Fried Eggs Bordelaise

(by Heather Hernandez, Technical Services Librarian)

Recipes for egg dishes continue in the Library's copy of The captain's table : 18 recipes for famous dishes served aboard the S.S. United States and S.S. America. This recipe sounds absolutely delicious and as soon as tomatoes come into season at our farmers' market, I'll be trying it!

Fried Eggs Bordelaise

Cut 6 medium to large firm tomatoes in half and press them, shaking gently over a bowl, to remove the seeds and water. Sprinkle tomato halves with salt and pepper to taste. Mix 2/3 cup fine fresh bread crumbs with 2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley, 2 teaspoons finely chopped shallots, and 1 garlic clove, chopped and crushed.

In a skillet, sauté 1/4 pound mushrooms, finely minced, in 2 tablespoons olive oil until they are almost black. Add to bread crumb mixture and toss well. Spoon 2 teaspoons of the mushroom-bread mixture onto each tomato half; sprinkle with olive oil.

Arrange the tomatoes in a buttered shallow baking dish. Bake in a very hot oven (450° F) for 10 to 12 minutes, or until tomatoes are soft and the tops are browned. For each serving, place two tomato halves on a plate and top each with a fried egg. Garnish with fried parsley. Serves 6.

(To make fine fresh bread crumbs, cut crusts from bread and tear into small crumbs, or blend torn bread pieces in a blender until crumbs are as fine as desired.)

Scrambled Eggs Rothschild

(by Heather Hernandez, Technical Services Librarian)

The next recipe in the Library's copy of The captain's table : 18 recipes for famous dishes served aboard the S.S. United States and S.S. America is for another egg dish, Scrambled Eggs Rothschild:

The friendly scrambled egg becomes an international sophisticate.

Shell 1 pound cooked shrimp.  Reserve the meat and dry the shells in the oven for a short period.  Pound the shells in a large mortar having a heavy pestle, adding gradually 2 tablespoons heavy cream, until they are broken up as finely as possible and blended to a smooth paste.  Rub the mixture through a very fine sieve, combine it with 12 eggs, beaten, and season with salt and white pepper to taste.  Cook the egg mixture in a double boiler over hot water until it is smooth and creamy.  Pour the mixture into a timbale mold and arrange a small bunch of cooked asparagus tips in the center of the mold.  Arrange the reserved shrimp meat around the rim of the timbale and garnish with thick slices of black truffles.  Serves 6.

Omelette Aux Fines Herbes

(by Heather Hernandez, Technical Services Librarian)

The next recipe in the Library's copy of The captain's table : 18 recipes for famous dishes served aboard the S.S. United States and S.S. America is for one of my favorite dishes. I make it a little different from the recipe; I make an omelette, slide it onto a heated plate, then sprinkle whatever I'm adding to it over the top, or sometimes will put the additions onto the heated eggs a few seconds after they've been poured into the pan. And I don't use a fork when making omelettes, but sometimes a spatula--I learned my omelette technique from the "The Omelette Show" episode of The French Chef with Julia Child.

But I'm not the only omelette fan; above the recipe is a portrait with the following caption:

"Nothing pleases us more than to discover one of our very favorite recipes beautifully prepared at sea. Preferring simple food ourselves, we enjoy having omelettes and serve them often to our friends. Here is an egg dish with a delicious flavor." Duke and Duchess of Windsor, internationally known connoisseurs of fine food and wine and frequent travelers on United States Lines.

The recipe:

Omelette Aux Fines Herbes

Beat 6 eggs with fork just to mix whites and yolks thoroughly. Add salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon chopped mixed herbes--parsley, chervil, chives and tarragon. In omelet pan, heat 4 tablespoons butter until it sizzles and gives off nutty aroma. Pour in beaten eggs; stir rapidly 15 seconds or until heated through and cook a little longer. When mixture sets on bottom of pan, roll it with fork and slip onto warm serving dish. Pour over it 1 tablespoon melted butter, mixed with 1 tablespoon of the chopped herbes. Serves 3.

Sauce Bèarnaise

(by Heather Hernandez, Technical Services Librarian)

The next recipe in the Library's copy of  The captain's table : 18 recipes for famous dishes served aboard the S.S. United States and S.S. America is for another sauce, Bèarnaise. The recipe is prefaced by the statement, "This classic sauce on fish or meat always makes a gourmet treat." How neat!

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan combine 1/4 cup chopped fresh tarragon, 3 tablespoons vinegar, 1 teaspoon chopped shallots, and salt and white pepper to taste. Cook the mixture over high heat until the vinegar is reduced to 1 tablespoon. Cool the liquid slightly and gradually beat in 6 egg yolks. Return the pan to very low heat or transfer to the top of a double boiler. Add gradually 1 pound melted butter and cook the sauce, stirring constantly with a wire whisk, until it is thick and glossy. Rub the sauce through a fine sieve and season it with 1 teaspoon each of chopped fresh tarragon and glace de viande (meat extract) and a pinch of cayenne. Serve the sauce warm. Serves 10 to 12.

What to do with 6 leftover egg whites?  I like adding them to an omelette, whipping a few up to give a little extra lightness and body to a pumpkin pie, or using a couple to make coconut macaroons (my favorite recipe is in the Fannie Farmer Cookbook, which I follow almost exactly as written, with the exception of adding a heaping 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar to the whipped egg whites to add a little bit of body to them).