OMELETS

“To make an omelet, you must first break eggs.” —

French Proverb.

So many different methods for making omelets are given, in works of recognized authority, that it seems as if any one who had an egg and an omelet pan could hardly go amiss. Yet failures are frequent, as every omelet-maker knows.

French writers say positively that no liquid of any sort must be added to an omelet – that it contains eggs and eggs alone, beaten just enough to break the yolks. American authorities add milk or water, or beat the eggs separately, the whites to a stiff froth. One of them makes a clear distinction between an omelet and a puffy omelet; the puffy omelet, of course, being made by folding in the stiffly beaten whites before cooking. Some say milk makes it tough, and others say water makes it stringy. Suffice it to say, however, that a perfect omelet is a matter of experience and a deft hand. All writers agree that small omelets are more easily made than large ones, and it is better to do it twice or even three times than to have too many eggs in one omelet. Below are given the various methods, from which the would-be omelet-maker may choose. All of them have the stamp of good authority.

OMELET – I

Beat six eggs well, yolks and whites together. Put two tablespoonfuls of butter into a frying-pan. When it is hot, pour in the beaten eggs, which have been seasoned with salt and pepper. With a fork, draw the cooked egg from the outside of the pan to the centre. As soon as it is all thick, lift half of the omelet on to a plate, and turn the other half over it. It should be turned while the centre is still soft, and the fire should not be too hot.

OMELET – II

Break the eggs into a bowl, add as many tablespoonfuls of cold water as there are eggs. Beat the eggs well, then season with salt and pepper, and pour into a thin, smooth frying-pan which contains a tablespoonful of melted butter. With a thin knife lift the cooked portion of the egg and allow the uncooked portion to run down into the butter, meanwhile gently rocking the pan back and forth. When creamy, begin at the side of the pan nearest the handle and roll the omelet, using a little butter if needed.

OMELET – III

Prepare as above, using milk instead of water.

OMELET – IV

Separate the whites and yolks of the eggs. Beat the yolks till thick and lemon colored and the whites until they stand alone. Fold together carefully, seasoning with salt and pepper, and adding a tablespoonful of cold water for each egg. Have two tablespoonfuls of butter in the frying-pan. When it is hot, pour in the egg mixture and let stand until the egg is set around the edge and a knife plunged into the centre comes out nearly clean. Then set the pan into the oven till the omelet puffs. Score slightly across the middle with a sharp knife, fold, and serve at once on a hot platter.

OMELET AUX FINES HERBES

Prepare Omelet I, and mix a tablespoonful of chopped parsley and chives with the eggs before cooking.

PEA OMELET

Prepare Omelet I. As soon as the eggs are in the frying-pan, add a cupful of cooked and drained peas, arranging carefully in the outermost half so that the other portion will fold over it. Finish as usual.

OMELET WITH ASPARAGUS TIPS

Have ready one cupful of cooked and drained asparagus tips. Prepare according to directions given for Pea Omelet.

MUSHROOM OMELET

Use fresh mushrooms, if possible. Fry, and drain on brown paper. When the eggs are in the frying-pan, spread the mushrooms on the outermost half of the omelet, so that the other portion will fold over it. Finish as usual.

OMELET WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Spread the outermost half of an omelet with tomato sauce, fold, and finish as usual.

OMELET AU FROMAGE

Prepare Omelet I, adding half a cupful of grated Parmesan cheese, or dried and grated American cheese, to the egg mixture.

HAM OMELET

Have ready one cupful of cooked ham, very finely minced. Spread on half of the omelet and fold the other part over it.

OYSTER OMELET

One cupful of cooked oysters, minced or not, as preferred. Lay on half of the omelet and fold.

CLAM OMELET

See Oyster Omelet.

SHRIMP OMELET

One cupful of cooked and shredded shrimps. See Oyster Omelet

CRAB OMELET

One cupful of minced cooked crab meat. See Oyster Omelet.

LOBSTER OMELET

One cupful of cooked and shredded lobster. See Oyster Omelet.

TOMATO OMELET

One half cupful of stewed and strained tomatoes, or of fresh tomatoes peeled and rubbed through a sieve. Spread on the outermost half of the omelet, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and fold.

