In a 1926 cookbook called, Mrs. Peterson’s Simplified Cooking, Mrs. Peterson writes that one of the most frequent questions she gets when conducting a cooking class is “What shall I do with egg yolks?”
Both a hundred years ago and now there are numerous recipes that call for egg white, and the cook ends up with leftover egg yolks. To assist readers, Mrs. Peterson provided a list of ways to use them.
Source: Mrs. Peterson’s Simplified Cooking (1926)
Intrigued by the Yellow Jacket Frosting suggestion, I flipped to the cookbook’s index and found the recipe for Yellow Jacket Frosting. According to the recipe, it is a lemon-colored, cooked frosting made using egg yolks, marshmallows, sugar, and Karo.
I recently was surprised to find several recipes for Asian foods in a hundred-year-old U.S. cookbook. The introduction to the chapter on luncheon and supper dishes in a 1926 cookbook called Mrs. Peterson’s Simplified Cooking says:
So many persons have asked for some reliable recipes for Chinese dishes that I have included some favorite ones here. These dishes are unusual and delicious in flavor. The bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, and sauces called for may be purchased canned from any grocer who imports.
The cookbook included recipes for Chop Suey, Chinese Rice, Fried Rice, Chow Mien, and Egg Foyung. The cookbook author spelled both the Chow Mein and Egg Foo Young differently than we spell them today. I am not sure if she was uncertain how to spell them and tried to spell the words the way they sounded to her, or whether they are archaic spellings.
I have no idea how authentic the recipes are, but am guessing that they are different from foods actually served in China. In any case, I decided to give the Egg Foyung (Egg Foo Young) a try.
The old recipe calls for many of the same ingredients that modern Egg Foo Young recipes call for (eggs, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, pork or chicken); however, the process for making the dish is a little different from most modern recipes. Many modern recipes call for pouring a soy sauce mixture on egg pancakes (or omelet), while this recipe calls for coating the cooked egg pancakes with a soy-based gravy by putting them in a skillet with the hot gravy, and then flipping to coat the other side.
The verdict: The Egg Foyung (Egg Foo Young) was fun to make and tasty.
Here’s the original recipe:
Source: Mrs. Peterson’s Simplified Cooking (1926)
This recipe makes a lot of Egg Foyung, so I halved the amount of batter that I made, but used the amount of vegetable oil that the original recipe called for to ensure that the oil was an adequate depth. I also made the original amount of the gravy; however, when I started putting the egg pancakes into the gravy to absorb some of the liquid, I quickly ran out of it and had to make more. So, when I updated the recipe, I doubled the ingredients used to make the gravy.
When I halved the batter-portion of the recipe, I used half of an 8-ounce can of sliced water chestnuts and half of an 8-ounce can of bamboo shoots. I refrigerated the extra water chestnuts and bamboo shoots. To use the remaining water chestnuts and bamboo shoots, I made the recipe a second time several days later.
I assumed that “Chinese sauce” referred to soy sauce. I reduced the amount of salt when I made the recipe. It seemed like the old recipe called for too much, especially since the gravy contained substantive salt because of the soy sauce in it.
1/2 cup bamboo shoots (I used half of a 7-ounce can.)
1/2 cup sliced water chestnuts (I used half of a 7-ounce can.)
1/2 cup cooked pork or chicken, cut into thin 2 inch strips (I used pork.)
6 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons corn starch
4 teaspoons water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 cup broth or water (I used beef broth.)
Step 1. Cut the water chestnuts and bamboo shoots into thin strips. If the bamboo strips are longer than two inches, cut them in half.
Step 2. Put the eggs, water chestnuts strips, bamboo shoot strips, and pork or chicken strips into a mixing bowl; stir to evenly distribute all the ingredients.
Step 3. Put the oil and salt in a large heavy skillet and stir, then heat until hot using medium heat.
Step 4. Drop the egg mixture from a tablespoon into the hot oil. Evenly space the spoonfuls of the mixture in the pan. Cook until the egg mixture thickens, then flip and cook the other side. Remove from pan and put on a warm oven (275° F.) while while making the remaining ones. The egg pancakes will need to be cooked in several batches.
Step 5. Once all the egg pancakes have been made, pour any remaining oil out of the skillet. Turn off heat until the soy gravy is mixed.
Step 6. To make the soy gravy, put the cornstarch in a bowl, add 4 teaspoons water, then stir until the mixture is smooth. Stir in the 1 cup of broth or water.
Step 7. Reheat skillet using medium heat, then add the gravy mixture. Heat until the mixture thickens, while stirring continuously.
Step 8. Place a few of the egg pancakes in the gravy, then flip, and remove from the skillet. Repeat until all of the pancakes are coated with the gravy. Serve immediately.
Many recipes evolve across the years. Eggs Beauregard is a recipe that has changed. According to Wikipedia, it historically was hard boiled eggs in a cream sauce, while it now is generally a dish containing biscuits with gravy, fried eggs, and sausage. However, the recipe for Eggs Beauregard that I found in a hundred-year-old cookbook is made by putting spinach in a cream sauce, adding eggs, and then topping it with cheese.
