Wartime Wednesdays: Eggs Au Gratin

Eggs Cooked in the Shell

HARD-COOKED (Coddled)---Place the eggs in a saucepan of cold water and heat slowly until the boiling-point is reached. Set the container on the back of the stove or reduce the heat so that the water will not boil again and let stand twenty to thirty minutes before removing the eggs. Another method of regulating the temperature is to cook them in the double boiler.
SOFT-COOKED (CODDLED)---Use one pint water for each egg up to six eggs, one-half pint for each additional egg, and use a small deep saucepan so that the water will cover the eggs. Bring the water to the boiling-point in a vessel that can be covered closely. Put the eggs in at once, cover, set off the fire and let stand in a warm place for four to six minutes, depending on consistency desired. In this way, the eggs will be cooked equally well in every part.---The Victory Binding of the American Woman's Cook Book, Wartime Edition; 1943.

This egg dish was a lunch-time treat for myself. I had no idea how it would taste, if it would texturally impossible to consume, or a nifty surprise.

Three steps. Obviously, boil eggs. These are sliced and placed in an oiled baking dish, seasoned with salt & pepper, and covered with a medium white sauce (butter, flour, milk, salt & pepper; heat milk, blend in {already mixed} butter and flour, stir constantly till thick, cook 3 minutes, add seasonings and blend), sprinkled with grated cheese (I used Jarlsberg) and buttered breadcrumbs. Bake, at 350, till the sauce bubbles and crumbs are browned.

With some apprehension, I took that first bite. And it was, indeed, a nifty surprise. Rich, creamy sauce went well with the eggs, that bit of cheese added some flavor, and there was a nice crunch from the breadcrumbs.

It was so good...I ate the whole thing. It was my lunch and dinner.



Tagged with: Food and Drink + Wartime Wednesday + Lunch + Eggs + White+Sauce + Au Gratin + Cookbooks + Retro