The recipe for French Toast made by Fred Harvey chefs for the Santa Fe Railway.
Ingredients:
2 slices white bread, cut 3/4 inch thick
1/2 cup light cream
2 eggs
pinch salt
1/2 cup cooking oil
How to do it:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place cooking oil in a skillet and heat it. Meanwhile, cut each bread slice diagonally to form four triangles. In a small bowl, combine eggs, cream and salt and beat well. Soak bread thoroughly in the egg/cream mixture.
Fry the soaked bread slices in the hot oil to a golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Left from skillet to clean paper towels and allow to absorb excess cooking oil.
Transfer to baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake 4-6 minutes until the bread slices have puffed up. Serve sprinkled with powdered sugar.
Yield:
2 servings
This recipe comes from the dining cars of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railroad.
Ingredients:
1 lb roast beef, diced fine
4 hard cooked eggs, chopped fine
4 green chilies, parboiled, diced fine
1/2 cup pimentos, diced fine
1 celery stalk, diced fine
1/3 lb Swiss cheese, diced fine
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup chili sauce
8 drops Tobasco sauce
How to do it:
Warm both sides of the bread under the boiler before topping. Place diced cooked beef, hard-boiled eggs, green chilies, pimento, celery and Swiss cheese in a bowl. Add mayonnaise, lemon juice, chili sauce and Tobasco sauce. Mix thoroughly and spread generously on bread slices. Place on baking sheet and put 5 inches under preheated boiler. Toast until topping is lightly browned and bubbly.
Yield:
6 servings
Ingredients:
1 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Shortening
2 Eggs
2 Cups All-purpose Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Chopped Fresh Figs
1/2 Cup Chopped Walnuts
How to do it:
1. Preheat over to 350 degrees
2. Cream sugar and shortening and add beaten eggs and vanilla extract
3. Sift dry ingredients and blend with creamed mixture.
4. Fold in chopped figs and walnuts.
5. Drop tablespoons of batter on greased cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
Note: The dough will appear quite dry and crumbly until you add the figs. This is normal.
How to hard boil an egg.
1. Put the eggs in one layer on the bottom of the pan. Put the pan in the sink. Run water into the pan until the water is 1 inch over the eggs. Put the pan on a burner. Turn it to medium-high heat.
2. Let the water come to a boil. Put the lid on the pan when the water is boiling. Move the pan onto a cold burner. Set the timer for 15 minutes for Large-sized eggs (or for 12 minutes for Medium-sized eggs or for 18 minutes for Extra Large-sized eggs).
3. Put the pan in the sink when the time is over. Run cold water into the pan until the eggs are cool. Put the eggs into the refrigerator if you’re going to use them later or peel them if you’re going to use them right away. Be sure to use all the cooked eggs up before a week is over.
4. Gently tap a cooled egg on the countertop or table until it has cracks in it. Roll the egg between your hands until the cracks turn into small crackles all over the egg.
5. Use your fingers to start peeling off the shell at the large end of the egg. If you need to, you can hold the egg under running cold water or dip it in a bowl of water to make peeling easier. Throw out the pieces of eggshell when the egg is all peeled (or put them in the compost pile.) You can eat the egg or use it in a recipe when it’s peeled.
Ingredients:
3 sticks lightly salted butter
1/2 cup tarragon wine vinegar
1/2 cup dry vermouth
2 tablespoons finely minced green onions
2 tablespoons finely minced parsley
1 teaspoon dried tarragon or 1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon
2 teaspoons dried chervil
10 cracked peppercorns
7 egg yolks
3 teaspoons warm water
1/2 teaspoon salt
Black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped chives (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped parsley (optional)
6 thin slices butter, room temperature
How to do it:
In a saucepan, melt butter, clarify and set aside. In a separate saucepan, combine vinegar, vermouth, green onions, parsley, tarragon, chervil, and peppercorns. Over high heat, reduce this liquid until it barely covers the bottom of the pan. Cool the mixture by setting the pan in cold water before adding the eggs. In a heavy saucepan, not over heat, place egg yolks, water and cooled reduced vinegar mixture, beating with a wire whisk until frothy, approximately 3-5 minutes. Place over low heat and continue beating vigorously several minutes longer. The pan should be removed from the heat often during this process to ensure slow cooking. Beat constantly until it is the consistency of a thick cream sauce.
Remove the pan from the fire, and while continuing to beat, slowly add clarified butter to the mixture a tablespoon at a time until all the butter is used. Add salt, parsley or chives, while beating in well. If mixture curdles, add 1 tablespoon cold water and beat vigorously. To prevent scum from forming on the top, cover the sauce with 6 thin slices of butter and place on top of the stove near the pilot light or place in a double boiler over lukewarm water. You may add a tablespoon of warm water and beat again before serving.
Yield: 2 cups
Béarnaise Sauce is very rich sauce that can be served on chicken, seafood, veal, beef or pork. It’s also excellent on eggs.
Ingredients:
1 pound unsalted butter
6 tablespoons margarine
3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons white wine
1 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 egg yolks
2 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
How to do it:
Melt the butter and margarine in a 1-quart saucepan over low heat. Increase the heat and bring to a rapid boil. Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes. Skim the froth from the top of the butter and discard. Pour the butter into a large glass measuring cup and set aside.
In a separate 1-quart saucepan, combine 3 tablespoons of the wine, the tarragon, salt and pepper. Cook over high heat until most of the liquid had evaporated, about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool for 5 minutes.
In a medium size stainless steel mixing bowl, combine the remaining 2 teaspoons wine, the cooled tarragon mixture, and the remaining ingredients except the butter. Mix together with a metal whisk until frothy, about 1 minutes.
Place the bowl over a pan of slowly simmering (NOT boiling) water. Do not allow the bowl to touch the water. Vigorously whisk the egg mixture, picking up the bowl frequently to let steam escape. Whip until the egg mixture is very light and creamy and has a sheen, about 5 to 7 minutes. This beating allows the cooked egg to hold the butter. Remove the bowl from the pan of hot water. Gradually ladle about 1/4 cup of the butter mixture (use the top butterfat, not the solids from the bottom) into the egg mixture while vigorously whipping the sauce. Make sure the butter is well mixed into the sauce before adding more. Continue gradually adding the butterfat until you’ve added about 1 cup.
Ladle out and reserve about 1/2 cup of the surface butterfat in a separate container to expose the butter solids. The butter solids will add flavor and thin the sauce. Gradually ladle all but 1/3 cup of the butter solids into the sauce, whisking well. Then gradually whisk enough of the reserved top butterfat to produce a thick sauce. The butterfat thickens the sauce, so you may not need to use all of it. Keep the sauce in a warm place until ready to serve.
Yield: 2 cups
Ingredients:
4 large egg yolks
2 cups corn oil
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
How to do it:
Beat eggs yolks in a large bowl with a metal whisk until frothy, about one minute. Slowly add 1 cup of oil, whisking until oil is incorporated before adding more. Whisk in the lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper, then gradually whisk in the remaining 1 cup of oil. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld.
Yield: 2 1/3 cup