The Eels that are taken in rivers or running waters are better than pond Eels; and of them too the silver ones are most esteem’d.
To farce Eels
To you may farce them on the bone in the nature of white pudding. You make your farce of the flesh of your Eels, which you must pound in a mortar, and put to it some Cream, some crumb of Bread, with Parsley, Chives, Truffles and Mushrooms, all season’d as usual. Lay this farce very handsomely on the bones of your Eels, drudge them well with small crumbs of Bread and bake them in an oven in a tart pan till they are of a fine brown colour.
To dress Eels with white Sauce
Skin them and cut them in pieces, and blanch them in boiling water. Then dry them with a napkin, toss them up in butter, with Salt, pepper, Cloves and Lemon peel, together with a glass of white wine. Toss up likewise some Artichoke bottoms, Mushrooms and Asparagus tops, with butter, and savour Herbs; then make a white Sauce with the yolks of Eggs and Verjuice. So serve them.
To fry Eels
Strip them, take out the bone, cut them in pieces, and lay them to marinate for two hours in Vinegar, Salt, pepper, Bayleaves, sliced Onion and juice of Lemon, then drudge them well with flour and fry them in clarify’d butter. Serve them dry with fry’d Parsley.
To broil Eels
After having stripped and cut them in pieces, make gashes in them and lay them a while in melted Butter, a few savour Herbs, Parsley, Onion, Pepper and Salt, than warm this a little and shake it all well together, this done, take out the Eels bit by bit, drudge them with the crumb of Bread, and broil them over a gentle fire till they are of a fine brown colour. When they are broil’d, make a brown sauce with Chives, parsley and Capers, then put your sauce in the dish, and lay the Eel round it.
We likewise serve broil’d Eel with green sauce, which we make as follows. Pound some Sorrel, and squeeze out the juice. Then cut an Onion very small, and toss it up with Butter and minc’d Capers. Mix with it your juice of Sorrel, squeeze in an Orange, and add some Pepper and Salt. So serve it for the first course. We also sometimes serve it with sauce Robart.
To dress Eels a la Daube
Mince the flesh of Eels and Tench, season it with Salt, Pepper, Cloves and Nutmeg, cut the flesh of another Eel into lardoons, of which lay one layer on the skins, and then another of the minced flesh continuing to do so till you have made it into the shape of a brick of Bread; wrap it up in a linen cloth; and stew it as you do a ham of Fish, that is to say, in half water, half red Wine (see the Article, Gammon) seasoned with Cloves, Bayleaf and Pepper. Let it cool in its own liquor, cut it in slices, and serve it in plates or little dishes.
To dress Eels the English Way
Rub an Eel with Salt, then with a towel to take off the slime. Skin it and cut it in three or four pieces, according to its length; lay them into a dish and pour on them some good White Wine; when they have lain a little while in it, take them out and cut notches from space to space on the back and sides; fill up the incisions with a sort of Farce, which make as follows:; Take the crumb of white Bread, and crumb it very small, take likewise all sorts of savour Herbs, Parsley and chives and shred them very small; some Pepper, Cloves, Nutmeg and Salt, add to this the yolks of some hard Eggs, a convenient quantity of fresh Butter and having mix’d all this together, fill up with this Farce the incisions you made in the Eel; which you then flip again into its skin, and tie it at both ends; prick it in several places with a fork, and then either roast it on the spit, or broil it on the fridiron; when it is done enough take off the skin, and serve it dry with juice of Lemon. Or else make a white sauce with good Butter, Vinegar, Salt and white Pepper, together with Anchovies and Capers. Note that only the large Eels are dressed in this manner.
To spit-cook and Eel
Split a large Eel down the back, and joint the bones, but do not strip off the skin. Cut the fish into three or four pieces and while they are broiling over a gentle fire, baste them with Butter, Vinegar and Salt. Use no other sauce but Butter and juice of Lemon.
To collar Eels
Having skinned and gutted them, rip up their bellies and bone them, next season them with pepper, Salt, Nutmeg, sweet Herbs and Lemon peel, and having roll’d them up very hard, bind them fast with tape. Make the pickle as follows: put into a pint of water the eel bones with a seasoning of Pepper, Salt, Bayleaves, a sprig of Rosemary, a bunch of sweet Herbs, with a little rough Cyder, and boil the bones, but not too much; when you think they are enough, take them up and hang them up ty’d in a bunch, to be cold. Skim the fat clean off the liquor, into which put the collar’d Eels. You must now and then boil up the pickle. Eat them with Oil and Vinegar, beat up together; or with the juice of Lemon and Pickles.