DRIED BEEF OMELET

One cupful of dried beef, shredded or minced. Cook five minutes in boiling water, drain in a cloth, spread on the outermost half of the omelet, and fold.

KIDNEY OMELET

Cut the kidneys into inch pieces, fry, drain, and finish as for Mushroom Omelet.

CHICKEN LIVER OMELET

One cupful of cooked chicken livers, cut in small pieces. See Oyster Omelet.

SAUSAGE OMELET

Spread the outer portion of an omelet with cooked sausage meat and fold as usual.

SARDINE OMELET

Rub to a paste with melted butter and lemon-juice enough sardines to make half a cupful. Spread thinly on the outer half of an omelet, and fold.

CHEESE OMELET II

Spread one cupful of grated cheese, Swiss, American, or Parmesan, on the outer portion of an omelet when the eggs are first put in the pan. Cook and fold as usual.

BLAZING OMELET

Make a plain omelet. Pour over it rum, kirsch, or brandy, ignite, and send to the table blazing. Serve as soon as the fire has gone out.

BACON OMELET

Cook a plain omelet in bacon fat instead of in butter and garnish with crisp rashers of bacon.

BACON OMELET II

Fry one cupful of minced bacon until crisp, drain off the fat, spread the bacon on half the omelet, and fold.

BREAD OMELET

Soak half a cupful of bread crumbs in half a cupful of milk and mix with the eggs before cooking.

OMELET À LA CRÊME

Make the cream sauce. Mix half a cupful of it with the omelet before cooking. Spread the rest of it on the outermost half of the omelet, finish, and fold as usual.

JELLY OMELET

Spread half of an omelet thinly with jelly – crabapple, currant, gooseberry, or quince, and fold.

SPANISH OMELET

Cook until thick one half can of tomatoes, one grated onion, one very finely minced bean of garlic, and one minced green pepper. Season with salt and paprika, spread on half the omelet, and fold.

TONGUE OMELET

Have ready a cupful of cold cooked tongue, minced or shredded. Spread on half the omelet, and fold.

CHICKEN OMELET

One cupful of cold cooked chicken, shredded or minced. Spread on half of the omelet, and fold.

CAULIFLOWER OMELET

One cupful of cold cooked cauliflower, with its sauce. Cut fine, spread on half the omelet, and fold.

ANCHOVY OMELET

Add a teaspoonful of anchovy paste to half a cupful of melted butter. Mix thoroughly, spread on half the omelet, and fold.

POTATO OMELET

One cupful of cooked potatoes, creamed or fried, cut in dice. Spread on half the omelet, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and minced parsley, and fold.

Almost any left-over can be advantageously used in an omelet. Fish, especially salt fish, meats, and vegetables, in quantities of half a cupful or more, preserved and fresh fruits, cereals – everything but soups, salads, and puddings. Roughly speaking, any omelet mixture can be added to the eggs before cooking, but as a general rule, it is better to spread it on half of the omelet and fold the other half over it, as otherwise the omelet is more likely to be heavy.

Sweet omelets are delicious. A teaspoonful of powdered sugar should be added to the eggs before cooking, and the fruit, jam, jelly, or preserves should be very thinly spread, as flavor is desired, not a dessert. Fresh fruits are cut fine and sprinkled with powdered sugar, spread on half the omelet, and the other half folded over. In the case of juicy fruits, such as oranges, the juice of the fruit is carefully saved and poured over the folded omelet just before serving.

Among the fresh fruits suitable for omelets are Apricots, Bananas, Blackberries, Cherries, Gooseberries, Grapefruit, Plums, Huckleberries, Oranges, Pineapples, Peaches, Raspberries, and Strawberries – all crushed very fine and sweetened; the juice, if any, being poured over the omelet.

Among the stewed and preserved fruits are Apples, Apricots, Cherries, Currants, Figs, Gooseberries, Peaches, Pears, Plums, Quinces, Rhubarb, and the various fruit jams. Rum or brandy poured over the omelet and set on fire just before serving is a pleasant addition to many of the fruit omelets, Fig especially.

QUICK BREADS

People who can eat hot breads for breakfast are always sorry for those who cannot. Quite often the internal dissension ascribed to the hot bread is due to something else, or to an undesirable combination of food elements in one and the same meal. Besides, hot bread is so good that it is sometimes eaten too quickly. This hint is of medical origin and is worth consideration. Almost any hot bread will be found harmless when baked a second time.

