbs, 1 Spanish onion, 1 teaspoonful of powdered sage, 1 dessertspoonful of finely chopped parsley, 1 egg, 1 oz. of butter, pepper and salt to taste, some oil, vege-butter, or butter for frying. Grate the onion, melt the butter, beat up the eggs, and mix them together with the breadcrumbs, herbs, and seasoning. Beat the forcemeat smooth, shell the eggs, cover them completely with a thick layer of forcemeat, and fry them a nice brown. Serve with brown gravy.

4 eggs, 1 oz. of butter, a teacupful of boiled chopped spinach, lemon juice and pepper and salt to taste. Sprinkle the lemon juice over the spinach, and season well with pepper and salt, and fry it lightly in the butter. Beat the eggs and pour them into the mixture, let the tortilla set, then turn it with a plate, and set the other side. Serve hot.

4 eggs, 1 oz. of butter, pepper and salt, 3 slices of hot buttered toast. Whip the eggs up well, add a dessertspoonful of water for each egg, and pepper and salt to taste. Heat the butter in a frying-pan, stir in the eggs over a mild fire. Keep stirring the mixture with a knife, removing the egg which sets round the sides and on the bottom of the frying-pan, and take the mixture from the fire directly it gets uniformly thick. It should not be allowed to cook until hard. Place the stirred eggs on the toast, and serve on a very hot dish. This quantity will suffice for 3 persons.

4 hard-boiled eggs, 8 Spanish olives, 1/2 oz. of butter, pepper and salt to taste. Halve the eggs lengthway, and carefully remove the yolks. Pound these well, and mix them with the olives, which should be previously stoned and minced fine; add the butter and pepper and salt, and mix all well. Fill the whites of the eggs with the mixture. Pour some thick white sauce, flavoured with grated cheese, on a hot dish, and place the eggs on it. Serve hot.

To each egg allow 2 tablespoonfuls of cream, or new milk, 1 teaspoonful of strawberry or raspberry and currant jam, 1 thin slice of buttered toast, sugar and vanilla to taste. Butter as many cups as eggs, reckoning 1 egg for each person. Place the jam in the centre of the cup; beat up the eggs with the cream or milk, sugar and vanilla, and divide the mixture into the cups. Cover each cup with buttered paper, stand the cups in a stew-pan with boiling water, which should reach only half-way up the cups, and steam the eggs until they are set—time from 8 to 10 minutes. Turn the eggs out on the buttered toast, and serve hot or cold.

4 eggs, 3 oz. of Gruyère cheese, 1 oz. of butter, 1 teaspoonful of finely chopped parsley, pepper and salt to taste. Spread the butter on a flat baking dish; lay on it some very thin slices of the cheese. On these break the eggs, keeping the yolks whole; grate the rest of the cheese, mix it with the parsley; strew this over the eggs, and bake them in a quick oven for 5 to 7 minutes.

4 hard-boiled eggs, 1/2 pint white sauce, 1 teaspoonful chopped tarragon, 1 tablespoonful tarragon vinegar, 2 yolks of eggs. Boil the eggs for 7 minutes, and cut them into slices. Lay them in a buttered pie-dish, have ready the sauce hot, and mix it into yolks, tarragon, and tarragon vinegar. Pour over the eggs, and bake for 10 minutes; serve with fried croûtons round.

To each egg take 2 tablespoonfuls of tomato juice, which has been strained through a sieve; pepper and salt to taste. Batter a cup for each egg. Beat up the eggs, mix them with the tomato juice, season to taste, and divide into the buttered cups. Cover each cup with buttered paper, place them in a saucepan with boiling water, and steam the eggs for 10 minutes. Serve the eggs on buttered Allinson wholemeal toast.

4 eggs, 1 oz. of Allinson fine wheatmeal, 1/4 lb. of fresh tomatoes or a teacupful of tinned tomato, 1 oz. of butter, 1 clove of garlic or 2 shalots, pepper and salt to taste. Pulp the tomatoes through a sieve. Rub the garlic round a small saucepan, and melt the butter, in it; or chop up very finely the shalots, and mix them with the butter. When the butter is hot, stir in the wheatmeal, then the tomato pulp, and stir until the mixture is thickened and comes away from the sides of the pan, then proceed as before, stirring in one yolk after the other; season with pepper and salt, whip up the whites of the eggs, stir them with the other ingredients, pour into a buttered Soufflé pan, and bake 15 minutes.

4 eggs, 1-1/2 oz. of sugar, the rind and juice of 1/2 a lemon. Boil the sugar and lemon rind and juice in 1/2 pint of water for 15 minutes. Beat the eggs well, and add to them the sweetened water. Strain the mixture through a sieve into the dish in which it is to be served, place it in a larger dish with boiling water in a moderately hot oven, and bake until set. Serve hot or cold.