To collar a large Eel
Take a large Silver Eel, split it down the back, wash, dry, and salt it. Mince very small some Oyster, an Onion, Thyme, savoury and sweet Marjoram: add some Cloves, Mace and Nutmeg pounded. Strew this mixture on the inside of the Eel, roll it and bind it fast with tape. Boil it in water, Vinegar and Salt, with three or four whole Onions, a little Ginger, and a bunch of sweet Herbs. When you eat it, garnish the dish with Fennel and Flowers.
Eggs with juice of Orange
Beat up more or fewer Eggs according to the size of the dish you would make; while you are beating them, squeeze in some juice of Orange, taking care that none of the seeds fall in among the Eggs. When they are well beaten, and season’d with a little Salt, take a saucepan, and put in it a little Butter or Gravy, pour in your Eggs, and keep them always stirring over a gentle fire, that they may not stick to the bottom. When they are enough, pour them into a little dish or plate and serve them warm.
To make farced Eggs
Take the hearts of three or four Cabbage-Lettuce and blanch them, then take some Sorrel, Parsley, Chervil and one or two mushrooms; shred all this very small with the yolks of hard Eggs, season’d with Salt and Nutmeg. Toss them up in Butter, and when they are enough, put to them some Cream; and fill the bottom of your dish with them. With the whites of your Eggs make another Farce with savoury herbs, etc. to garnish the brim of your dish.
You may likewise fry farced Eggs, dipping them first in a thin batter; and serve them with fry’d Parsley.
Eggs en Crêpine
Take some raw Ham, Veal Sweetbreads, fat Livers, Truffles and Mushrooms, cut all these in dice, toss them up in a little melted Bacon; moisten the whole with Gravy, set it a simmering for half an hour, and then bind it with a Cullis of Veal and Ham. See that your Ragoo be well relish’d and set it a cooling. Take ten new-laid Eggs and divide the whites from the Yolks. Whip up the whites to a froth; and beat up the yolks either in a little Cullis or Cream; strain them through a sieve, and pour them into your Ragoo; together with the whites, and mix the whole well together. Then take a flat bottom’d saucepan, lay a Veal-Caul in the bottom of it, pour in your Ragoo, fold the Caul down upon it, and bake it in the oven. When it is enough, turn it upside down into a dish, and serve it hot.
Another time instead of serving it dry, you may throw on it some Cullis of Veal and Ham, or a Ragoo of Mushrooms.
Eggs a la Tripe
Boil them hard, take off the shells, and cut them in slices longways. Take a bit of fresh Butter, put it into a sauce pan, let it melt over a stove, put in your Eggs and toss them up with shredded Parsley, seasoned with Salt and Pepper. When they are enough, pour in a little Cream, and serve them warm in plates or little dishes.
If you would not serve them with Cream, you may while you are tossing them up in the saucepan, add a little shred Onion, and instead of the Cream, beat up two yolks of Eggs in a little Verjuice or Vinegar and Water, thicken your Eggs with it, and serve them as you do the others with Cream.
Eggs with the Juice of Sorrel
Poach your Eggs in boiling water; and having pounded some Sorrel, put the juice of it in a dish with some Butter, two or three raw Eggs, Salt and Nutmeg; make all this into a Sauce, and pour it on your poach’d Eggs; so serve them.
Poach’d Eggs with Sauce of Anchovies
Melt some good Butter in a saucepan, with Anchovies, fry’d flour, juice of Lemon and a little Salt; strain it all through a sieve; and having poach’d your Eggs and laid them in a dish, pour this sauce on them and serve them.
Eggs in Verjuice
Beat them up well in a little Verjuice, season them with Salt and Nutmeg and set them over the fire with a little Butter. When they are come to the thickness of Cream, serve them.
Poached Eggs in Gravy
Poach some new laid Eggs in boiling water and a little Vinegar. Having some good Gravy in readiness, put to is some Salt and Pepper, and a whole Leek, heat it over the fire and having laid your poach’d Eggs in a dish, strain it through a sieve upon them, and serve them hot in plates or little dishes.
Eggs beaten in Gravy
Take some Gravy, with three or four spoonfuls of Cullis of Veal and Ham; put to this the yolks of eight Eggs, a little Pepper and Salt, beat it all well together; set it over the stove, and keep stirring continually, when the Eggs are done enough, grate on them a little Nutmeg, and serve them hot in plates or little dishes.
