Break the eggs in a deep dish, season them with salt and pepper, add a spoonful of milk or water; beat the eggs with a fork until they begin to froth. Put four ounces of butter in a frying-pan and set it on a quick fire; when the butter begins to smoke, pour the eggs into it and watch carefully; as soon as any part of the omelette begins to adhere to the pan, lift it gently with a fork to allow the liquid part to run under it; if necessary, add a little butter in the middle in making a hole in the omelette with your fork. When the omelette looks solid remove it on the corner of the fire to let it take colour; but do not let it remain too long, for it would become tough. serve an omelette properly you must put your dish close to the frying-pan, then slip half of the omelette into the dish and turn the other part quickly upon it, so as to double it.

To

A good precaution to take to insure success in the confection of omelettes, is to have a frying-pan on purpose, and never to allow the cook to use it for anything else, for omelettes are sure to stick to the pan if it is used for frying meat.

89. Omelette aux fines herbes.

Proceed as above, only add to the eggs before you beat them, some chervil, cress, chives, and tarragon, finely chopped.

90. Omelette au fromage.

Proceed as above, only add to the eggs before you beat them, two ounces of parmesan cheese and two ounces of gruyère, finely chopped. (You can use Cheshire cheese instead of gruyère.)

91. Omelette aux écrevisses.

Boil some cray-fish (see Cray-fish, Index), take the insides out and pound them in a mortar; add them to the eggs with the tails of the cray-fish cut in two; beat the whole together, and proceed as for No. 88, page 41.

92. Omelette aux oignons.

Cut some onions in small slices, and let them simmer on a slow fire for ten minutes with two spoonfuls of milk, two ounces of butter; salt and pepper. Add the onions to the eggs before you beat them, and proceed as for No. 88, page 41.

93. Omelette aux truffes.

Boil the truffles (see Truffles, No. 67, page 33), cut them in thin slices, and when you dish the omelette au naturel (see No. 88, page 41), put the truffles upon the lower part and cover them with the upper.

94. Omelette à la viande.

Chop some cold meat, either mutton, veal, beef, poultry, or game (previously cooked), with half of a

shalot and a little parsley, add it to the eggs before you beat them, and proceed as for No. 88.

95. Omelette aux confitures.

Proceed as you would for No. 88, only put very little salt and no pepper; when you are ready to dish the omelette, put a thin layer of preserves upon it; currant jelly is the best.

96. Omelette au sucre.

Proceed as for No. 88, and put sugar instead of salt and pepper.

97. Omelette au rhum.

Proceed as for No. 88, put some pounded sugar and a spoonful of rum instead of salt, pepper, and water; fry it as No. 88. When dished, pour some rum around it, and set fire to it.

98. Omelette soufflée.

Take half-a-dozen of eggs; separate carefully the yolks from the whites; put four yolks into a dish with four ounces of pounded sugar, very little salt, and a tea-spoonful of orange-flower water, or any flavour you choose. Mix it well until it begins to whiten, then whip the whites to snow-that is until they are very firm and remain in the shape you choose to give them. Mix lightly the yolks and the whites as quickly as possible. Put four ounces of perfectly fresh butter in a frying-pan when very hot, pour your omelette into it. Five minutes are suffi

cient for the frying. Dish the omelette, throw some pounded sugar upon it, and put it in the oven; when it is of a golden colour serve quickly.

I recommend English ladies to study this chapter; I hope that they will see how great a resource eggs afford for varying our diet; they are always wholesome, generally liked, and it is very useful in the country to be able to prepare, with very common material, a delicate and unknown dish for unexpected guests who just drop in at lunch-time.

CHAPTER VII.

CRUSTACÉS, COQUILLAGES (SHELL-FISH).

99. Huitres à la poulette (Oysters).

Open the oysters, and put in a pan all the water contained in the shells, warm it, but do not let it boil; throw the oysters into it and let them remain for five minutes; drain them, lay them at the bottom of a dish, and cover them with three ounces of mushrooms, half of a shalot, and some parsley chopped together. Sprinkle the top with bread crumbs and put the dish in the oven; when browned take them out and squeeze upon them the juice of a lemon.

100. Huitres frites (Fried Oysters).

Proceed as above; take the oysters out of the water and wipe them carefully with a clean towel, in which you let them remain for ten minutes; take them out and dip them into a paste (see Pâte à frire, Index), and fry them in half-a-pound of hot lard; drain them in a sieve and serve upon fresh parsley.

IOI. Huitres en hachis (Chopped Oysters).

Proceed as for No. 99; take the oysters out of the warm water and throw them into cold water. Chop