Buttered eggs - help needed

[selenay]

I've been dipping into the Girls Own mailing list a bit lately and someone mentioned buttered eggs. It's something that's also mentioned in the Box of Delights: "Time and tide and buttered eggs wait for no man".

As an aside, I love that book and the BBC adaptation. They're perfect pre-Christmas reading or watching, although the BBC adaptation is much easier to understand (because it has a comprehensible storyline rather than wandering along on whatever fancy John Masefield took at that moment) and doesn't rely on familiarity with The Midnight Folk. If you like children's adventures set in the '30s with a sprinkling of magic and odd goings on, hunt this down on Amazon although I think that it is only available on region 2 at the moment.

Anyway, the point is...

Does anyone on my f-list know what buttered eggs are and how one would make them? I've been intrigued for years and now that I'm getting back into my cooking and baking, I'd love to know what they are and whether it is possible to make them.

I am currently debating what to bake at the weekend. Chocolate brownie cupcakes? Double chocolate chip cookies?

Do I see whether I can hunt down a recipe for sticky buns in my trusty Be-Ro book?

Do I tackle scones, knowing that I'll then need some cream and jam so they won't be an elevensies treat at work?

Do I venture into experimenting with choux pastry, or shall I save that for a holiday treat?

And then there is the debate of what to cook on Saturday for my aunt. I've got loads of stuff in the freezer now so I don't need to do any big batches in the slow-cooker (officially my favourite kitchen appliance ever). Time to peruse my recipe books, methinks.

You know what I'd really love? A proper, decent fan oven. My (non-fan) oven is terrible beyond belief and useless for baking. It cooks from the bottom up so everything gets scorched on the bottom while remaining anemic on top. I resorted to cooking stuff in tiny batches in my toaster oven this weekend, which isn't exactly ideal! But Mum does not want to re-do the kitchen this summer and we intend to put in a wall-mounted fan oven when she does the remodel because everyone who cooks regularly in my house has trouble bending to get things out of ovens. So it's pointless to spend money on a good stove when we we'll be eliminating the need for it next summer.

Wow, and that was a domestic-y post. When I did I start doing domestic?

Although I really would love to learn embroidery at the Royal College of Sewing in England...

Comments

[the-magician.livejournal.com]

Mrs.Beaton says
BUTTERED EGGS

1657. INGREDIENTS - 4 new-laid eggs, 2 oz. of butter.

Mode - Procure the eggs new-laid if possible; break them into a basin, and beat them well; put the butter into another basin, which place in boiling water, and stir till the butter is melted. Pour that and the eggs into a lined saucepan; hold it over a gentle fire, and, as the mixture begins to warm, pour it two or three times into the basin, and back again, that the two ingredients may be well incorporated. Keep stirring the eggs and butter one way until they are hot, without boiling, and serve on hot buttered toast. If the mixture is allowed to boil, it will curdle, and so be entirely spoiled.

Time - About 5 minutes to make the eggs hot.

Average cost, 7d.

Sufficient - Allow a slice to each person.

Seasonable at any time.

[the-magician.livejournal.com]

Late 18th century version from the Isle of Man
12 Eggs

Salt

1/4 lb. Butter


Take 12 eggs, whites and yolks, beat them very well and put them in a skillet with a little salt and pounded pepper and the butter. Keep these stirring continually over a very clear fire, lest you smoke them, till done.

Don't do them too hard, take care of burning them.

Have broad pieces of white bread, toasted, layed in your dish. Pour your egg over it.

Serve it hot.

If you use nothing but yolks of the eggs they are nicer.

[the-magician.livejournal.com]

Wyvern, in 1885 suggests
Buttered Eggs. Oeufs Brouilles

Buttered Eggs (oeufs brouilles) are undeniably good if served quite simply, upon crisply fried bread, straight from the fire. Grated ham, finely minced tongue, and little dice of crisply fried bacon, are capital, if at hand, to garnish the surface of the eggs with; and chopped herbs, anchovy, or the minced remnants of any fish like sardines, pilchards, or herrings, may be stirred into the eggs just before serving with marked advantage. Cold cooked vegetables, such as cauliflower, artichokes, aspara-giis, etc., may be cut up and mixed with the eggs in the same way, - in fact, a moment's thought will generally enable a careful cook to make his buttered egg toasts additionally tasty by the introduction of some nice trifle left from a previous meal, which could scarcely be made use of in any other manner.

[selenay]

Wow, you are brilliant! Thank you! Buttered eggs do sound rather good :-) And those suggested enhancements could also work rather well...

I forsee some experimenting in my future. And a need to buy butter :-)

[historyterry.livejournal.com]

You taunt me with talk of cakes when I am peckish, you naughty girl!

Anyway, here's Mrs Beeton's Buttered Eggs:
http://thefoody.com/mrsbcheese/butteredeggs.html

In other news, I have been fannish, and bought this way cool new shirt, which you might appreciate:
http://shop.scificollectorshop.co.uk/epages/es105345.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es105345_shop/Products/doctor-dr-who-clothing-haynes-dalek-t-shirt/SubProducts/doctor-dr-who-clothing-haynes-dalek-t-shirt-medium

[selenay]

Heh, sorry about the cake discussion :-)

I really need to find a copy of Mrs Beeton at some stage, don't I? It would be intriguing for the social history side of things as well as the interesting recipes. Hmm...

That T-shirt is fabulous!!

[tejas.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure what a "fan oven" is, but for one that only has heat applied from the bottom, consider getting yourself a pizza stone. You put the stone on the lowest rack, with the rack you put the food on in the middle, as usual. The stone will help diffuse the heat throughout the space.

[selenay]

A "fan oven" is what we call a convection oven in the UK, I believe. One that has a fan to distribute the heat evening around the oven. My little toaster oven has convection, my main stove does not :-(

However, the suggestion on the pizza stone is good, thank you. The oven theoretically has an element at the top that heats up but doesn't appear to heat properly, hence the uneven heat distribution. I'll look at getting a pizza stone at the weekend see how it does. Using a little toaster oven for baking isn't exactly convenient!

[tejas.livejournal.com]

If the top element is the problem, it *MIGHT* be better to put the stone above the food, but I've never tried that, so I can't say it how it would work.

Note, too, that I use my stone to cook on, too. :-) Very convenient since it never leaves the oven. :-)

[tejas.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I vote for sticky buns.

*drool* :-)

[selenay]

Hee :-) I'm leaning that way myself, if my Be-Ro book can produce a good recipe. Otherwise it's brownie cupcakes. But sticky buns are top of my preferred list right now.