I don’t know why the old recipe I found is different from the Wikipedia descriptions of both the old and modern versions of Eggs Beauregard, but I’m glad I made this recipe. It’s a keeper. It’s tasty, and makes a beautiful breakfast or brunch dish.
My husband said that I should make Eggs Beauregard again, which is a high compliment from him.
Here’s the original recipe:
Source: Mrs. Peterson’s Simplified Cooking (1926)
When I made this recipe, I assumed that it called for 2 cups of cooked spinach. A 9-ounce bag of fresh spinach makes about 2 cups of cooked spinach. (Frozen or canned spinach could also be used.) It is important to heat whichever type of spinach is used; otherwise, this dish would need to be baked for more than 20 minutes.
The recipe doesn’t call for salt and pepper, but I sprinkled a little on the eggs since eggs are often topped with salt and pepper.
I did not want the eggs to spread out over the spinach, so for each egg, I pushed the spinach aside to make a hole. I used canning jar rings to keep the hole open until I put the egg in it. Once I placed the eggs in the holes, I removed the rings.
2 cups cooked spinach, chopped (A 9-ounce bag of spinach makes about 2 cups when cooked. Frozen or canned spinach could also be used.)
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 tablespoon flour
1 cup milk
4 eggs
salt and pepper
1/2 cup grated cheese
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Step 2. If using fresh spinach, wash and chop; then put in a pan with the water that is clinging to the spinach. Using medium heat, cook until the spinach wilts. (If using frozen or canned spinach, heat the spinach.) Remove from heat; and, if needed, drain to remove excess liquid.
Step 3. In the meantime, in another pan, using medium heat, melt butter, then stir in the flour. Gradually, add the milk while stirring constantly. Continue stirring until the white sauce begins to thicken.
Step 4. Stir the white sauce into the spinach.
Step 5. Put the spinach mixture in a flat baking dish. (A 9 inch by 9 inch works well.)
Step 6. Make four holes in the spinach where the eggs can be placed, then put an egg in each hole. (I used canning jar rings to keep the holes open. Once the eggs were placed in the holes, I removed the rings.) Sprinkle salt and pepper on each egg.
Step 7. Sprinkle with grated cheese, then bake in the oven until the egg whites are opaque and set (about 20 minutes). Remove from oven and serve.
My weekday breakfasts are boring — think oatmeal or cereal, but I like to make breakfast foods that are a little fancier on weekends, so I was thrilled when I came across a recipe for Raisin Nut Omelet in a hundred-year-old cookbook.
The Raisin Nut Omelet is topped with a sprinkle of powdered sugar. For the omelet, the eggs are separated and the whites beaten, which makes the omelet a little fluffier than many modern omelets. The raisins (and the powdered sugar) give the omelet a lovely sweetness, and the nuts add a delightful crunchy texture. The omelet is perfect for breakfast or brunch – though it almost has a dessert-like essence and could also be served at other times of the day.
Here’s the original recipe:
The Modern Method of Preparing Delightful Foods (1926) by Ida Bailey Allen
This recipe was in a cookbook published by the Corn Products Refining Company, so it calls for specific brands for the corn-based ingredients. When I updated the recipe, I just listed the ingredients without the brand names.
The recipe calls for cutting the raisins in half. They probably don’t really need to be cut, but I followed the recipe directions and cut them. The resulting raisin pieces were a nice size when dispersed throughout the omelet.
I could not figure out why the recipe called for boiling water (and thought it might prematurely cook some of the egg yolk), so I just used regular water.
Step 2. Place egg whites in a bowl, then beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
Step 3. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks, then stir in the salt, corn starch, and water. Add raisins and nuts; then stir until evenly distributed in the mixture.
Step 4. Fold in the beaten egg whites.
Step 5. Grease a large oven-proof skillet (or use an omelet pan) with olive oil or cooking oil, then heat on the top of the stove using medium-low heat.
Step 6. Pour the egg mixture into skillet, and gently cook for 2 minutes. Then gently stir, lifting the cooked portion from the bottom of the pan to allow the uncooked portion to flow to the bottom. After another minute, again gently lift the cooked portion from the bottom of the pan to help ensure that the omelet cooks evenly, and gently cook for another minute.
Step 7. Move the skillet to the oven, and bake for about 8 – 10 minutes or until the egg mixture is set.
Step 8. Remove from oven, and loosen the edges and bottom of the omelet from the skillet with a spatula, then turn onto a plate.
Step 9. Fold omelet in half. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top of the omelet. Serve immediately.
My husband recently said to me, “You don’t make hard boiled eggs right. The Wall Street Journal says that there are 16 steps involved in making good hard boiled eggs.”
I said, “Is that so there isn’t a green line around the yolk?”
He said, “No, it’s so the yolk has a nice texture.”
After reading the article, I said, “That’s stupid. You just put the eggs in a pan of water, bring it almost to a boil, reduce the heat so it stays just below boiling, and time them for 20 minutes. Then you drain them and put them in a pan of cold water for a couple of minutes. Sometimes people make things unduly complicated. If you want 16-step eggs, you’ll have to make them yourself.”
