seldom more
relished in any form than in a well-made and expeditiously served
omelette. This may be plain, or seasoned with minced herbs and a
very little shalot, when the last is liked, and is then called
_Omelettes aux fines herbes_; or it may be mixed with minced ham or
grated cheese: in any case it should be light, thick, full-tasted,
and _fried only on one side_; if turned in the pan, as it frequently
is in England, it will at once be flattened and rendered tough.
Should the slight rawness, which is sometimes found in the middle of
the inside when the omelette is made in the French way, be objected
to, a heated shovel, or a salamander, may be held over it for an
instant, before it is folded on the dish.

"The pan for frying it should be quite small; for if it be composed
of four or five eggs only, and then put into a large one, it will
necessarily spread over it and be thin, which would render it more
like a pancake than an omelette; the only partial remedy for this,
when a pan of proper size cannot be had, is to raise the handle of
it high, and to keep the opposite side close down to the fire, which
will confine the eggs into a smaller space. No gravy should be
poured into the dish with it, and, indeed, if properly made, it will
require none. Lard is preferable to butter for frying batter, as it
renders it lighter; but it must not be used for omelettes. Filled
with preserves of any kind, it is called a sweet omelette."

1311. Baked Pears.

Take twelve large baking pears; pare and cut them into halves, leaving
on about half an inch of the stem. Take out the core with the point of
a knife, and place the pears thus prepared close together in a block
tin saucepan, the inside of which is quite bright, and whose cover
fits quite close. Put to them the rind of a lemon cut thin, with half
its juice, a small stick of cinnamon, and twenty grains of allspice;
cover them with spring water, and allow one pound of loaf sugar to a
pint and a half of water: cover up close, and bake for six hours in a
very slow oven;--they will be quite tender, and of a good colour.
Prepared cochineal is generally used for colouring the pears; but if
the above is strictly attended to, it will be found to answer best.

1312. Apples served with Custard.

Pare and core apples; cut them in pieces; bake or stew them with as
little