BAKING POWDER BISCUIT

Four cupfuls of sifted flour, shortening the size of an egg, – equal parts of butter and lard preferred, – two heaping teaspoonfuls of baking powder, and a pinch of salt. Mix thoroughly, rubbing with the finger-tips till the flour is granular, like corn-meal. Add cold sweet milk to make a dough as soft as can be handled, roll out an inch thick, cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter, and bake in a hot oven. The dough must be handled as little as possible after putting in the milk.

QUICK BISCUIT

Two cupfuls of buttermilk, or of sour milk, a teaspoonful of baking soda, a tablespoonful of melted butter or lard, and flour to make a soft dough. Handle as little as possible, roll out, cut into circles with a biscuit cutter, and bake in a quick oven.

BUTTERMILK BISCUIT

Sift four cupfuls of flour, add a tablespoonful of melted lard, a pinch of salt, a teaspoonful of soda, and enough buttermilk to make a soft dough. Roll thin, handling as little as possible, cut into rounds, and bake in a quick oven.

EGG BISCUIT

Sift three cupfuls of flour, add a teaspoonful of salt, a tablespoonful of sugar, two eggs well beaten, a tablespoonful of melted lard, and a cupful of sweet milk to which has been added half a teaspoonful each of soda and cream of tartar. Work to a smooth dough, roll out half an inch thick, cut into circles with a biscuit cutter, and bake on buttered pans.

SOUR MILK BISCUIT

Four cupfuls of flour, one teaspoonful of soda, one teaspoonful of salt, one tablespoonful of butter or lard, and two cupfuls of sour milk. Or, leave out the butter and use sour cream. Mix the salt and soda with the flour and sift it. Rub in the shortening, mix with the milk, roll the dough half an inch thick, and cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter. Bake from twelve to fifteen minutes in a quick oven.

NEW YORK BISCUIT

Two eggs well beaten, one cupful of milk, one tablespoonful of melted lard, a pinch of salt, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder and four cupfuls of sifted flour. Roll out, cut into circles, and bake in a hot oven.

SOUTHERN BATTER BREAD

Half a cupful of cold boiled rice, two eggs beaten separately, two cupfuls of corn-meal, one tablespoonful of lard or butter, melted, a teaspoonful of salt, and two cupfuls of milk. Beat together till thoroughly mixed and bake quickly in buttered muffin-rings or in shallow baking-tins.

SPOON BREAD

Pour one cupful of boiling water over one cupful of white corn-meal. Add a pinch of salt, one cupful of cold boiled rice, three eggs, well beaten, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, and a cupful and a half of milk. Mix thoroughly and pour two inches deep into a buttered earthen baking-dish and bake till done. It should be like a baked custard and is served from the dish with a spoon. Cereals other than rice may be used, especially cerealine.

KENTUCKY BATTER BREAD

Two cupfuls of corn-meal, three eggs well beaten, one teaspoonful of salt, and one tablespoonful of melted butter. Mix with enough milk to make a thin batter. Pour into shallow buttered tins and bake about forty-five minutes in a quick oven.

SOFT BATTER BREAD

Two cupfuls of sweet milk, two cupfuls of buttermilk, one cupful of white corn-meal, half a teaspoonful of soda, one teaspoonful of salt, three eggs, and one tablespoonful of melted butter. Boil the milk and add the meal slowly, making a mush, then add the salt and butter, and cool. Add the eggs and a tablespoonful of milk in which the soda has been dissolved. Bake in a buttered pan in a moderate oven.

COLONIAL BREAKFAST BREAD

One cupful of flour, half a teaspoonful of salt, two cupfuls of rich milk, and seven eggs, well beaten. Bake in a buttered cake-tin and serve quickly.

ENGLISH BUNS

Rub half a cupful of butter into two cupfuls of flour, mix with a teaspoonful of salt and two of baking powder. Add three tablespoonfuls of sugar and half a cupful of cleaned currants. Mix well, add two eggs, well beaten, and enough milk to make into a dough. Roll out, cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter, and bake in a slow oven. The buns should be an inch thick when put into the oven.