Eggs with Cream
Take a pint of Cream, and a stick of Cinnamon, two or three zests of Lemon, and as much Sugar as you think convenient. Blanch a quarter of a pound of sweet almonds, and a dozen of bitter, pound them in a mortar, sprinkling them from time to time with a little Milk; when they are pounded to a paste, put it into your Cream with the yolks of eight new-laid Eggs; mix it all well together and strain it through a sieve twice or thrice; take a silver dish set it over hot embers; pour in your Eggs and Cream; cover it with a tartpan cover; put fire upon it and when they are enough done, set them a cooling and serve them cold in plates or little dishes.
Poach’d Eggs and Cucumbers
Make a Ragoo of Cucumbers as follows. Peel some Cucumbers and cut them in two in the middle; take out the seeds, cut them in slices and lay them to marinate in Vinegar, Salt, pepper, and an Onion or two cut in slices; toss them up over a stove in fresh Butter; when they begin to grow brown, put to them a little fish broth, and set them to simmer for half an hour; then take off all the fat, and put to them a cullis of Crayfish or other fish. Poach some new-laid Eggs in Butter one by one, and lay them handsomely in a dish, cut the whites of them with your knife to make them exactly round, pour your Ragoo of Cucumbers upon them, and serve them hot.
Eggs with Succory
Blanch some Succory, squeeze it well, give it three or four cuts with a knife, put it into a stewpan, moisten it with a little fish broth, season it with Pepper, Salt, a bunch of savoury Herbs, let it simmer half an hour, and then thicken it with a fish cullis, lay it handsomely in the dish and having poach’d your Eggs in Butter, and cut them round as in the foregoing Receipt, lay them upon the Succory, and serve them in plates or little dishes, or for Hors d’Oeuvres.
Eggs and Lettuce
Blanch some Cabbage-Lettuce, squeeze the water well out of them, cut them in slices, toss them up in a saucepan with fresh Butter, seasoned with pepper, Salt and a bunch of Herbs, set them over a gentle fire for half an hour. Then take off the fat; and put to them some Cullis of Crayfish or other fish. Poach some new laid Eggs in Butter and having dished up your Lettuce, lay the Eggs upon them and serve them as in the last Receipt.
Eggs and Celery
Take four or five Roots of Celery; half-boil it in white water, that is to say, in Water, Butter, Flour and Salt; then take them up, drain them, cut them in Pieces, and put them into a stewpan, with a little Fish Cullis, set them a simmering half an hour, thicken them with a Crayfish Cullis, and as big as a walnut of Butter, keeping them always moving over the fire. See that your Ragoo be well relished, put in a little Vinegar, lay it in a dish, and your poach’d Eggs upon it. Serve it as your Eggs with Succor.
Instead of poach’d Eggs, you may make use of hard Eggs cut in halves, laying them upon the Celery round your dish and serving them as above.
Eggs and Crayfish
Make a Ragoo of the tails of Crayfish, with Mushrooms, Truffles and Artichoke bottoms, cut in pieces; toss them up in a SAUCEPAN WITH A LITTLE butter, moisten them with a little fish broth, season the whole with Pepper, Salt and a Faggot of Herbs; let it simmer a quarter of an hour, take off the fat, put to it a Cullis of Crayfish, poach ten new laid Eggs in boiling water, lay them in a dish, throw your Ragoo upon them, and serve them in little dishes, or as Hors d’Oeuvres.
Eggs and Crayfish to be serv’d in little dishes on fasting-days
Take a little ladleful of fish broth, a small crust of Bread, a Mushroom, a little Parsley, a whole Leek, and make it simmer all together; take it off the fire, and put to it more or less Cullis of Crayfish according to the size of the dish you intend to make. Set a dish on the table and a sieve in it, into which break six new laid Eggs and strain your Cullis and them through the sieve three or four times. Set a silver dish on hot embers, pour in your Eggs, cover it with a Tartpan Cover and put fire upon it. Lift it up from time to time to see when the Eggs are enough, and when you find them to be so, serve them warm.
The same for Flesh-days
Take Veal gravy and Cullis of Veal and Ham, of each an equal quantity, when you have mix’d them together, take one half of it, and season it with Salt, Pepper and a little Nutmeg; put the other half among some Crayfish Cullis in which beat up eight new laid Eggs, and strain the whole through a sieve. Set a dish upon live embers, pour your Eggs into the dish, and cover it with a tart pan cover, lay fire upon it; look on them from time to time and when you see that they begin to thicken, serve them hot in plates or little dishes.
