OMELETTE AUX CONFITURES, or JAM OMELET.
1460. INGREDIENTS.--6 eggs, 4 oz. of b.u.t.ter, 3 tablespoonfuls of apricot, strawberry, or any jam that may be preferred.
_Mode_.--Make the omelet by recipe No. 1459, only instead of doubling it over, leave it flat in the pan. When quite firm, and nicely brown on one side, turn it carefully on to a hot dish, spread over the middle of it the jam, and fold the omelet over on each side; sprinkle sifted sugar over, and serve very quickly. A pretty dish of small omelets may be made by dividing the batter into 3 or 4 portions, and frying them separately; they should then be spread each one with a different kind of preserve, and the omelets rolled over. Always sprinkle sweet omelets with sifted sugar before being sent to table.
_Time_.--4 to 6 minutes. _Average cost_, 1s. 2d.
_Sufficient_ for 4 persons. _Seasonable_ at any time.
OMELETTE SOUFFLe.
1461. INGREDIENTS.--6 eggs, 5 oz. of pounded sugar, flavouring of vanilla, orange-flower water, or lemon-rind, 3 oz. of b.u.t.ter, 1 dessert-spoonful of rice-flour.
_Mode_.--Separate the yolks from the whites of the eggs, add to the former the sugar, the rice-flour, and either of the above flavourings that may be preferred, and stir these ingredients well together. Whip the whites of the eggs, mix them lightly with the batter, and put the b.u.t.ter into a small frying-pan. As soon as it begins to bubble, pour the batter into it, and set the pan over a bright but gentle fire; and when the omelet is set, turn the edges over to make it an oval shape, and slip it on to a silver dish, which has been previously well b.u.t.tered.
Put it in the oven, and bake from 12 to 15 minutes; sprinkle finely-powdered sugar over the souffle, and _serve it immediately_.
_Time_.--About 4 minutes in the pan; to bake, from 12 to 15 minutes.
_Average cost_. 1s.
_Sufficient_ for 3 or 4 persons. _Seasonable_ at any time.
BACHELOR"S OMELET.
1462. INGREDIENTS.--2 or 3 eggs, 2 oz. of b.u.t.ter, 1 teaspoonful of flour, 1/2 teacupful of milk.
_Mode_.--Make a thin cream of the flour and milk; then beat up the eggs, mix all together, and add a pinch of salt and a few grains of cayenne.
Melt the b.u.t.ter in a small frying-pan, and, when very hot, pour in the batter. Let the pan remain for a few minutes over a clear fire; then sprinkle upon the omelet some chopped herbs and a few shreds of onion; double the omelet dexterously, and shake it out of the pan on to a hot dish. A simple sweet omelet can be made by the same process, subst.i.tuting sugar or preserve for the chopped herbs.
_Time_.--2 minutes.
_Average cost_, 6d.
_Sufficient_ for 2 persons.
_Seasonable_ at any time.
ORANGE CREAM.
1463. INGREDIENTS.--1 oz. of isingla.s.s, 6 large oranges, 1 lemon, sugar to taste, water, 1/2 pint of good cream.
[Ill.u.s.tration: OPEN MOULD.]
_Mode_.--Squeeze the juice from the oranges and lemon; strain it, and put it into a saucepan with the isingla.s.s, and sufficient water to make in all 1-1/2 pint. Rub the sugar on the orange and lemon-rind, add it to the other ingredients, and boil all together for about 10 minutes.
Strain through a muslin bag, and, when cold, beat up with it 1/2 pint of thick cream. Wet a mould, or soak it in cold water; pour in the cream, and put it in a cool place to set. If the weather is very cold, 1 oz. of isingla.s.s will be found sufficient for the above proportion of ingredients.
_Time_.--10 minutes to boil the juice and water.
_Average cost_, with the best isingla.s.s, 3s.
_Sufficient_ to fill a quart mould.
_Seasonable_ from November to May.
ORANGE CREAMS.
