BREAKFAST OMELETS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 135, 8 June 1911, Page 8

BREAKFAST OMELETS.

I . Few cooks understand the. art of making omelets, yet nothing is easier if attention be piiid to details. A perfect omelet should not be solid, but light and] creamy; and to have it thus the eggs must iiiot, be beaten until dry, nor should the yolks be beaten separately. The addition of flour is a mistake, as it renders the mixture a batter, and destroys the delicacy and lightness of the omelet. The use of milk in omelets is a disputed question; while some very good cooks approve of it, others object to it. French cooks insist that a little cold water, in the proportion of a teaspoonful to two eggs, gives lightness. I ream increases the richness of omelets, and a little butter has the same effect, but that either really adds anything to omelets is doubtful. There are savoury and sweet omelets and for variety, game, lisa, vegetables, and fruit may be added, as well as any special flavouring desired. The cooking of omelets is a very important factor in their perfection. The pan for this purpose should be clean, smooth, and well-heated; a little butter should be put in, the. omelet added, and shaken until it begins to thicken, then let set, brown slightly, when it is ready to roll and serve. It is more convenient to make several small omelets than one large one. The recipes here given are from the j best foreign and English cooks, and will add a pleasant variety to the breakfast or luncheon tables: —■ i French Omelet. —Beat six eggs, add a tablespoonful of cream, half a teacup of grated breadcrumbs, five drops of onion sauce, a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, with salt and pepper. Turn into a buttered omelet pan, shake, let set, and serve immediately. Ham Omelet. —Make a plain omelet, turn into a buttered pan; as soon as it begins to thicken sprinkle with finelychopped cold boiled ham, and a little minced parsley and thyme; roll and serve. Creole Omelet.—Cut two thin slices of fat bacon in small pieces, and set over the fire until brown, add a teaspoonful of chopped tomatoes, a small chopped onion, and half a dozen chopped mushrooms; stir and let cook for twenty minutes. Break six eggs in a bowl and give twelve vigorous beats, season with salt and pepper. Heat a smooth pan. add to it a teaspoonful of butter, pour in the eggs and shake over the fire until set; pour the mixture from the other pan over the omelet, fold over, turn out on a keated dish, and serve immediately. Italian Omelet. —Beat three eggs and J a/., of grated Parmesan cheese, the grated rind of a slice of lemon, a little grated nutmeg, a tablespoonful of cream, and a teaspoonful of cooked tomatoes. Heat 1 oz of butter, add a teaspoonful of chopped onion; stir over the fire until brown, pour in the omelet, shake until thick, let set; roll and serve immediately. Cheese Omelet.—-Beat four eggs. Heat an omelet pan, turn tiic eggs in, sprinkle with pepper and salt, shake until thick, dredge over three tablespoonfuls of grated cheese, let set; fold over and serve immediately. Curried Omelet.—Take two or three ounces of salt and pepper; add a few drops of lemon juice, a little finelyminced onion, and a dash of cayenne. Turn into a well-heated pan, let set. Have ready a tablespoonful of cooked rice mixed with curry sauce, pour in the middle of the omelet; roll and serve very hot.

Game Omelet.—Take two or three ounces of the breast of a roast partridge, and mix with half an ounce of "butter; season with salt, a dash of cayenne, a grating of nutmeg, and a little game sauce; pound the whole in a mortarrto a paste, and! set to keep warm. Beat

four eggs, turn into a pan, shake until thick, let set, put the game mixture over the top, roll and serve; garnish with bits of lemon and sprigs of parsley. HOUSEHOLD HINTS. Use copper wire for picture-ianging; it does not rust easily, 13 moth-proof, and will last for years. To remove scorch from linen cut an onion in half and rub the scorched part with it; then soak in cold water. Coudy mirrors should never be seen in i house. Rub them with a cloth wrung out oi cold water and dipped in dry whiting, and then polish them with a dry duster. When steel becomes rusty rub it with a piece of emery-paper that has teen lipped in turpentine. Polish with a fresh piece of emery-paper, and you will be delighted with the result. If not in use scrubbing brushes should; be turned bristles downwards. Thus the water will run out ot them and they will dry, whereas if they are placed j on their backs the water will soak into the wood and loosen the bristles. To whiten handkerchiefs which have become a bad colour through careless washing, soak them for a night in a solution of pipeclay and warm water. Wash and boil them next day dn the usual way, and they will come out looking beautifully white. Discoloured marble can quite well be cleaned in the following way: First of all wash with soap and water, then wipe dry and apply a paste made of powdered bath-brick and lemon juice. Rub it well into the discoloured parts, and rinse oil in clean cold water. Do not use water to any kind of matting. A wiser plan is to damp a cloth i with paraffin and rub lightly over the surface, after the matting has been well brushed. If it is found necessary to use water a pinch of salt added will help to prevent white matting from turning yellow, but on no account use soap. The pretty and inexpensive bamboo furniture which is so extensively used \ nowadays needs slightly different treatment froni the ordinary hard-wood irticles, the fibre requiring "feeding" irom time to tune :n order to prevent it. cracking from excessive dryness. It' should be regularly rubbed with a mixture of linseed-oil and turpentine, applied with a fiannel, followed by a brisk polish with soft rags. Bamboo furniture should also be exposed as much as possible to the air, and kept as far away from the fire as convenient.