SOUTHERN CORN PONE

Two cupfuls of yellow corn-meal, one cupful of flour, two cupfuls of milk, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, one tablespoonful each of lard and butter, melted, and two well-beaten eggs. Mix thoroughly, spread thinly on a buttered baking-pan, and bake in a moderate oven.

SOUTHERN CORN PONE – II

Four cupfuls of corn-meal, one teaspoonful of salt, one tablespoonful of melted lard, and enough cold water to make a soft dough. Mould into thin oblong cakes and bake quickly in a well-buttered pan.

SOUTHERN CORN PONE – III

One and three quarter cupfuls of white corn-meal, half a teaspoonful each of salt and soda, two tablespoonfuls of melted butter, one egg, well beaten, and one cupful of buttermilk. Bake in a buttered pan for half an hour.

CORN MUFFINS

Sift together three quarters of a cupful of corn-meal and the same of flour, half a teaspoonful each of salt and soda, and a tablespoonful of sugar. Mix with one egg, well beaten, and one cupful of thick sour milk. Bake from twenty to thirty minutes in well-buttered muffin-tins.

CORN MUFFINS

Make as Oatmeal Gems and bake in muffin-tins.

CORN MUFFINS – II

Mix one cupful of corn-meal with one cupful of boiling water, spread with butter, and let stand over night. In the morning, mix with one tablespoonful of sugar, two eggs, well beaten, three quarters of a cupful of sour milk, and one cupful of flour, sifted in with half a teaspoonful each of salt and soda. Bake half an hour in buttered muffin-rings.

CORN BREAD

Two heaping cupfuls of corn-meal, one cupful of flour, three eggs beaten separately, one tablespoonful of melted lard, two of sugar, two and a half cupfuls of milk, one teaspoonful of salt, and two of baking powder. Sift the dry materials into the milk, eggs, and shortening. Beat thoroughly, and bake half an hour in a buttered tin.

JOHNNY CAKE

One cupful of sweet milk, one cupful of buttermilk, one teaspoonful of salt, one of soda, and one tablespoonful of melted butter. Add enough corn-meal to roll into a sheet half an inch thick. Lay on a buttered baking-pan and bake till brown and crisp, basting occasionally with melted butter meanwhile. Break instead of cutting, and serve hot.

CORN DODGERS

Pour two cupfuls of boiling water over two cupfuls of corn-meal. Add a pinch of salt and drop by spoonfuls in a well-buttered shallow pan. Dot with butter and bake till crisp and brown, or bake on a griddle.

NEW ENGLAND CORN DODGERS

Two cupfuls of white corn-meal, two pinches of salt, and a teaspoonful of sugar sifted together. Dampen with boiling water and thin with cold milk to a batter which will keep its shape on a griddle. Butter the griddle and drop the batter on by spoonfuls. Put dots of butter on each dodger, and when crisp and brown on one side turn and brown on the other. Keep hot in the oven a few minutes before serving.

CORN DODGERS – III

Mix a teaspoonful of salt with two cupfuls of corn-meal. Pour over it enough boiling water to moisten and let stand ten minutes. Add three eggs, beaten separately, one cupful of milk, and a teaspoonful of baking powder. Thin with more milk if necessary and bake on a buttered griddle. Ham or bacon fat may be used in place of butter.

SOUTHERN HOECAKES

Add a teaspoonful of salt and a heaping teaspoonful of baking powder to one cupful and a third of corn-meal. Beat the yolks of two eggs until light, add a cupful of milk and beat hard for a few moments, then add the whites of the eggs beaten to a stiff froth. Put a tablespoonful of lard into a spider and drop in the batter by spoonfuls, turning when done on one side. Serve very hot.

CORN BREAD – II

One cupful of corn-meal, a teaspoonful each of salt and baking powder, a tablespoonful of butter or lard, melted, three eggs and a cupful and a half of milk. Mix the salt with the meal, beat the eggs, mix with the milk and pour over the meal, then sift in the baking powder, beat hard, and add the melted butter last. Pour into a baking-pan and bake in a hot oven.

CORN MUFFINS – III

One cupful of corn-meal, two cupfuls of buttermilk, a pinch of salt, one teaspoonful of soda, one egg, and a tablespoonful of melted lard. Beat the eggs, add the soda to the milk and lard, then mix with the meal. Bake in hot buttered muffin-rings filled half full.