But, the article did make me curious about how people historically made hard boiled eggs. That sent me to a hundred-year-old cookbook to see how they made hard boiled eggs in 1925:
To cook eggs so that they will be firm all the way through and yet not tough or indigestible, put them in a saucepan of boiling water, cover closely and place on the part of the stove where the water will remain very hot, but not boil and let stand for twenty minutes.
The Rumford Complete Cook Book (1925)
I then decided to see what the directions for making hard boiled eggs were midway between a century ago and now. I have a Betty Crocker cookbook published about 50 years ago (actually 49 years ago). It gave both cold water and boiling water methods:
Cold Water Method: Place eggs in saucepan; add enough cold water to come at least 1 inch above eggs. Heat rapidly to boiling. Remove from heat; cover. Let stand 22 to 24 minutes. Immediately cool eggs in cold water to prevent further cooking. . .
Boiling Water Method: Place eggs in bowl of warm water to prevent shells from cracking. Fill saucepan with enough water to come at least 1 inch above eggs; heat to boiling. With spoon, transfer eggs from warm water to boiling water. Reduce heat to below simmering; cook 20 minutes. Immediately cool eggs in cold water to prevent further cooking.
Betty Crocker’s Cookbook (1976)
The way I make hard boiled eggs is a variation of the 100-year-old directions as well as of the 50-year-old ones. I may be set in my ways, but I’m sticking with how I’ve always made hard boiled eggs. My bet is that the 16-step method is just a fad.
If your household is like mine, you have hard-boiled Easter eggs sitting in the refrigerator and are looking for ways to use them. I came across a recipe in a hundred-year-old cookbook for Walnut Grove Potatoes, which is a fancy name for Scalloped Potatoes with Hard-Boiled Eggs. It was delightful, and is a great way to use those hard-boiled eggs.
Here’s the original recipe:
Source: Cook Book (Compiled by Women of the Country Club Christian Church, Kansas City, Missouri)
When I made this recipe, I interpreted “cream dressing” to mean white sauce. It did not work very well to put all of the white sauce on the top of the top layer of breadcrumbs, so I changed the recipe to indicate the white sauce should be one of the layers so that it is more evenly distributed.
1 cup coarsely-torn breadcrumbs (tear bread into 1-inch pieces) + 1/8 cup finely-torn breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups milk
approximately 1/3 green pepper, thinly sliced
Preheat oven to 400° F. Put the sliced potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water; add 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil using high heat; reduce and simmer until the potatoes are just barely tender (about 10-12 minutes). Remove from heat and drain.
In the meantime, in another pan, using medium heat, melt butter, then stir in the flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Gradually, add the milk while stirring constantly. Continue stirring until the white sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat.
To assemble: Put 1/3 of the white sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish, add 1/2 of the cooked sliced potatoes, then add a layer composed of 1/2 of the hard-boiled egg slices, and a layer of 1/2 of the coarsely-torn breadcrumbs. Pour a third of the white sauce over the layers. Repeat the layers with the remaining sliced potatoes, hard-boiled egg slices, and coarsely-torn breadcrumbs. Pour the remaining white sauce over the top. Garnish with the green pepper slices and finely torn breadcrumbs. Put in oven and bake until hot and bubbly (about 30 minutes).
When my children were young they used to enjoy making Eggs in a Hole where a hole is cut out of a slice of toast and an egg is dropped into the hole. So when I saw a recipe in a hundred-year-old cookbook for Baked Eggs that looked similar to Eggs in a Hole, but with a twist, I had to give it a try. Instead of just cutting one circle in the toast, two circles are cut to create a ring of toast. The egg is then dropped into the ring. It gave an old classic a new twist -though that’s not quite right. Maybe I should say that I found an old twist for a classic recipe.
I enjoyed making this recipe, and anticipate making it again when children or grandchildren visit.
Source: The Metrolpolitan Cook Book (published by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, 1924)
The old recipe says that the hole the egg is put into is created by removing a little of the center. I interpreted this to mean that a small circle should be cut out of the center of the toast.
Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease an oven-proof skillet with butter. Cut a large round circle out of the toast. (I used an inverted champagne glass to cut the circle). Then cut a smaller circle out of the center of the circle. (I used a round cookie cutter to cut the small circle. A small inverted juice glass would also work.) Put the resulting toast ring in the skillet, then gently break the egg and put the contents in the hole. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and dot with a few small pieces of butter. Spoon the milk over the egg. Put in oven and bake until the egg is cooked (about 10-15 minutes).
My weekday breakfasts are boring — think oatmeal or cereal, but I like to make breakfast foods that are a little fancier on weekends, so I was thrilled when I came across a recipe for Raisin Nut Omelet in a hundred-year-old cookbook.
My husband recently said to me, “You don’t make hard boiled eggs right. The Wall Street Journal says that there are 16 steps involved in making good hard boiled eggs.”