1464. INGREDIENTS.--1 Seville orange, 1 tablespoonful of brandy, 1/4 lb.
of loaf sugar, the yolks of 4 eggs, 1 pint of cream.
_Mode_.--Boil the rind of the Seville orange until tender, and beat it in a mortar to a pulp; add to it the brandy, the strained juice of the orange, and the sugar, and beat all together for about 10 minutes, adding the well-beaten yolks of eggs. Bring the cream to the boiling-point, and pour it very gradually to the other ingredients, and beat the mixture till nearly cold; put it into custard-cups, place the cups in a deep dish of boiling water, where let them remain till quite cold. Take the cups out of the water, wipe them, and garnish the tops of the creams with candied orange-peel or preserved chips.
_Time_.--Altogether, 3/4 hour.
_Average cost_, with cream at 1s. per pint, 1s. 7d.
_Sufficient_ to make 7 or 8 creams.
_Seasonable_ from November to May.
_Note_.--To render this dish more economical, subst.i.tute milk for the cream, but add a small pinch of isingla.s.s to make the creams firm.
SEVILLE ORANGE (_Citrus vulgaris_).--This variety, called also _bitter orange_, is of the same species as the sweet orange, and grows in great abundance on the banks of the Guadalquiver, in Andalusia, whence this fruit is chiefly obtained. In that part of Spain there are very extensive orchards of these oranges, which form the chief wealth of the monasteries. The pulp of the bitter orange is not eaten raw. In the yellow rind, separated from the white spongy substance immediately below it, is contained an essential oil, which is an agreeable warm aromatic, much superior for many purposes to that of the common orange.
The best marmalade and the richest wine are made from this orange; and from its flowers the best orange-flower water is distilled. Seville oranges are also preserved whole as a sweetmeat.
ORANGE FRITTERS.
1465. INGREDIENTS.--For the batter, 1/2 lb. of flour, 1/2 oz. of b.u.t.ter, 1/2 saltspoonful of salt, 2 eggs, milk, oranges, hot lard or clarified dripping.
_Mode_.--Make a nice light batter with the above proportion of flour, b.u.t.ter, salt, eggs, and sufficient milk to make it the proper consistency; peel the oranges, remove as much of the white skin as possible, and divide each orange into eight pieces, without breaking the thin skin, unless it be to remove the pips; dip each piece of orange in the batter. Have ready a pan of boiling lard or clarified dripping; drop in the oranges, and fry them a delicate brown from 8 to 10 minutes. When done, lay them on a piece of blotting-paper before the fire, to drain away the greasy moisture, and dish them on a white d"oyley; sprinkle over them plenty of pounded sugar, and serve quickly.
_Time_.--8 to 10 minutes to fry the fritters; 5 minutes to drain them.
_Average cost_, 9d.
_Sufficient_ for 4 or 5 persons.
_Seasonable_ from November to May.
A PRETTY DISH OF ORANGES.
1466. INGREDIENTS.--6 large oranges, 1/2 lb. of loaf sugar, 1/4 pint of water, 1/2 pint of cream, 2 tablespoonfuls of any kind of liqueur, sugar to taste.
_Mode_.--Put the sugar and water into a saucepan, and boil them until the sugar becomes brittle, which may be ascertained by taking up a small quant.i.ty in a spoon, and dipping it in cold water; if the sugar is sufficiently boiled, it will easily snap. Peel the oranges, remove as much of the white pith as possible, and divide them into nice-sized slices, without breaking the thin white skin which surrounds the juicy pulp. Place the pieces of orange on small skewers, dip them into the hot sugar, and arrange them in layers round a plain mould, which should be well oiled with the purest salad-oil. The sides of the mould only should be lined with the oranges, and the centre left open for the cream. Let the sugar become firm by cooling; turn the oranges carefully out on a dish, and fill the centre with whipped cream, flavoured with any kind of liqueur, and sweetened with pounded sugar. This is an exceedingly ornamental and nice dish for the supper-table.